Breakfast is without a doubt my favorite meal of the day. It incorporates all of my favorite food groups: bread, cheese, eggs and bacon. Is there even anything else you need? Yes, actually. Breakfast sausage. Oh and hashbrowns! See what I mean? Breakfast has all the good foods.
So it's no surprise that its my favorite meal to make in the house and I am always on the look out for breakfasts that fit a few criteria: it needs to feed a hungry boy appetites, adapt well to baby-size, come together quickly and easily, and be everything I want and expect from a delicious breakfast. Easy right?
Well this breakfast is exactly that. It is full of potatoes, sausage, cheese, eggs and even a few veggies and has tons of flavor. It also requires minimal prep and no crazy ingredients. The final win for this casserole? I didn't have to do a thing to it to serve it to my ten-month old, everything was already perfectly sized.
The steps are simple: chop your veggies, brown your meat, saute the veggies, mix, and bake.
Southwest breakfast casserole
Serves 6
ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground sausage (we used mild Italian, but go with whatever you like)
- 1 large red bell pepper, cored and diced
- 4 gloves of garlic, minced
- 1 bunch green onions (about 8), white and green parts chopped, and separated
- 1 tbs. butter or olive oil
- 1 bag frozen diced potatoes
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheese (we used a cheddar blend)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Remove the bag of frozen potatoes from the freezer and set it out to thaw as you prep the rest of the food.
In a saute pan over medium high heat, brown the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula as it cooks. Transfer to a paper towel-lined bowl to drain. In the same pan, melt the butter and saute the bell pepper, white parts of the green onions, and garlic. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the heavy cream and salt and pepper until frothy. Set aside.
Remove the paper towels from the bowl with the sausage and veggies. Pour in the frozen diced potatoes so it's half potatoes, half sausage and veggies (I used about 3/4 of the bag). Stir the mix together so its evenly distributed.
Butter an 9x9 baking dish. Pour the sausage mix into the dish and spread it evenly. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage mixture, covering the entire pan.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove, and using a spoon stir the mixture, turning it all over so the eggs don't just sink to the bottom and bake up like a quiche and more like a scramble. Return to the oven for 15 minutes. Top with desired amount of shredded cheese and return to the oven so the cheese melts.
Top with sliced green onions and fresh salt and pepper before serving.