I have several breakfast casserole recipes — all variations on the eggs-sausage-cheese theme — but I tried one today that just might become my new favorite.
This recipe, adapted from epicurious.com, gets a flavor boost from the sun-dried tomatoes; I think artichokes or mushrooms might be a good addition too. The original recipe calls for sweet Italian sausage. I used a sage sausage, but you could use a spicy variety for even more flavor.
I’m going to be experimenting with this one!
Breakfast Casserole with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Serves 8
1 pound sausage (sage sausage works great; spicy would be good too)
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped and drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
8 large eggs
2 cups half and half
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Sauté sausage in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until brown and cooked through, breaking up sausage into small pieces, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons parsley; stir 1 minute. Spread sausage mixture in prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Whisk eggs, half and half, 1 1/2 cups cheese and salt in large bowl to blend well. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley over. Bake until top of casserole is golden brown and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. — Jolene Ketzenberger
