This past Christmas was my first holiday not spent in California with my family. Bittersweet seems to be the only word to describe it. While I tremendously missed being with my family and friends on the most wonderful day of the year, I had an amazing Christmas with my new family. I’m so thankful for the blessing of a whole new family- just another bonus to marriage, right?
This year, my brother-in-law suggested we try something new for Christmas dinner. So, we enjoyed a tasty breakfast spread for dinner! Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the traditional Christmas ham/turkey…. but, I mean, you can’t really beat breakfast for dinner.
Since Blake and I consumed our weight in cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, I decided to bake breakfast casseroles to contribute to the family Christmas dinner. If know Blake, you know he dislikes vegetables. Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Not only is Blake a vegetable-hater, but so are his dad and nephews. So, in effort to make casserole everyone enjoyed, I divided my baking sheet in half (using a tinfoil divider) and baked 2 different recipes. I promise this was so much easier than it sounds. But, for your benefit, I am only sharing one of these recipes (the one with vegetables), so you only need to worry about baking one kind.. for now.
Both casseroles- one with meat, potato, and cheddar, and the other with bacon, sweet potato, and parmesan- were a huge hit with the family! One was hearty and rich, the other was light with sweet and salty flavors. Like I said, a little something for everyone!
Personally, this Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Parmesan Breakfast Casserole was my favorite, hands down. I’m a sucker for anything sweet and salty. Plus, this casserole variation was lighter and fewer calories, yet didn’t lack any flavor.
Since Christmas dinner, I have made both variations a few different times. Typically, I’ll bake the casserole whenever I have free time, slice into individual servings, place in a freezer ziploc bag, and store in the freezer until I need an on-the-go breakfast, snack, or even lunch. However, not only is this dish great for a quick meal, but it’s a perfect breakfast to serve overnight guests. See the recipe notes below find out how to make this meal ahead of time.*
(This recipe is naturally gluten free, and can be made Paleo-friendly by omitting the Parmesan cheese.)
What I used to make this recipe:
- 1 large (or 2 medium) sweet potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
- 12 oz thick cut bacon, diced
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 6 eggs
- 6 egg whites
- 1/3 cup milk or almond milk
- 1/2 cup chopped spinach
- 2 tbs chopped shallots
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp rosemary
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with tinfoil and nonstick spray.
- On one baking sheet, evenly spread out the cubed sweet potato. On the second baking sheet, line up the bacon slices.
- Bake the bacon and sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the potatoes are soft.
- Let the bacon and potatoes cool. Meanwhile, lower the oven heat to 350F and coat a 9x9 baking pan with nonstick spray, olive oil, or butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, and milk. Once the bacon is cooled, dice into small pieces.
- Evenly spread the sweet potatoes into the bottom of the pan, followed by the bacon, half of the parmesan cheese, then the spinach and shallots.
- Pour the egg mixture on top and season with sea salt, black pepper, rosemary, and remaining parmesan. Cover the pan with tinfoil.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and continue back for 20 additional minutes.
- Let cool slightly and serve warm.
- If you are making this casserole the night before, cover the casserole with ceran wrap and store in the fridge overnight. In the morning, bake at 350F for 15 minutes to reheat.
Trying this ASAP! This looks absolutely delish!