Breakfast Casserole Basics

This dish was served at my baby shower years ago when I was pregnant with Savannah. It became an instant favorite and over the years I have adjusted the recipe to accommodate whatever I have in the fridge. I'll share the basic recipe and then give you ideas for variations.

Roasted Red Pepper Brunch Casserole

3 cups bread cubes (sourdough is good or leftover homemade bread)
1 12 ounce jar roasted red bell peppers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (raw milk cheese of course! If available)
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese (again, raw if available)
1 cup cottage cheese
12 farm fresh eggs
1 cup raw milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste.

Butter (or use coconut oil)a 11 x 9 inch baking pan. Place bread cubes in pan and cover with bell peppers. Sprinkle with cheese evenly.

Place cottage cheese in a blender and process until smooth (I skip this step often and it still turns out fine. I just mis it all in a bowl.). Add eggs and process for 10 seconds. Stir in milk and then pour mixture over bread. Sprinkle cilantro, salt and pepper on casserole. Refrigerate for a few hours or over night.

Bake at 375 F uncovered for 40 minutes.

I love this recipe because I can get breakfast out of the way the night before. And often I make this the afternoon before while the one-year-old naps. For our little family I cut the recipe in half and it seems to be just the right amount.

Once you get the basic recipe down it's easy to manipulate it and use the ingredients you already have in the fridge making it very budget friendly. After all it's cheapest to shop in your own kitchen. Even those of you who never venture from recipes can do this. It's time to think outside the box!

As a rule of thumb never throw away bread. Freeze it and use it in breakfast casseroles. I've used a variety of breads in this casserole-even a few homemade breads that didn't turn out so well-and every time it's turned out great.

The next possible variation is with the veggies. You can skip with roasted bell peppers if you don't have them on hand or they are too expensive. I used chopped fresh broccoli the other day and it was wonderful How awesome to start the day off with veggies! Just throw them in raw and they will steam as your eggs cook.

Here are a few additional ideas. Just change out your cheese and vegetable. I do still put the cottage cheese in though.
broccoli and gruyere or Parmesan (or both)
asparagus and blue cheese or swiss or asiago
brie or mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes and olives
sauteed zucchini and Parmesan

And don't forget you can add meat. Pasture raised sausage, ham, or bacon is always a tasty addition. But the beauty of this casserole is that you can leave it out if you don't have any on hand.

Basically just use whatever you have in the house as long as you keep the egg-milk-bread ratio the same.

Please feel free to share your breakfast casserole combinations and ideas.

Next up my breakfast saving frittata!