Bacon Spinach Breakfast Casserole
At some point in time I became a sleep wimp.
I'm not exactly sure when it happened, I just know that it did and I CANNOT hang.
I've always been a morning person (I know. Annoying!), but more than that I've always been able to survive on little to no sleep.
5-6 hours on the regular and I'm good to go. When I was just a few years younger it was nothing for me to work all day and then all night on maybe 4 hours of sleep and then go again! None of it phased me. But NOW, I am eyeballing the clock at 9:30 when I send the kids to bed, totally jealous that they get a bedtime and I still have at least an hour and a half worth of things to do. And then I negotiate with myself in these ridiculous ways and think, "ohh I'll just close my eyes for 15 minutes...," and then 15 turns into 20 and then I halfway eyeball the clock and think, "I'll just get up 20 minutes earlier..." and on and on and on.
What I'm saying is... I need sleep. I am sleep wimpy.
With holidays looming and endless hours in the kitchen on the schedule, I am happy to have a handful of recipes I can make ahead and then stick in the oven and not worry. This breakfast casserole is PERFECT. Make ahead, stick it in the fridge, and then pretend you have it all together when you overslept and haven't had enough coffee in the morning. This dish is Sunday breakfast/brunch awesomeness. Or Saturday mornings. Or Christmas. You can smack me now for saying that.
Bacon Spinach Breakfast Casserole
A delicious breakfast casserole you can make ahead! Perfect for brunches and holiday morning get-togethers. This can rest in the fridge overnight before baking or can be placed in the oven right away.
Ingredients
- 8-10 slices (about 1" thick) French bread
- butter
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 5 ounces fresh spinach
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 ½ cups sharp white cheddar
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Lay the bread in a single layer and toast it in the oven until it's golden brown - about 5 minutes. Turn off the oven (see note) and spread with the butter. Cut into cubes. Set aside.
- Cook the bacon. Lay it on paper towels to drain the grease. Coarsely chop when cool. Remove all the bacon grease from the pan except a couple teaspoons.
- Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft, 4-5 minutes. Place a few handfuls of fresh spinach on top of the onions. Stir to coat them with the oil in the pan. Let the spinach cook until wilted, adding the rest as you have more room. When it's all wilted, remove it from the heat.
- Butter a 9 X 13 casserole dish. In a medium bowl beat the eggs with the milk. In a large bowl toss the bread cubes with the spinach, onions, and bacon.
- Add the bread mixture to the prepared baking dish. Pour the eggs and milk over the bread. add the cheese and stir so it's in the middle as well as on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight (you can bake the same day - see note).
- Pre-heat the oven to 350. Bake for about 45-50 mins, until the cheese is melty and the casserole is bubbly. The eggs will be cooked. Serve warm.
Notes
#1- If you are baking this the same day, leave the oven on in step one and bake the strata after assembling. Just note that the consistency will not be custardy like a typical strata.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 329Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 613mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 18g
Making 6-8 breakfast casseroles for my post wedding brunch and I was looking to do some advance prep work a couple days before the wedding. Which do you think might work?
Freezing the unbaked dish, thawing it over night before baking it.
Or baking it, freezing it, thawing it over night and heating it up.
Hi Amy! I am so sorry I haven't been able to respond! I've had major website malfunctions on the back end here since Saturday. I am not the best at freezing, I will be the first to admit that. I think par-baking would work. Just bake it enough to stop the egg/milk from soaking into the bread more and halfway set up. Then freeze. I do scones this way and I don't even have to thaw them before baking. I just increase the bake time a little and brush with egg or butter to help speed up the browning. I hope that helps a little. Enjoy and good luck!
I made this recipe this weekend and it's really good, will definitely make it again. Thanks!
Awesome! Glad you liked it. Thanks so much Julia!!!
This looks like a wonderful idea for breakfast on Christmas morning. What a delicious idea!
Thanks so much Jodee!
Hi There - looking to make this for a potluck brunch tomorrow. Did you use a french baguette, or a loaf? How many cups of cubes do you think you had?
Thanks!
Hey Danielle! You caught me working! I didn't measure the bread in cups -- just cut 1" slices from a loaf and you'll be fine. It should fill a 9 X 13 pan about 2/3 of the way before adding the liquid. And just a plain white "French" loaf from any grocer is fine! Or challah. Or whatever you can get your hands on. With baguette you'd definitely want to let it refrigerate overnight though because it's such a crusty bread. Hope this helps and let me know how it works for you! Happy brunching!
This looks awesome! So much better than the sausage and cheese version, which is good, but this looks a lot healthier. Yay! Thanks, Heather!
Well... I'm not sure this is healthy BUT. It has a lot of protein. And green stuff. Also bacon. So I'm giving it a thumbs up. Hope you'll try it!
This looks wonderful! Spinach and bacon sound wonderful together.
I hope you'll try it Teresa! we love this recipe!
When I was younger, I was able to get by with no sleep or 4-6 hours of sleep and still function normally. Not anymore. I think it comes with age. The older you get, the more rest you'll need or you'll break down easier or more prone to sickness. Anyway, this casserole looks delish! I'm always looking for new ways to make breakfast. This is perfect Heather!
I do not like needing sleep Anne! But I'm sure you're right.
Hope you'll try this breakfast casserole! BACON. 🙂