Disclosure: This post is sponsored by ConAgra Foods.
When you are looking for an easy breakfast, look no further than a simple egg.
Eggs are the fastest and easiest things to whip up for a protein-packed morning meal.
You can fry an egg, you can scramble an egg, you can even take it one delicious step further and make an egg dish, like an egg strata or an egg casserole or an egg omelet or an egg quiche or an egg frittata or an egg breakfast muffin … You get the idea.
That’s a lot of different easy egg breakfast ideas. What is the difference of each?
• Egg (just an egg!)
• Egg strata (layered dish mixture that mainly consists of bread, eggs, and cheese.)
• Egg casserole (a mixture of anything you want baked in a casserole dish. E.g.: peppers, asparagus, potatoes, broccoli, and, of course, eggs.)
• Egg omelet (an egg dish with a variety of toppings made with beaten eggs quickly fried in oil or butter in a frying pan, flipped without stirring.)
• Egg quiche (a baked pastry crust, flan, or tart filled with eggs.)
• Egg frittata (an Italian-themed crustless egg quiche.)
• Egg breakfast muffin (can be an egg frittata, quiche, or egg casserole baked in a muffin tin.)
Now we are egg-sperts!
While sticking with the topic of eggs, I want to share my most beloved simple egg casserole. It is a breakfast casserole with shredded hash browns, cheddar cheese, sausage, spinach, and Egg Beaters.
This recipe is so simple and makes lots of leftovers! I use these leftovers throughout the week for a quick grab-and-go breakfast! One simple dish and I have pre-made breakfast all week!
How to Make This Egg Casserole
First preheat your oven to 375°F and gather your ingredients (PAM® Cooking Spray, ground sausage, hash browns, spinach, milk, onion, cheese, and Egg Beaters.) Fully coat your baking dish with the cooking spray – don’t want anything sticking to the pan!
Cook up your sausage, then set it aside in a large bowl with thawed hash browns. Using the same skillet and the sausage grease, cook up the diced onions and the chopped spinach. You can use fresh or frozen spinach – just make sure with frozen it is well drained of water, because eww watery spinach!
Combine hash browns, sausage, onion, and spinach in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, in a smaller bowl, mix the milk, Egg Beaters, ¾ cup cheese, salt, and pepper.
Combine EVERYTHING and blend!
Add the ingredients to the baking dish, and then top with the remaining ¼ cup of cheese!
Bake and let sit for 5 minutes before serving!
Enjoy!
Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
• PAM® No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1 (1 lb.) package ground sausage (hot or regular)
• 4 cups frozen hash browns, thawed (or make shredded-potato hash browns)
• 1 carton (15 oz.) Egg Beaters® Southwestern Style (or original)
• 1 package (6 oz.) baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar)
• 1 cup milk (or milk substitute)
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a skillet, cook the sausage thoroughly. Once cooked, set aside in a large bowl with hash browns.
3. Using the same skillet and the remaining sausage grease, cook the onions and spinach until softened. Add extra oil if needed. Just a few minutes.
4. Add the spinach and onions to the bowl with hash browns and sausage. Blend well.
5. In a smaller bowl, combine Egg Beaters, milk, ¾ cup cheese, salt, and pepper.
6. Combine the two bowls, blending well, and then pour into the greased baking dish.
7. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cheese on the top.
8. Bake for 45 minutes or until there is no liquid in the center. You can test with a knife – if it comes out clean when inserted, it is baked fully!
9. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Tips: Casserole mixture can be pre-made the night before. Just assemble the ingredients, cover, and refrigerate. It will be ready to go in the oven the next morning!
Tips: This can be cooked and then frozen! Fully bake the casserole and then freeze it in the baking dish or in small pieces wrapped in plastic wrap or baggies. Reheat in the microwave!
ConAgra’s #GreatAmericanCookIn Challenge
Join me in the month of May to cook more and eat out less! While eating out is fun and entertaining, so is eating in – especially when you bake something that makes you proud! This egg casserole is just one staple dish I will be making and enjoying when I pledge to “cook in” for one week this month!
Join me and see how rewarding it can be to make food each day from your kitchen!
My Dine-Out-Less Success Tips
1. Meal plan.
2. Buy the ingredients ahead of time.
3. Cook multiple meals in one day.
4. Cook larger meals and freeze a portion.
5. Soups! Slow-cooker meals! Casseroles!
Find more tools for success at Forkful.com, including a guide to planning meals ahead of time, grocery shopping tips, recipes, and more. Don’t forget to pledge to participate in this one-week challenge by using hashtag #GreatAmericanCookIn on Twitter or Instagram!
Visit Forkful.com for your guide to the #GreatAmericanCookIn, including tips, tricks, and delicious new recipes.