Casserole is a common dish in American and European cuisines. It's a healthy breakfast item. With all the energy-giving ingredients, this is a very filling and satisfying morning meal. You can have it for your weekend brunch as well. It's an all-in-one meal that is easy to cook. You can add ingredients that you like and customize it.

Ingredients

• Crusty bread – 4 cups, cubes
• Eggs – 6 to 10
• Bacon – 8 ounces
• Sausage – 1 cup
• Sweet potato – 1 pound
• Bell pepper – ½ cup
• Onion – ¼ cup
• Milk – 2 cups
• Cheese – 2 to 3 cups

Tips

• You can try out different meat, like ground chicken, spicy Italian sausage, or diced ham. Before you put them in your casserole, season them with salt, herbs, and black pepper.
• Instead of whole milk, you can use almond milk.
• If you are worried about adding too much cheese to your diet, then you can omit it from this recipe.
• You can use roasted broccoli, asparagus, or spinach for a vegan casserole.

Method

1. First, roast the potatoes by tossing them in a pan with olive oil. Add black pepper, garlic powder, salt and paprika. On another pan add slices of bacon and season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Then take out the bacon and put the sweet potato in the oven for 15 minutes.
2. On a pan saute the sausage on medium flame.
3. Saute onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes till they soften.
4. Saute the minced garlic for a minute.
5. Transfer everything to the casserole dish. Mix them and season with salt and black pepper.
6. Whisk the egg till it is light and fluffy. Pour it over the veggies and meat in the casserole dish. Bake it for 25 to 30 minutes. When the edges get golden and the center is thoroughly cooked, you can take it out of the oven.
7. Slice it into squares and serve.

Storage options

You can prepare the meat and veggies the night before. Wrap them in aluminum foil and store them in the fridge. Before making casserole, the next morning bring the ingredients to room temperature before putting egg and starting to bake. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. Before eating just heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds. If you store the leftovers in the freezer, you can keep them in good condition for up to 3 months.

How to know if the casserole is done

The common approach is to shake the pan to see whether the center jiggles. You can also poke the middle of the casserole with a toothpick or fork to see if it comes out clean. Another way is to use a thermometer to check the temperature. If the temperature reaches 165 degrees then your casserole is fully cooked.

Serving ideas

• You can add parsley, chives, and other herbs.
• If you like cheese then put on more cheese. You can mix up cheddar and feta cheese.
• You can serve breakfast casserole with the following:
  
  • Cinnamon rolls
  • Green salad
  • Blueberry muffins
  • Coffee cake

Breakfast casserole is a very convenient dish to serve if you have guests in your home. You can cook it in a large batch without much hassle. It's a very satisfying dish that will fill your stomach. With such rich ingredients, you will experience lots of flavors in one dish. As it's easy to store, you can prepare it over the weekend to save your morning hassles for the coming weekdays. Just take it out of the refrigerator and reheat it in the oven to eat.