Cheesy Italian Breakfast Bake

Never in my life have a tried any sort of a breakfast bake. I rarely wake up early enough during the work week to cook something and typically opt for fruit and yogurt if I have anything at all. When there is time to make something warm, it might be a fried egg or two; a breakfast burrito is extravagant. But this recipe let's you do all the prep the night before and simply bake it the next morning while you're showering and getting primped for the day. Leftovers reheat either in the oven or in the microwave very well. 

Cheesy Italian Breakfast Bake

adapted from Cooking Club of America
click to print

1 lb. bulk, mild Italian sausage
3/4 c chopped orange bell pepper
3/4 c chopped red bell pepper
3/4 c chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 c cubed Italian bread (1 inch)
2 c shredded aged Provolone cheese
6 eggs
2 c 2% milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Spray 13x9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook sausage, bell peppers, onion and garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink in center and vegetables are slightly softened, stirring occasionally and crumbling sausage. Drain; discard drippings.

Arrange half of the bread cubes in baking dish; layer with half of the sausage mixture and 1 cup of the Provolone cheese.

Repeat layers.

Whisk eggs lightly in medium bowl.

Whisk in milk, salt and pepper until well-blended.

Pour over bread mixture in baking dish, pressing down so all ingredients are moistened. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Bake, uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and set.


Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before serving.

So easy and it sure beats a Sausage McMuffin! A square of this breakfast bake has your bread, meat, dairy, and vegetables baked together and you won't have to be concerned about sausage grease dripping from the bottom of any wrapper onto your Brooks Brothers outfit. Certainly you could swap out the peppers for other vegetables and try different sausages to change the flavors of the dish.

Worried about soggy bread? I'll admit I was too. While there is moist bread, it's not soggy and gross. It's nicely moist meaning it still holds it's shape unlike wet bread.

The recipe is supposed to yield eight servings, but that is what I considered a huge serving for breakfast. The first day I thought I just wasn't that hungry, but the second and third days confirmed the serving size is quite generous. Of course, I don't do any sort of physical labor, so if you do the size might be spot on. When I do this again, I'll make a half batch in an 8x8" baking dish to yield six servings. You won't be hungry and might consider taking a later lunch -- it's filling!

Cost:

• sausage: $3.08
• orange bell pepper: $0.45
• red bell pepper: $0.75
• onion: $0.35
• garlic: $0.10
• Italian bread: $4.99 (with a little bread left over)
• Provolone: $5.48
• eggs: $2.50
• milk: $0.99

Total: $18.69 making each of eight servings $2.34 or each of 12 servings $1.56.

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