Healthy Breakfast Casserole
My sisters and niece are coming soon for a fun family sleepover, so I'm pulling out these make-ahead breakfast egg casserole recipes to serve with some fresh fruit in the morning. I usually do some variation of what you'll find here, depending on my mood. There are two healthy breakfast casserole recipes options below, both are yummy the day-of. The first one is grain-free and also would be best to make and then freeze leftover individual servings later to warm up quickly in the toaster oven or convection oven on busy mornings. Just pop it in while getting ready, and by the time you're done, it will be ready to eat. The second one is easier for a make-ahead breakfast.
(Click here for more healthy breakfast ideas.)
Healthy Breakfast Casserole -- grain-free and best for FAST individual servings later
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 7 cups shredded potatoes easy to do with the shredder attachment on the BOSCH or food processor -- you could use less potatoes here if you want less carbs. (You could also use 1-2 cups of spinach instead of potatoes. If you do that, note the different baking instructions below.)
- 1 onion shredded
- 1/3 cup butter preferably pastured butter, melted
- 1 1/2 pounds sausage fried and crumbled (Here's where to find healthy meat if you don't have a good local source.)
- Optional: About a cup of any chopped vegetables or additions your family might like such as mushrooms, different colored peppers, spinach, etc.
- 3-4 cups shredded cheese we like cheddar
- 12 eggs
- 3 cups milk read about healthy milk options here (I like to use part cream to make it more rich and yummy!)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Mix together the salt, potatoes, onion, and butter, and press into large 11x14 glass baking dish. Bake at 425* for 1/2 hour. (If using spinach instead of potatoes, bake for only 15 minutes at 350*.) Sprinkle on the sausage, optional vegetables, and cheese. Whisk eggs, milk and/or cream, and pepper together and pour this liquid mixture over everything. Poke a fork into the bottom of the baking dish in several places to make sure it gets down in there good, and then bake at 350* for about 30 minutes. Since the baking dish is nice and hot already, it doesn't take long for this egg mixture to set.
- Cool, and cut into squares. I wrap in plastic after it's room temp. Another way to freeze would be to freeze the separated squares on parchment paper and then put into a big container to keep in the freezer.
- Obviously you can use all different variations of this depending on what your family loves.
Next check out this one…
Texas Eggs Recipe -- best for a make-ahead healthy breakfast casserole that you can eat FAST another day
Ingredients
- 2 dozen eggs
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup green or multi-colored peppers chopped
- Optional: about 1 cup of chopped spinach
- About 20 ounces organic cream of mushroom soup or make your own cream of mushroom soup
- Optional: 1/2-3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 cup shredded cheese or more if desired
- 1/2 cup milk
- 8 strips bacon or more, fried and crumbled, OR crumbled cooked sausage, or chopped pieces of ham. Meat-free is fine too, just add more vegetables. (Again, here's where to find healthy meat if you don't have a good local source.)
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet and scramble the eggs. Layer eggs, peppers, mushrooms, bacon, and onions in a 9x13 baking dish. Warm soup with milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then pour over the top. Spread cheese all over the top, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Uncover and bake at 350* for 50 minutes.
- NOTE that if you add extra meat or vegetables, you may need to decrease some of the eggs so it all fits into the pan, or use an 11x14 so you don't risk having it run over in your oven.
These are both so easy for a hot, easy, fast and nutritious breakfast!
Two more egg recipes I'm loving lately:
First, this cookbook has become a favorite, even now that I'm no longer on the Whole 30 diet. I've made a lot of the recipes and they all turn out great, but my favorite right now is the “Bistro Brunch” — such a unique and delicious breakfast! And look how close my dish turned out to the cookbook picture. 🙂
Second, I'm also loving my other new cookbook from my friend, Katie. (Read my review here.) I made this Sweet Potato-Crusted Quiche Lorraine, another healthy breakfast casserole dish that can be made ahead, and that one was a big hit too. (You can see the corner turned down from the picture in my cookbook.) I added caramelized onions instead of the shallots and threw in some multi-colored chopped peppers with the ham. YUM.
More you might like:
- More healthy egg recipes!
- Breakfast cereals, should we eat them?
- My favorite kitchen gadgets
- If you only take ONE daily supplement, THIS ONE should be it!
- Meal planning/kitchen tips
Anna Paige says
Can’t wait to try this! I like my potatoes crispy on top. Do you think this recipe would work if I cooked the potato layer longer before adding the eggs?
Brenda Sitter says
This recipe sounds delicious. Can hardly wait til I try it. I would like to try it with spinach and wondered if you pack tightly or loosely 7 cups of spinach? Thanks! So glad to find your website via Wheat Belly’s website/recipe.
KitchenKop says
Hi Brenda, I wouldn’t use that much spinach! I’d use maybe 1-2 cups, chop it up, and sprinkle it around. I’ll fix the post to reflect that better, thanks!
Kelly
Beth says
I made it today and it was great. I only made 1/2 the recipe because I was too lazy to shred all of the potatoes :). It was just the right amount to fit in the pan and we have a few leftovers. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
KitchenKop says
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback Beth!!!
Kel
Jo-Lynne Shane {Musings of a Housewife} says
I love recipes like this! Unfortunately my kids don’t eat them well. I can’t understand it. I do make them sometimes, though, and LOVE having the leftovers for breakfast.
DS says
I still do not know what size pan to use. I doubt that I have one that big. I think I will try to cut the recipe in half. I do not like sausage at all so maybe I will put sausage in half the pan for my husband and eat mine without. I grate potatoes for hash browns and make cheese omelets every morning and it is WORK so I am quite ready to do it this MAKE AHEAD way!
KitchenKop says
@DS, sorry about that, I fixed the post.
When you halved it I’m guessing it worked fine for the 9×13?
Kelly
Vieve says
I will be halving this for my not quite teenagers 🙂 Looks fabulous! Thank you! I did not read all of the comments, but there is a link for a Toaster Oven and it doesn’t work. Do you have one? We don’t have a microwave and are thinking about one of those counter top convection ovens, which is essentially a toaster oven. What do you recommend?
Vieve says
Thanks for the link! Appreciate it. There is only one bad review, but I assume that yours is working fine?!
KitchenKop says
Yes, I’ve had it for a few years now and it’s still working great! I just love that it has all 4 cooking options. 🙂
Kelly
Rose says
This looks wonderful! I can’t wait to try it! It’s real food!
Commenter via Facebook says
@Deborah…You’ve missed the fact that this IS the type of food we “normally” eat. Nothing better than fresh raw milk, raw grassfed butter and grass fed meats. As I stated earlier, my cholesterol went down from 485 to 209. It’s the low fat diet that sent my cholesterol soaring.
frugalhsmom says
same here. Everything improved when I switched to real food. Tastes better too 😉
Debra says
Agreed – real food is great! I’m not suggesting you switch to low-fat anything, or buy anything processed. What I’m suggesting is that a “healthy” meal consists of a balance and includes fresh fruits and/or vegetables.
Commenter via Facebook says
Cholesterol, Shmolesterol. There, does that help? 😉
Cheryl says
This easy breakfast recipe sounds great. I’ve made a similar one using diced ham and green peppers in place of the sausage, and baking in individual portions in muffin pans. Family loved it. You can also break up the finished portions, wrap in tortilla, add salsa, and you’re all set.
Commenter via Facebook says
I wouldn’t consider it healthy at all –I don’t eat eggs, milk, or sausage and only limited amounts of cheese or white potatoes– but it probably is for some people compared to what they normally eat.
Commenter via Facebook says
Kate, next time, salt the eggplant and leave it on the counter for a while. This will help remove excess moisture and any bitterness to the eggplant. 😉
Commenter via Facebook says
It’s done! Super yummy! Only problem-the eggplant caused a bunch of juice to collect in the bottom. This would probably happen with spinach, too. After it cools and gets packaged I will put the juice in with my stock scraps in the freezer, but next time I will use little or no milk and just mix the egggplant and onions in with the eggs. Also, I will mix 1/2 the cheese in and sprinkle the rest on top-should make a yummy crust.
Commenter via Facebook says
@Kelly…I dont believe you “threw the reader under the bus” at all. The reader wanted to know how you thought your recipe could be considered healthy. So, you asked for back up to help explain why its healthy. In this day and age of the government telling us what is healthy, trying to push drugs down our throats, and enabling Monsanto to trick us by sneaking GMO foods without informing us, we all need to be enlightened. I applaud you for your efforts.
Mel says
You inspired me to make a pan fried variation. I only had sweet potato, so I used that and greens, I used chilli and coriander (cilantro?) too. And garlic and onion. Then I had to make it healthier, so I added more butter and a big dollop of duck fat. Delicious!
Commenter via Facebook says
For breakfast this morning, I we had omelets made with pastured eggs, raw milk cheese, bacon, avocadoes and onions, cooked of course in raw grass fed butter. Left me feeling full all day, with no cravings for carbs. A diet like this actually dropped my cholesterol from 485 to 209, in two months and I lost weight too. All I can say is dont buy into the low fat propaganda. I did and that’s why my cholesterol rose to 485.
Commenter via Facebook says
I’m making this right now! I substituted eggplant for the potatoes (’cause they needed to get used up) and only cooked them for 10 minutes. Didn’t have sausage so I put some poultry seasoning, garlic and chili powder in the eggs. I also put black pepper in with the eggplant and onions (used 2 onions) and salt with both the eggplant mix and the egg mix. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Commenter via Facebook says
I too apologize. That is why I kept saying via electronic means. You too were trying to be delicate but because over Facebook the way I personally read it — I took it wrong. Thank you for letting me know. That shows a lot of loving kindness in you for taking the extra time.
Commenter via Facebook says
Oh my..two pounds of sausage and four cups of cheese. No comment!
Commenter via Facebook says
Whole foods are a vast improvement over fake. While this meal could still be improved to boost the nutrition, it is certainly a great start for a quick and easy morning meal.
Debra says
Guess it could be a great start if your intention for the day was to crawl back in bed and take a nap. It might pass as “healthy” if you left out the butter and sausage completely, cut the cheese in half and added several vegetables to the mix. If you want to recommend healthy quick breakfast, try a bowl of oatmeal topped with fresh fruit and nuts – full of nutrition and no saturated fats!
Caitlin says
Saturated fats are also found in coconut oil, avocados, etc. Saturated fats ARE good for you! They are heart, brain, joint, eye healthy.
My children are living testimony to eating this way and being healthy. No one is obese in this household of 7. They all get their fair portion and often seconds or thirds here of a meal like this. It goes without saying that we have a lot of veg in our diet, too. Fruit is peppered throughout, too. Cheese, in it’s raw form from pastured animals is FULL of nutrients and minerals.
The cheese you’re thinking about is probably from CAFO cattle. So sad. They are fed a diet lacking in whole foods that their bodies were made to eat and made to subsist. If we eat that cheese, we are subsisting, too.
I will probably be adding some of our summer squash to this recipe to add a bit of variety to it. Mushrooms would be delicious! So would avocado on top when it’s done. Or, *gasp* sour cream! 🙂 Try it and start to live it up in your food. You will be rewarded.
Debra says
Delicious – no doubt! Healthy – no!! The cholesterol is not the problem here. It is the amount of saturated fat in this breakfast that makes it completely unhealthy. We have a diabetes epidemic which is caused by the over-consumption of saturated fat (found in all meat and dairy) in this country. This is nothing but a huge casserole of baked fat!! You want a quick & healthy breakfast, have a vegetable omelet and skip the cheese. Any combination of veggies will do – spinach, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus – they all are full of nutrition. Takes 5 minutes to make – much quicker and healthier!!
Commenter via Facebook says
we can-not ever be all things to all people, no matter how we try! we all have our own little censors built in…. and so we live on trying our best (most of the time) – working against the nutrition ignorance is not an easy undertaking
Commenter via Facebook says
Melissa Aryal – really? I was thinking of how I could say it nicely so it *wasn’t* like I was throwing her under the bus. I thought “enlightened” worked. Sorry you thought it came off that way, I didn’t mean that at all.
Christine says
This is dead on! Couldn’t have said it better. People are so confused with what is the correct infomation these day’s. But it just comes down to eating whole foods again. The way our ancesters did. Our bodies process real food. The reward is better health! It is a loooong road to the truth with all the road blocks in the way. Trusted and respected sources have led us astray so many times through ignorance..and some greed. But if we just give it a good long look..it just makes sense. Fake food,…fake nourishment..real food ..life giving real nourishment.We are not robots….made up food…..well is for the non- living.
Commenter via Facebook says
If you put the eggs we get from our chickens into that the dish would be completely different color, more like dayglo orange than yellow. You can’t get high cholesterol from eating cholesterol. You need cholesterol in order to be healthy as it is a precursor for your hormone system and supports the nervous system. High levels in your blood mean you have some kind of inflammation going on which might be diet related like an allergy to wheat proteins or glutens and excessively high glucose levels.
Commenter via Facebook says
Oops, I see the spinach option now, my bad!
Commenter via Facebook says
Looks yummy and healthy to me, but I would have to cut down on the potatoes, to keep my blood sugar down. I would sub with a less starchy vegetable. 🙂
Commenter via Facebook says
I am of the Weston A. Price way of thinking/eating and I hear stuff like that all the time- it’s old school- the thinking that was popularized in the 60’s-90’s- the same period of time when the average American’s weight shot up. Coincidence? I doubt it.
Commenter via Facebook says
It’s interesting how you go from thinking about fat, calories and cholesterol to are they organic potatoes, is it raw milk cheese and butter and is the sausage from free roaming pigs and the eggs from free range chickens?
Commenter via Facebook says
We also need to be aware of portions. But eat wholesome, foods.
Commenter via Facebook says
agh! We miss cheese here. Son is still on GAPS and we haven’t reintroduced yogurt, sour cream or cheese yet 🙁
Commenter via Facebook says
The ingredients are all natural, which our body recognises,..and in that sense,..it is nourishing to eat for it’s multitude of vitamins & protein. Sugary meals are what we need to ban entirely from our diets.
Commenter via Facebook says
The biggest problem with salt and sugar is when it is used to mask the lack of nutrition in processed foods. Then it can cause health problems and make health problems you have worse.
Commenter via Facebook says
Cholesterol is vital to proper brain function
Commenter via Facebook says
With as much respect (and please know I mean respect as in honor, courtesy and reverence) as one can convey via electronic means — I was sad to see the way a reader was thrown under the bus, called out and asked to be enlightened in such a passive agressive manner. If I had been the one to make that comment, I would have been in tears seeing the way this particular post was worded and thrown out there. Please, again, I tried to say this over Facebook – electronically so my best intentions of adoration and appreciation may have not come through.
Commenter via Facebook says
So missinformed I know so many won’t eat bread but then whydid God program our noses to salivate at the scent of it lol
Commenter via Facebook says
https://www.weightandwellness.com/myth_saturated_fat_cholesterol.html
Commenter via Facebook says
So many have been conditioned to believe salt, fat, and cholesterol is bad. It IS when found in the processed food like substances most consider food. However, when found in whole, organic, natural food , raw or cooked properly our bodies’ easily create health & maintain wellness. Sorry Crystal but, willower has nothing to do with it.
Commenter via Facebook says
Pototoes….good, cheese…good, eggs….GOOD;)
Commenter via Facebook says
food and gut health trump willpower, if those are bad you will crave and no amout of will power will work. The person who looks at eggs and sausage as unhealthy needs way more education than one comment can give.
Rebecca Harrach says
Ramonda–Cholesterol IS healthy!! Educate yourself about the real findings about cholesterol–start with the Weston A Price Foundation–you will be happy you did.
Commenter via Facebook says
Too many have gotten it into their heads that salt is bad… yet without it you die… or that fats are bad… yet without it you die… and carbs are bad… yet without it you die… just about anything could be healthy in moderation, but that IS the key. The food isn’t the problem, willpower is.
Ramonda says
Healthy??? Sausage butter potatoes………………..12 eggs? This is not healthy. This is a cholesterol platter.
frugalhsmom says
Ramonda, when I started eating real foods, my bad cholesterol went down and my good cholesterol went up. I went from low-fat and fat free, as well as cholesterol free foods to grass fed butter and lard, pastured eggs DAILY and beef several times a week. My cholesterol is now excellent and my weight is stable. Read Nourishing Traditions and your eyes will be opened.
Kelly says
Cholesterol has been demonized and we’ve been taught that it has to be kept under a certain number in order to be healthy. However, that figure is completely arbitrary and not based on ANY link between cholesterol and disease. It is sad that we’ve been hoodwinked into believing this, but it is also liberating to learn the truth. Cholesterol is actually a vital bodily substance that repairs damage to tissues and converts sum light to vitamin D. If you’d like more info I suggest looking for info not published by mainstream media, big pharmaceutical companies or our very own government. I could suggest books if you’d like.
kristin konvolinka says
Oh, poor cholesterol, it has such a bad rap and it’s oh so good. Not only is it an essential antioxidant it’s a precursor to Vitamin D and most hormones. I’d suggest reading “Put Your Heart in Your Mouth” by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD. When it comes to a breakfast for kids, healthy cholesterol packed breakfasts like this one, feed their developing brains (not to mention giving them body strengthening protein and saturated fat to help them lay down strong bones).
Sarah W says
I just made this and put it in two 9×13 pans, as I was really afraid of overfilling. I think it would be too much for one 9×13, but might fit in a 11×14 (I don’t have that size, so I couldn’t try it.) It expands a little while baking, so keep that in mind!
Can’t wait to taste it!
Sarah W says
Does this fit in a 9×13 dish? It seems like a lot of food!!
KitchenKop says
Sarah, I see now I didn’t write down which size pan to use did I? I’m sorry about that and it’s been a while since I’ve made it so I don’t remember! If you make this, try it in a bigger pan first (maybe 11×14?) to be sure and please let us know. Maybe I’ll make it soon so I can check this.
Kelly
Kelly says
Rhonda, thanks for the recipe! I just tried an apple baked french toast last weekend that I need to tweak more before posting, so I’ll use some of your recipe to make mine better!
Rhonda says
We make a casserole almost identical to this once a week and it is GREAT! My husband gets up at an ungodly hour for work, and since I have CFS I cannot get up that early, so he just pops a slice of this in the toaster oven and has an easy and nutritious breakfast. We use our homemade turkey breakfast sausage in it along with small diced potatoes.
Another wonderful breakfast along these lines that we have every Sunday morning is baked french toast. I made this recipe up to use with the homemade bread “failures” I had going for awhile where my bread didn’t rise properly and was a “brick.” And being that I make 5 loaves at a time I had 5 bricks! So, I sliced them about 3/4″ thick and put them in the freezer and then made this french toast with it. Now that I’ve gotten over my bread problem, I use the thick heels from my bread each week for this.
Cut your bread up into 1-2 inch chunks. We use most or all of a whole loaf for this, or the *thick* heels from 5 loaves of bread. Put them in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Blend up 8-10 eggs with 2-3 cups of milk and some vanilla (1-2 teaspoons). (If your bread is super dense you would use the larger portion of milk, otherwise 2 cups should be enough.) Pour over the bread. Leave on the counter and after 5 or 10 minutes turn the bread pieces to get them all coated wtih the egg mixture. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. By morning the egg will have almost completely soaked into the bread (which is why this is good for those “brick” times). Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until the egg has set. This fills your house with the most DIVINE smell! And my family LOVES this. It is our Sunday morning treat. Well, “our” is an exaggeration! I cannot have eggs, milk, OR, wheat! 🙁 The kids or my husband just pop it in the oven and I get out of making breakfast on Sunday mornings. This is good with maple syrup or just applesauce as a topping.
Blessings!
Rhonda
Julie says
This is a great recipe! I used a recipe very much like this one last year for my husband’s breakfast meeting with his office. It was his turn to bring in food, and he didn’t want to bring in the usual doughnuts and bagels. This dish can be be increased, and it can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated and then baked the next morning. It got rave reviews, and I hear that people ate it cold as the day went on! If you have teenagers in the house, this is the recipe for you!