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Easy and delicious, breakfast casserole with sausage and spinach can be made the night before. Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

White plate containing a square piece of breakfast casserole.

I love to cook with my mom. Whenever we spend time together, half of it is spent in the kitchen. We were cooking together this past weekend and she said, “Isn’t it fun to cook with other people?”

I said yes almost without thinking, but then after taking a moment to think about it, I realized that my mom is one of the only people who I truly enjoy cooking with.

Mom in kitchen, wearing apron, surrounded by cupcakes and cake pops.

Mom helping me prep for my daughter’s 1st birthday party.

I can be a bit of a control freak, but with my mom that is never an issue. We have similar styles, we communicate well, and we can easily divide tasks without even a discussion. We love choosing recipes together, modifying them to fit our tastes, shopping for the best ingredients, and then preparing the meals for our family. We also really trust each other in the kitchen.

I also learned most of what I know about cooking from my mom, which likely contributes to the similar cooking styles. We don’t share the exact same taste for everything but we both share a passionate love of cooking and baking.

As you can probably guess by the photo, this weekend we were baking for a birthday party, making cake pops and pretty in pink cupcakes, but we started the day with this delicious breakfast casserole with sausage and spinach.

This recipe is one that my mom always makes on Christmas morning/afternoon for brunch. While a breakfast casserole is great for special occasions, we enjoy it all year round. A perfect savory breakfast, this casserole with sausage and spinach is hearty enough for dinner, too.

I like to make a big 9 x 13 pan for dinner, and then hubs and I eat it for breakfast during the week. It’s just as good reheated and you can’t beat a yummy hot casserole that can be warmed up in the microwave in a snap.

Another thing I really love about this casserole is that you can prepare it hours ahead, even the night before, and bake it when you’re ready.

It’s a great way to use leftover stale bread. I consider stale bread a treasure. I use it to make this breakfast casserole, or homemade croutons, which are tons better than packaged croutons. Use stale bread to make an amazing asparagus panzanella salad. 

Make this breakfast casserole your own by substituting your favorite veggies for the spinach. Try red or green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, or broccoli. You can use a different kind of cheese. Try feta or Swiss. Substitute ham for the sausage, or use turkey sausage. Omit the meat and make it vegetarian.

White plate containing a square piece of breakfast casserole on a wooden tray, along with a fork, white napkin and banana.

More breakfast ideas:

Enjoy these breakfast ideas for lunch and dinner, too. Try:

 

White plate containing a square piece of breakfast casserole.

Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Spinach

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Easy and delicious, breakfast casserole with sausage and spinach can be made the night before. Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. sausage roll (pork or turkey), uncooked
  • 4 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups milk (any kind)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
  • 8 slices white bread, cut into cubes, almost stale bread is best!
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Brown sausage in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and drain well. Spread on the bottom of the baking dish.
  3. Wilt spinach in the same pan over medium heat, covered, tossing occasionally, for a couple of minutes. Arrange spinach over the sausage layer. Sprinkle on 1 cup of cheese.
  4. Place bread cubes on top of spinach.
  5. In a large bowl beat eggs, milk, salt, pepper and dry mustard powder together. Pour over bread and sausage. Press bread down a little if needed so that it is all moistened by the egg mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
  6. Bake for 45 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and let stand for a five minutes before serving.
  7. Make ahead: Prepare breakfast casserole, as directed, but don't bake. Cover tightly, and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Increase baking time slightly.

Notes

  • Use white or whole wheat bread. I like to use a combination of white and wheat bread.
  • You can substitute pretty much anything for the vegetables and meat. Try: Sausage and Mushroom, Ham and Broccoli, or Spinach, Red Peppers & Feta.
  • Substitute your favorite cheese for the cheddar.
  • Vegetarian? Omit the sausage, and increase the veggies.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 piece
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 560Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 249mgSodium: 850mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 25g

RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.

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© Rachel Gurk
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast and Brunch
Verdict: One of my favorite breakfast foods!
Husband’s take: He loves, loves, loves it when I make this and he can eat it before work. Sometimes I’ll make it as a dinner too, but he prefers breakfast for breakfast (not me–I love breakfast for dinner!).
Changes I would make: No changes other than experimenting with different meats and veggies.
Difficulty: So easy!