Healthy Breakfast Casserole (2024)

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Healthy Breakfast Casserole (1)

Sometimes, you need a healthy make-ahead breakfast. Whether you’re serving a crowd or trying to ease busy weekday mornings, this breakfast casserole is just the ticket.

Typically, breakfast casseroles includes sausage and potatoes. I loaded this one up with fresh veggies and greens instead, including red bell pepper, green onion and spinach.

Creamy feta or goat cheese rounds it all out. You don’t need a ton of dairy to achieve a lovely, luxurious texture. This is a lightened-up dish that seems more indulgent than it really is.

Healthy Breakfast Casserole (2)

This healthy breakfast casserole is the perfect addition to a holiday breakfast spread. Since it offers some protein and vegetables, it’s a great way to help balance those delicious carb-heavy treats, like muffins and pancakes. I’d be thrilled to find this option alongside bagels and cream cheese. Leftovers are good for lunch, too.

To develop this recipe, I followed my foolproof frittata formula. It’s easy to make, colorful and delicious!

Healthy Breakfast Casserole (3)

How to Make Breakfast Casserole

You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s a brief summary:

  1. Sauté the bell peppers and green onion until tender, then add spinach and cook until wilted. Set the pan aside for a few minutes to cool, so the warm veggies don’t cook the eggs when we stir them together.
  2. Whisk together the eggs with a dash of full-fat dairy, like whole milk or Greek yogurt, plus some salt and pepper. Stir in half of the cheese (we’re reserving the other half for topping the casserole).
  3. Transfer the veggies into the egg mixture, stir to combine, then gently pour it all into a buttered baking dish. Top with the rest of the cheese.
  4. Bake until the eggs are cooked through. That’s it!

How to Prepare This Casserole in Advance

Prepare the mixture as instructed, but refrigerate the egg and veggie mixture in a mixing bowl or in the buttered baking dish for up to two days.

Bake as directed, knowing that your dish may require a few extra minutes in the oven since it’s starting off cold (especially if you refrigerated in the baking dish).

Watch How to Make Healthy Breakfast Casserole

Healthy Breakfast Casserole (4)

Breakfast Casserole Serving Suggestions

This breakfast casserole would fit in nicely with any breakfast spread. Here are some general suggestions:

  • Avocado Toast or any other toast
  • Bagels with cream cheese and toppings
  • Crispy Hash Browns, which you can make in a skillet while the frittata cooks
  • Muffins, pancakes and waffles
  • Salads, for an all-around healthy meal

Please let me know how your breakfast casserole turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

Healthy Breakfast Casserole (5)

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Healthy Breakfast Casserole

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  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Make this healthy breakfast casserole recipe for the holidays or busy weekday mornings! Featuring red bell peppers, spinach and creamy cheese, this casserole is wholesome, hearty and full of fresh flavor. Recipe yields 8 generous servings.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium red bell peppers, chopped (about 2 cups)

  • ¾ cup thinly sliced green onion (about 1 small bunch)

  • 5 ounces roughly chopped spinach (about 5 cups)

  • 12 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons full-fat dairy (heavy cream, half-and-half, whole milk, sour cream or yogurt)

  • Several dashes of your favorite hot sauce, like Cholula

  • ½ teaspoon fine salt

  • 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 ounces (1 cup) crumbled feta or goat cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 by 13-inch pan with butter (don’t be tempted to use cooking spray; it doesn’t work nearly as well).
  2. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the bell pepper and green onion and cook until the pepper is tender and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Add the spinach to the skillet and cook, while stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Set the pan aside to cool for a bit while we prepare the egg mixture.
  4. Crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl. Add your dairy of choice, several dashes of hot sauce, plus the salt and pepper. Whisk just until the egg yolks and whites are blended.
  5. Stir in half of the cheese (we’re reserving the other half for topping the frittata before baking). Transfer the lightly cooled veggies into the bowl, and stir to combine.
  6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Evenly disperse the remaining cheese on top.
  7. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes (keep an eye on it), until the eggs are puffed and appear cooked, and the center of the frittata just barely jiggles when you give it a gentle shimmy. For good measure, insert a fork about ¼-inch into the center of the eggs and make sure the fork comes out clean
  8. Place the frittata on a cooling rack until you’re ready to serve. Slice with a sharp knife, and serve. Leftovers will keep well for about four days in the refrigerator. Enjoy leftovers chilled, at room temperature, or gently reheat in the microwave or oven.

Notes

Prepare in advance: Cover and refrigerate the mixture until you’re ready to bake (it should keep well for up to two days). Bake as directed, but know that your dish may require a few extra minutes in the oven since it’s starting off cold.

Change it up: I love the flavors you see here, but you can definitely use other vegetables in similar quantities. More hardy greens like kale or chard will require a bit more cooking time. Find other flavor variations on my frittata post.

Can I freeze it? I don’t recommend freezing leftover breakfast casserole. When I defrosted my frozen slices, they turned very watery and slightly rubbery. If you’re looking for a good egg-based freezer recipe, check out my breakfast burritos.

▸ Nutrition Information

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate.

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By Kathryne Taylor

Healthy Breakfast Casserole (6)Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now.
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Comments

    Leave a comment below:

  1. MMillsap

    ANy idea what the nutritional data is? I am doing food prep and that would be HUGELY helpful.

    Reply

    • Kate

      Hi, the nutritional information is below the notes section of the blog.

      Reply

  2. Sophie Rochefort

    Nous avons adoré cette recette, et toute la famille se réjouit à l’idée d’y regoûter rapidement! Merci tellement!

    Reply

  3. Sanndy

    I’ve made your recipe and it’s delicious! I was wondering next time if I could mix asiago cheese along with the feta? Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Kate

      You can try it! Let me know what you think, Sanndy.

      Reply

  4. Toni Gennarelli

    It does not tell me to increase the size of the pan if you are doubling the recipe. Should I use a bigger pan? Also is it ok to use an aluminum pan?

    Reply

    • Kate

      You could split it between two pans. Or, you may need to increase the cooking time if you use the same 9×13.

      Reply

      • Toni Gennarelli

        Actually, I got the right size pan. Everyone liked it! Thank you!

        Reply

  5. Mimi

    Made this dish this morning and we loved it. Hubby was surprised he liked a breakfast casserole without hash browns and sausage. So healthy and so delicious. I’m in reduced salt diet; hubby is on low sugar, low carb diet due to our health issues. Thank you for including the nutrition information. I used frozen precut spinach which made it much easier. This has made our regular rotation dish list!

    Reply

    • Kate

      I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Mimi.

      Reply

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Healthy Breakfast Casserole (2024)

FAQs

What is a breakfast casserole made of? ›

To make a breakfast casserole you beat some eggs, add milk and cheese, add cubed bread, add "mix-ins" like mushrooms, veggies, sausage, and herbs, put it in a casserole dish, and bake.

How many calories are in homemade breakfast casserole? ›

Egg Casserole With Bread, Cheese, Milk And Meat (1 cup) contains 16.7g total carbs, 16g net carbs, 25.3g fat, 20.7g protein, and 379 calories.

Why do you have to refrigerate breakfast casserole overnight? ›

The casserole is covered and refrigerated overnight to allow the liquid ingredients to be absorbed into the bread. This is a perishable mixture and should be cooked the morning or day after assembly.

What are 5 components of a casserole? ›

Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese. But making a casserole is not an exact science, and you can definitely break away from this formula. Check out some fun side-dish casseroles and desserts below!

What is the main ingredient in a casserole? ›

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

How healthy is a cooked breakfast? ›

Cooked breakfasts can be balanced and healthy”, says Rabess. A breakfast of tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans and a glass of juice can give you four of your five-a-day, if you have a portion of each. Eggs are also nutritious. The NHS recommends choosing meats lower in saturated fat, such as chicken.

How many days can you eat breakfast casserole? ›

After baking, leftover egg casserole can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed within 3-4 days. Leftovers are delicious reheated in the microwave.

Can you have cooked breakfast on a diet? ›

Although the full monty fry-up comes in at about 850 kcal per portion, a cooked breakfast doesn't need to be high-calorie. A boiled egg with two slices of toast with low fat spread, for example, contains a more modest 286 kcal, while a poached egg on toast with mushrooms and a grilled tomato is around 200 kcal.

What are 3 traditional breakfast dishes? ›

In the United States, breakfast often consists of either a cereal or an egg-based dish. However, pancakes, waffles, toast, and variants of the full breakfast and continental breakfast are also prevalent.

Why is my breakfast casserole soupy? ›

This is often due to high water content in some vegetables and dense meats that are used in these dishes. Browning /cooking the meats (and draining off any excess liquid) and sautéing the vegetables before cooking often helps this issue.

Can you leave raw egg mixture in the fridge? ›

If you've got raw egg yolks or whites left over from a recipe which you don't want to waste (let's face it, why would you?), you can store them in the fridge as long as you plan to use them within the next few days.

Is it better to freeze a breakfast casserole cooked or uncooked? ›

The answer depends on what's in it. Casseroles with raw protein (meat, poultry, seafood) should be completely cooked before freezing. However dishes with pre-cooked meats or no meat are fine to go in the freezer uncooked.

Can I freeze a breakfast casserole with raw eggs? ›

Yes, you can. Raw eggs are fairly stable in the freezer, especially when beaten or mixed with other ingredients. Check to see what else is in the casserole, though. Hard-cooked eggs, potatoes, rice and pasta don't freeze particularly well because they break down and lose their texture.

What are casserole dishes made of? ›

“A casserole dish and a baking dish are the same thing, an oven-safe piece of cookware, usually made of ceramic, porcelain, or glass,” says Anthony Contrino, Emmy-awarded culinary producer and food stylist. "They can come in various shapes, with the most common being rectangular, oval, or square.

What is the difference between a quiche and a breakfast casserole? ›

Egg Casserole

They are heartier than a quiche, leaning more towards a strata in texture. If you are dairy-free, you can use almond, cashew, coconut, hemp, rice, soy milk, or any other non-dairy milk you prefer.

What makes a casserole a casserole? ›

Casseroles Are Largely Defined by Their Baking Dish

agrees, telling us that "a casserole is baked in a casserole dish—a deep baking dish. The word casserole comes from a French word meaning 'saucepan. '"

What's the difference between a breakfast casserole and a strata? ›

Strata is otherwise known as “the breakfast casserole that your overnight guests will think you toiled away on all morning when in reality, you simply whipped it up the night before and just popped in the oven.” “Strata” is much shorter. Stratas are egg casseroles made with bread—lots of it.

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