a perfect breakfast casserole

for the dads!!!!

Happy Father’s Day (tomorrow) to all the What To Cook dads out there, especially my dad and Georgie!

And for the wives and daughters who will be celebrating the fellas — I’ve got the perfect recipe for Father’s Day brunch tomorrow! What To Cook is a dinner newsletter, but rules are made to be broken, and breakfast is meant to be eaten for dinner if you so choose, so a breakfast recipe it is! Want Father’s Day dinner ideas (and last-minute gift ideas)? Check this post.

My gripe with the notion of Father’s Day brunch is this: it should be a day of rest and relaxation for dad, but oftentimes mom winds up in the kitchen cooking up a storm, thus leaving the kids unattended, thus the dad ends up wrangling the kids single-handedly, which is not a very lovely Father’s Day treat at all!!!! OK, yes, this is also my gripe with Mother’s Day brunch. So let’s put an end to it!

This is the easiest, simplest make-ahead breakfast: a sausage, egg, and cheese casserole stuffed with spinach and roasted red peppers. Throw it together the night before, refrigerate it overnight, then bake it in the morning while you go for a walk, prune your vegetable garden, or, you know, wrangle the kids so your husband can sleep in.

George’s mom, Marsha, makes a perfect and simple sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast casserole anytime she has *company.* It is cheesy and sausage-y and wonderful. I’ve put my own spin on her recipe throughout our 12 years of marriage, adding an entire box of spinach and George’s fave, roasted red peppers. This is his favorite breakfast for special occasions, and he loves that it makes a massive amount of food that he can eat for breakfast all week long!

Keep the egg, cream, and milk ratio the same, but go crazy with different cheeses and ingredients! There are even more ideas in the notes section, but here are some fun ones:

• Caprese Breakfast Casserole: 1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 8 ounces shredded mozzarella, and 3/4 cup finely chopped basil

• Spinach Artichoke Breakfast Casserole: 1 pound cooked ground sausage, 5 ounces spinach cooked in the same pan as the sausage, 1 can artichokes, 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley, 8 ounces shredded Gruyère

• Mushroom Breakfast Casserole: Swap the sausage out for 1 pound sliced mushrooms (cremini, baby Bella, or whichever kind you like/have). Warm 2 tablespoons butter or oil in the skillet and sauté the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, until tender and slightly browned. Because you won’t get the built-in spices that sausage provides, add 2 to 3 minced garlic cloves (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder) and another big pinch or two of salt to the veggie mixture. A shake of Italian seasoning or oregano would be great too!

• Sausage Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich Casserole: Use English muffins instead of white bread, and leave out the greens and roasted red peppers.

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a perfect breakfast casserole

Serves: A LOT! 6-8 starving eaters, but probably more like 8-10

Cook time: 30 minutes of active prep time, between 30 minutes and 48 hours of rest time, and 1 hour of baking time

Tools:

• Large skillet

• Spatula

• Chef’s knife

• Cutting board

• 9x13-inch baking dish

• Box grater (unless you’re using pre-shredded cheese)

• Large bowl

• Whisk

• Foil

Ingredients: