Cheesy Breakfast Bake.

Hello, friends! I hope that your Sunday is going well. Today has been a very relaxing day – we went on a walk, watched some Lord of the Rings, and made the most delicious brunch. It’s certainly not the most nutritious, but it does have some protein, vegetables, and carbs. It’s very hearty and is great to make on a Sunday so that you have some leftovers for Monday morning. A win-win.

What’s also nice about this recipe is that it’s a great way to use up random ingredients in your fridge. If you’re in need of a grocery trip (like I am) it’s a creative way to make a meal out of odds and ends.

What I used…

• Orange Bell Peppers: Spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and even some asparagus would be delicious here. A lot of the ingredients in this recipe are quite hearty, so the vegetables serve to add a little bit of lightness back into the dish. It can be omitted from the recipe, but I highly recommend using those veggies in your fridge that are near expiration. Waste not, want not!
• Home Fries: I use frozen home fries for this, but fresh potatoes can certainly be used instead. I would recommend red potatoes finely sliced into cubes. Hashbrowns also work well.
• Ham/Sausage Links: This particular breakfast bake was especially hearty because I used sausage links that we had on hand in addition to some leftover Easter ham. The breakfast sausages that I use every single time are the Eckrich Smok-y sausages. The BEST on the market – I promise.
• Colby-Jack Cheese: Any cheese could be used here, but this is what I had on hand. I always buy the large blocks of cheese and then slice it myself, as I find it to be more economical and it also generally has more flavor than pre-sliced or pre-shredded cheeses. If you ended up doing a spinach and mushroom bake, some feta cheese would be absolutely divine here!
• Eggs: I used six for this particular bake and it was the perfect amount to make sure that everything stuck together.

What I Did…

1. Set your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease your dish with your choice of oil or butter. I ended up using some vegetable oil. You don’t need much – just enough so that the bake doesn’t stick to your dish.
3. Add a thin layer of potatoes to the bottom of your dish.
4. Add the breakfast meat of your choice to the next layer.
5. In a separate bowl, mix your eggs. Pour those over your ingredients after mixing. For this particular bake, I added the ham to the eggs and drizzled them over the previous ingredients.
6. Add your layer of cheese.
7. Cook for around 40 minutes. Make sure your eggs are cooked completely before serving.
8. Enjoy!

I ended up pairing this with some pepper and my mom’s homemade salsa. SO GOOD!!!

The baking dish, for those interested, is from Crate and Barrel. I absolutely LOVE it. It is such wonderful quality and is functional and pretty enough to make it to your kitchen table.

And that’s that, my dear friends. I hope that your weekend has been a relaxing one!

XOXO,

Mattie Mae