You can prepare Ahead-of-the-Day Casserole literally a day ahead, ensuring that you wake up to a delicious, hearty breakfast with little worry! Sausage brings succulence, bread brings energy, bell peppers and mushrooms bring freshness, and cheese… well, isn’t cheese just great? Celebrating great flavor in a bed of fluffy eggs, Ahead-of-the-Day Casserole gives the motivation to truly get ahead today!
Ingredients
- 4 cups crusty bread, of your choice, cubed
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or Italian seasoning, optional
- 3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups bell peppers, color of your choice, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 12 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more, to taste
- 2/3 cup milk or half-and-half
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- green onions, optional, to taste, sliced, for garnish
- parsley, optional, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 2 –Arrange the bread cubes in an even layer at the bottom of the dish.
Step 3 –In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil.
Step 4 –Add the sausage and the dried rosemary to the hot oil and cook, while crumbling the meat, about 1 minute.
Step 5 –Add the onions, the garlic, the bell peppers, the mushrooms, and the spinach and cook until the veggies have slightly softened and the sausage is mostly cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
Step 6 –Transfer the sausage mixture from the heat and spread it out evenly over the bread layer in the baking dish.
Step 7 –In a bowl, add the eggs, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper, the milk, and the cheese and whisk to combine.
Step 8 –Evenly pour the egg mixture over the sausage mixture.
Step 9 –Season the casserole with the extra salt and the extra pepper.
Step 10 –Cover the casserole and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Step 11 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 12 –Transfer the casserole from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
Step 13 –Bake the casserole, uncovered, until the top is golden, the edges are crisp, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes.
Step 14 –Transfer the casserole to a wire rack and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
Step 15 –Top with the green onions and the parsley and serve.
