I don’t understand people who don’t like breakfast. I mean, I get that some folks don’t like to eat when they first get up—I much prefer a cup of coffee (with my dairy-free cashew coffee creamer, please and thank you) before I dig into food—but not liking breakfast food at all? Who are you and what horrific childhood toast incident did you have to make you this way?
Breakfast is my jam. So much so, I have a whole flock of chickens roaming around my backyard so I can have a constant supply of fresh eggs. When we first got our flock—we have eight hens—I thought there was NO WAY we’d go through that many eggs. Hens lay an average of about six eggs a week each in the warm months, and I thought we’d be drowning in eggs. Turns out, we are egg-eating champions. We never really run low (except in the middle of winter) but we also never have a surplus. Apparently, eight hens is the perfect amount of eggs for our little family of three (plus sharing with my parents).
Part of the reason we do the egg thing so well is because, even though I have a raging sweet tooth, I much prefer to stick to the savory side of breakfast. I won’t turn down a stack of pancakes, but if I had my choice? Savory, all the way, baby.
Ten years ago, when I first told my then boyfriend/now husband that I didn’t really like donuts (so not my thing), I think he actually contemplated breaking up with me for a brief second. Now, I’ve converted him to the savory side of breakfast—although I occasionally pick up a fresh maple donut for him from the local donut shop. Because love and all that mushy stuff.
I think what I like so much about savory breakfast is the option to add some veggies to my morning meal. I’m not sure pancakes with a side of spinach will ever be a thing, but serving up a savory egg dish packed full of healthy veggies? Totally acceptable.
If you’ve never done a breakfast casserole like this one here, it’s such an easy way to pack in all kinds of flavor and nutrition into your morning meal. These casseroles can be made ahead of time and then just baked off in the morning—which makes them perfect for serving to houseguests. I have a reputation for serving biscuits and gravy to my house guests—and I’m a total biscuits and gravy snob, so everything has to be made from scratch and fresh, which means I spend most of my morning in the kitchen instead of hanging out with my houseguests. If I could, I’d switch in a heartbeat to this breakfast bake (although, honestly, I think people might revolt—my biscuits and gravy are kinda a thing).
Most breakfast bake recipes you’ll see out there use white bread as the base (similar to your Thanksgiving dressing—the bread soaks up all the flavor), but I’m all about inserting nutrition where I can, and this is one case where I definitely can. I used Dave’s Killer Bread White Bread Done Right, which is, quite honestly, my favorite bread on the planet. It is soft, fluffy, and light like white bread, but it’s packed with whole ancient grains like quinoa, rye, barley, and spelt. It has nothing artificial in it. Honestly, it seems like it’s too good to be true—a whole grain, all natural bread that tastes like white bread—but it isn’t.
White Bread Done Right is available all across North America! For a while there, I had to get my WBDR shipped directly to me from my awesome friends at Dave’s Killer Bread—but they now sell it at my regular grocery store. Love, love, love. You can find a store near you using this handy dandy locator.
Look at those flecks of red and green peppers up there! Can you imagine a more festive and tasty breakfast to serve on Christmas morning? You can probably get by serving six folks on a single batch of this (especially if you have it as part of a whole brunch spread), but it’s also easy to double or even triple the recipe. This baby is designed to feed the masses.
Denver Omelet Breakfast Bake
Combine your favorite omelet with your favorite breakfast casserole in this Denver Omelet Breakfast Bake. It can be made the night before for an easy houseguest breakfast!
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 8 eggs
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup chopped ham
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 slices Dave's Killer Bread White Bread Done Right, cut into 1" chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish liberally with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In a very large mixing bowl, toss together the onion, green and red bell pepper, ham, cheddar cheese, and bread cubes.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture and stir to mix. Pour into the prepared baking pan and even out.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the casserole begins to puff up a bit, the top is golden brown, and the middle feels set. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
I used whole cow's milk for this recipe, but any unsweetened milk will do—almond, soy, etc. I'd avoid coconut milk because of the added sweet flavor.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 543Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 322mgSodium: 1151mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 33g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dave’s Killer Bread. All opinions are entirely my own. Learn more about Dave’s Killer Bread by visiting their website or joining the BreadHead Nation on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.
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