Jurczak’s Healthy and Hearty Breakfast Casserole

This recipe is an adaptation of a Texas Breakfast Casserole. Mrs. Jurczak’s family has friends from Texas who would use hash browns, classic Jimmie Dean’s breakfast sausage, pepper and onion with eggs (or Egg Beaters) and top the whole thing with cheese. I’ve worked to tweak the recipe over the past few years and have come up with this beast. It lasts a week or so, perhaps 12 servings, depending on how you portion them out.

• Cooking oil (olive oil, canola, equivalent)
• Small head of cauliflower
• Large brown onion
• Bell pepper
• ~1/2lb mushrooms
• 1lb breakfast sausage (I use JennyO turkey sausage)
• 6-10oz spinach
• 4-6oz shredded cheese (cheddar/jack/mixture)
• 8-12 eggs
• Milk

• 9x13 Pyrex baking dish (or equivalent)
• Large frying/sauté pan
• Large mixing bowl
• Large chef’s knife
• Cutting board or mat
• Spatula
• Fork or whisk for beating eggs

1. Prep veggies – rinse and quarter/sixth/eighth the mushrooms (1/2in to 3/4in dice). Rough chop (similar size) the onion and pepper. Place in large mixing bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Put a lug or two of your cooking oil into the baking dish and ensure it coats the entire bottom. Chop/rice (perhaps 1/4in size) your cauliflower. Place into oven for 15-20 minutes – lightly toasting and drying out the cauliflower.
3. Meanwhile, put a lug of cooking oil into your frying pan and brown and crumble the sausage over medium to medium high heat. Each piece should end up no bigger than 1/2in. Wilt your spinach – if bagged, poke a few holes in it with a small knife and microwave for 2-2.5 minutes; else stir in the frying pan with the sausage until wilted.
4. Take out the cauliflower, make a layer of spinach and then a layer of sausage. Add the rest of the veggies to the frying pan and sauté for 5-8 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent and the mushrooms are slightly browned. Add as the last layer to the casserole, on top of the spinach and sausage.
5. In the same bowl that held your veggies, crack your eggs (number depends on size and how many veggies you put in). Beat the eggs with a splash of milk, then gently pour all over the veggies, allowing the egg mixture to seep into all empty spaces. Sprinkle your shredded cheese over top, covering the entire casserole. Place in the oven (still at 375°F) and bake for 55 minutes.
6. The casserole can be served hot or stored in the refrigerator once it has cooled down for over a week – just microwave until at the desired warmth.

Enjoy!!!