Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Spinach

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

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.

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.

More breakfast ideas:

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

 

• Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole
• Bacon Cheddar Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust
• Turkey Sausage and Asparagus Quiche
• Spinach Quiche with Cornmeal Crust
• Sheet Pan Breakfast Tostadas
• Overnight French Toast Casserole
• Air Fryer French Toast Sticks

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Breakfast Casserole Recipe with Sausage and Spinach

4.25 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Additional Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

8 servings

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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!

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pkg. (16 oz.) ground breakfast sausage (pork or turkey)
• ▢ 4 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed (5 oz. container)
• ▢ 8 large eggs
• ▢ 2 ½ cups milk (see note)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• ▢ 8 slices white bread (14 oz.), cut into cubes (see note)
• ▢ 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (8 oz. pkg.), divided

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• Brown sausage in a large frying pan over medium heat, breaking up clumps as it browns. Transfer cooked sausage to a paper-towel lined plate to drain fat. Spread sausage on the bottom of the baking dish.
• 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. Add the bread cubes in an even layer.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and dry mustard powder. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread. Press bread down a little, if needed, so that all of it is soaked with the egg mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese over the top. At this point the egg casserole can be be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours (see note).
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. To check for doneness, insert a table knife in the center of the casserole. It should come out clean. Remove from oven and let stand for at least five minutes before serving.

Notes

• Whole milk makes the creamiest casserole but either 2% or low fat milk work fine, too.
• Almost stale dry bread is best. Use white or whole wheat bread. I like to use a combination of white and wheat bread.
• Nutrition information is calculated using pork sausage, 2% milk, and white bread.
• Make ahead: Prepare breakfast casserole, as directed, but don't bake. Cover tightly, and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven preheats so it warms up slightly. Increase baking time, if necessary.
• You can substitute pretty much anything for the vegetables and meat. Try one of these combinations: 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

Calories: 297kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 220mg, Sodium: 495mg, Potassium: 311mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 2036IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 385mg, Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

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!

YES, I WANT THIS!

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