As I’ve mentioned before, Sam and I do a lot of running. Currently, we’re training for the Rock ‘n Roll USA Half Marathon, which is held in DC in March! Are any of you running it? I would love to see some bloggers and readers out there!
For me, the hardest part about training for distance races (halfs, fulls, etc) is providing your body with enough nutrition and energy. Specifically, the day you do your long run- ours tend to be Saturdays. What can you eat after a run during which you’ve burned over 1,000 calories? A burger definitely hits the spot, but I some mornings all I want are eggs.
A couple of weeks ago, I was perusing my Google Reader and I saw the perfect post-long run breakfast dish. It was from Liza, of (a)Musing Foodie– a fellow blogger I met at the Eat, Write, Retreat Food Blog Conference. The best part was, it’s a dish you put together the night before, and just pop it into the oven in the morning.
Even if you don’t have a long run planned for this Saturday, this is a perfect dish for your brunch guests. Easy, delicious and very versatile!
Sausage, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Adapted from: (a)Musing Foodie
Liza used a baguette, I did not have one on hand- so I used leftover whole-wheat bread from Trader Joe’s that had flaxseeds and sunflowers seeds in it. Feel free to use what you have in your bread box! Additionally, use any type of milk product for the 2 1/2 cups of liquid (regular milk, soy milk, almond milk, etc)- I ran out of the soy milk so I substituted the rest with the half ‘n half.
2 cups of bread, cubed
6 slices of bacon
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
1 lb Polish sausage, cut into small pieces
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
10 large eggs
2 cups soy milk
1/2 cup half ‘n half
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Spray a 9×13” baking dish with cooking spray. Then spread the bread cubes on the bottom of the baking dish.
Heat up a large skillet, place the bacon on it and heat it up until crispy on both sides. Set aside on a paper towel, but leave the bacon grease in the pan. Then add in the onion, let it cook until translucent over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and jalapeño, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Next, add in the sausage and cook for about 5-10 minutes, until it begins to brown. Add all of these ingredients into a large bowl.
Once the bacon has cooled off, chop it up and add it to the bowl. Then mix in cheese, spinach, and green onions. Once the meats and vegetables are mixed, spread this out over the bread cubes in the baking dish.
Next, in a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, soy milk, half and half, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Then pour this mixture over the layers in the casserole dish, and gently press down so the liquid drips down.
Cover the casserole, and let it sit overnight in the fridge.
Once you’re ready to cook it, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake the casserole covered with aluminum foil for 45 minutes. Then uncover it, and bake it for another 15 minutes when it starts to bubble.
Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
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