Real Food, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, IBD-AID (Phase II), Paleo, Whole30
This paleo breakfast casserole is adaptable for personal taste and preference.
The Breakfast Casserole of My Childhood
This paleo breakfast casserole is a newer recipe in my home. When I was a kid, my mom made a breakfast casserole with just sausage, eggs, cheddar cheese, milk, and Bisquick. It was spongey, cheesy, comfort food. I mostly associate that casserole with Christmas morning, but she also made it whenever we had a house full of overnight guests, and sometimes it appeared as breakfast-for-dinner.
In 2016, when I realized I needed to change my diet, I mourned over family recipes like this one. It wasn’t just about the food. It was also about the memories we made around that food. I wanted the same for my own family…a cozy, warm breakfast casserole to pop in the oven after opening presents on Christmas morning. I wanted an easy way to feed a house full of company.
For at least a year after I changed my diet, I continued to make my mom’s breakfast casserole for church pot-lucks and for overnight guests. I didn’t know how to create an alternative without gluten or dairy, three of the five total ingredients.
The Nudge to Make a Paleo Breakfast Casserole
I first invented this alternative when I needed to take a breakfast option to my local MOPS (Mothers’ of Preschoolers) meeting. I wanted to bring something that I could also enjoy. Since then, I’ve made this paleo breakfast casserole so many times, I can’t count. Each time I make it, it’s a little different. Honestly, I now use this recipe to clean out the refrigerator. No matter where I take this dish, it is praised and devoured. So many people have asked for the recipe over the years. I’m happy to finally have it published here.
The Method
By trial and error, I’ve learned that pre-cooking hard and/or crunchy vegetables is key. For example, if you want to use potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, or peppers, dice them and saute them in oil before layering them into the pan. Cook until the potatoes or sweet potatoes are just barely beginning to soften. You’ll also need to precook any meat, like ground sausage or bacon.
When it’s time to prepare the dish for baking, I generally use a 13×9 pan. If I’m using sausage or veggies that have been pre-cooked in oil, they go on the bottom of the pan and there is no need to grease the pan first. I then layer in greens like spinach or kale and lighter veggies like thinly sliced zucchini, small cuts of broccoli, mushrooms, or green onions. If I’m using bacon, that gets sprinkled atop all the vegetables.
I then pour beaten eggs (with salt and pepper) over everything, making sure that the eggs creep down to the bottom of the pan. The amount you need will depend on how thick you layered your casserole. I generally need 12-16 eggs. Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes. The breakfast casserole should be golden brown around the edges and not jiggle in the center when you shake the rack.
This recipe is written for a 13×9 pan, but can also be made in a loaf pan, cast iron pan, or pie plate.
Bring the Veggies to the Table
This paleo breakfast casserole is a great way to work veggies into breakfast. Though it’s gluten free and dairy free, it’s still popular with people who traditionally eat a standard American diet. In other words, people who don’t normally eat vegetables for breakfast are still happy with this option. I’ve even had several people assume the casserole has cheese in it, but really it’s just the texture of the eggs as they bake in the oven.
No matter what veggies you choose or how you stack it up, I hope you enjoy this option for holidays and cozy mornings spent at home with family.
Paleo Breakfast Casserole
Notes
- This can be made in a loaf pan, cast iron pan, or pie plate. The process is the same. The amount of ingredients and bake time would need to be lowered.
- You can layer everything into your pan of choice the day before, and put directly into the oven when ready to cook. It may take a bit longer if cooking from cold.
- This refrigerates and reheats well. Store for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
- The following are options to choose from…
- 1 lb. ground sausage
- 1 lb. bacon, diced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 medium russet potatoes
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 sweet pepper
- 8 oz. spinach
- 8 oz. baby kale
- 8 oz. arugula
- 1 zucchini, sliced thin
- 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced thin
- green onions, diced
- 12-16 eggs
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Choose which of the above ingredients you’d like to use. I standardly choose one meat, one type of potatoes, onions, one type or a mix of greens, and a few other vegetables for the top. Eggs, salt, and pepper will bind your choice of ingredients. I vary my choices depending upon what is available in my refrigerator.
- If you are using sausage or bacon, pre-cook that in a pan on the stovetop. Brown the ground sausage until crispy, breaking it into small pieces. If using bacon, cut it into small pieces before cooking (I use kitchen scissors), and then just stir it around in the pan until all pieces look mostly crispy. Since the bacon goes on top of the casserole, it will continue to crisp in the oven. Remove from the pan when done.
- If using potatoes, onions, or peppers, these need to be pre-cooked as well. To save time, use a separate pan and saute them in oil while the meat is cooking. To make less mess, you can wait until the meat is done, drain off some of the grease, and then cook the potatoes, onions, and/or peppers in the same pan. Cook until the potatoes are just beginning to get soft. They’ll continue to cook in the oven.
- Layer the ingredients into a 9×13 inch pan. Sausage and/or sautéed veggies go on the bottom. Next, layer in the uncooked greens. On top of that, arrange the thinly sliced veggies like broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini or green onions. If using cooked bacon, that goes on top.
- In a separate bowl, whisk 12 eggs together with the salt and pepper. Pour this over the layered ingredients. It should just cover them. If 12 is not enough eggs, whisk together another few eggs and add them on. Be sure that the eggs seep down to the bottom of the pan. If needed, stick a knife through the layers to allow the eggs to seep down.
- Bake at 375F for 35-45 minutes. Bake time varies by the amount of veggies and the thickness of the layers. The casserole is done when the edges are golden brown and the middle does not jiggle when you give the rack a shake.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.