Our family is always looking for breakfast ideas and this chorizo, spinach and cheddar casserole is a winner; it is simple, delicious, moist, filling … I could keep going and going. What I like about this recipe is that you can prepare it ahead of time and easily feed a crowd without much work. For this recipe I chose chorizo, a cured and smoked sausage, because I like the flavor of the smoked paprika used to season it.
If you prefer substituting the chorizo with a fresh sausages, remove the casings by cutting them with kitchen shears and peel them away from the meat. You would then brown the sausage in a pan with olive oil and use a spoon to break the meat clumps into small pieces. You could also add some onions (1/4 cup finely chopped) and a garlic clove for flavor. As for the proportions for the sausage you can use the same amount used in this recipe for the chorizo or 1 1/4 cups instead.
The trick for this breakfast casserole to be moist and fluffy is to refrigerate it overnight and letting the bread absorb the liquids and seasoning.
- 5 cups of bread with crusts removed
- 7 eggs
- 1½ cups of milk
- 1¼ cups of extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup of fresh spinach leaves (optional)
- ¾ cups of chopped chorizo (approximately 2 small links)
- salt and pepper to taste
- butter to grease pan
- Grease a baking dish with butter, enough to cover the bottom and sides of the dish.
- Cut the crust off the bread, then cube the bread into 1 inch cubes.
- Cut the chorizo (cook your meat of choice if you are substituting the chorizo - fresh sausage of bacon)
- Shred the cheddar cheese.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
- Combine the bread, chorizo, cheese, and spinach in a large bowl and mix.
- Transfer the bread mixture to the baking dish and pour the eggs over.
- Cover the baking dish and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours; preferably overnight.
- When you are ready to serve preheat the oven to 350˚F, remove the cover from the pan and bake for 45 minutes. If you prefer it crispier bake for another 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
First recipe I tried from Carmen’s blog. My family loved it! Can’t wait to try more
Glad you liked it Nancy 🙂