Breakfast Casserole

This Breakfast Casserole will please everyone due to it’s simplicity and hearty flavors. If you plan on having guests (e.g. over the holidays), make this casserole in advance and reheat it the morning of. It’s delicious fresh, reheated, and even cold. A little bit of effort upfront will save you from having to cook breakfast (or lunch) for a ton of people! And I guarantee they will ask for the recipe!

INGREDIENTS

• 12 large eggs
• 1 lb bacon (~10 slices thick cut bacon)
• 16 oz breakfast sausage
• 16 oz Swiss cheese
• 16 oz heavy cream
• ~12 oz spinach
• butter for greasing
• kosher salt
• ~ ¼ tsp black pepper
• ~ ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ~ ¼ tsp nutmeg

HARDWARE

• baking sheet
• aluminum foil
• pan for sausage
• large skillet for spinach
• casserole dish
• small vessel to crack eggs into
• large vessel to add eggs into
• measuring cup (8 oz)
• whisk
• slotted spoon
• two bowls

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lay out your bacon onto the baking sheet.
3. Place the bacon into the oven (even if it is still reheating) for about 30-45 minutes, depending on desired crispy level. For this recipe, it’s best to go the meatier side, thus the lower temperature.
4. Begin browning your sausage in a skillet by heating it over medium heat, slowly crumbling the meat log into smaller pieces.
5. In the meantime, rinse your spinach and add it to another pan. Salt, and let wilt over medium-low heat.
6. Begin cracking your eggs. Crack an egg, one by one, into the small vessel. Once you are positive there are no egg shells or random tidbits, empty that egg into the larger vessel.
7. Once the sausage has browned and the spinach wilt, remove them from the heat using a slotted spoon and place them into their respective bowls.
8. Squeeze as much water as you can from the spinach and drain the grease from the sausage.
9. Add the heavy cream to your eggs and begin whisking. Then add the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg to the eggs and continue whisking until well combined.
10. Remove the bacon from the oven and place onto a paper towel lined plate or cutting board to cool and drain.
11. Using kitchen scissors, cut the spinach while it is in the bowl. A rough cutting is all that is necessary – we simply don’t want long strands of leaves when you bite into the casserole. We could cut the spinach, but since it is already in a bowl, the scissors work really well.
12. Grease a casserole dish with butter, making sure to cover the bottom and the sides very well.
13. Add all the spinach to the bottom of the casserole dish, spreading evenly around.
14. Then, working in layers until satisfied with the quantities, add the sausage, eggs enough to barely cover, cheese, bacon (crumbling as you add it), eggs, sausage, bacon, cheese, and any bacon you want to add to the top.
15. Place the casserole dish into the oven for 45 minutes.
16. Remove from the oven and serve. Garnish with green onions.