Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Modified from http:// lovegrowswild.com/2014/12/ sausage-cheese-breakfastcasserole/

Ingredients

1 pound pork breakfast sausage, mild or spicy *

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 oz can of mild green chilies

3 cups croutons **

10 large eggs

1½ cups 2% milk

1 teaspoon ground dry mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. Cook the sausage in a large skillet on medium heat until no longer pink, then drain any fat. Transfer sausage to a plate to cool. Use about a tablespoon of the sausage fat to cook the diced onion until translucent & soft, and add to sausage. When sausage & onions are cooled, stir in the green chilies.

2. Spray a 13″ x 9″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread the croutons in the bottom of the dish in an
even layer, then cover the croutons with a layer of the cooled sausage/onion/chili mixture. In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt, and pepper and whisk until well combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight.

3. When ready to bake, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top is starting to turn golden brown. Cool about 5 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving. Reheats well!

Notes:

* You can use mild or spicy breakfast sausage, or even try it with ham or bacon. This is a very flexible recipe. Try swapping out the onions & chilies for diced green pepper or mushrooms.

** Any type of croutons will work, plain or seasoned. Great way to use up any excess croutons from making the Thanksgiving stuffing! You can also use cubed bread – I save the crusty end slices of sourdough bread or sandwich bread in the freezer, and when we have enough, it’s time to make casserole. Just chop up the thawed bread and use like croutons (you can probably get away with a shorter soak time since the bread isn’t hard and dry).