Description
A nutritious and flavorful Healthy Breakfast Casserole featuring sautéed bell peppers, green onions, spinach, and creamy feta cheese baked with eggs and your choice of dairy. Perfect for meal prep or a wholesome start to your day.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 2 medium red bell peppers, chopped (about 2 cups)
- ¾ cup thinly sliced green onion (about 1 small bunch)
- 5 ounces roughly chopped spinach (about 5 cups)
Egg Mixture
- 12 eggs
- 3 tablespoons full-fat dairy (heavy cream, half-and-half, whole milk, sour cream or yogurt)
- Several dashes of your favorite hot sauce, like Cholula
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper
Other
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces (1 cup) crumbled feta or goat cheese, divided
- Butter for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking pan generously with butter for best results.
- Sauté Vegetables: In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped red bell pepper and sliced green onion, cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes until the peppers are tender and cooked through.
- Cook Spinach: Add the spinach to the skillet and stir while cooking until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix Eggs and Dairy: Crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl. Add the chosen dairy (heavy cream, half-and-half, whole milk, sour cream, or yogurt), hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Whisk just until the yolks and whites are blended together.
- Combine Cheese and Vegetables: Stir in half of the crumbled cheese to the egg mixture. Then, transfer the cooled vegetables into the bowl and gently stir to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Assemble Casserole: Pour the combined mixture into the prepared baking pan. Evenly sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the mixture.
- Bake: Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Check that the eggs are puffed, cooked through, and that the center jiggles only slightly when shaken. Insert a fork about ¼-inch into the center; it should come out clean when fully cooked.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the casserole from the oven and place it on a cooling rack until ready to serve. Slice with a sharp knife and serve warm. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Notes
- Prepare in advance: You can mix and refrigerate the egg and vegetable mixture up to two days before baking. When baking from cold, add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
- Vegetable substitutions: Feel free to swap in other vegetables such as kale, chard, or mushrooms. Hardier greens may need slightly longer cooking time.
- Freezing not recommended: This casserole does not freeze well; leftovers become watery and rubbery. Consider egg-based breakfast burritos as a freezer-friendly alternative.
- Serving suggestions: This casserole can be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature, or gently reheated in the microwave or oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 290 mg
