Skip to main content

Cowboy Breakfast Casserole With Sausage and Spinach

4.6

(33)

Cowboy casserole in a square baking dish.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova

Assemble this easy sausage, egg, and cheese casserole the night before you plan to bake it. Then toss it straight from the fridge into the oven—no need to preheat!—while you make coffee and slice some fruit to serve alongside for a casual, comfortable breakfast.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    12–15 servings

Ingredients

For the casserole:

7 slices white sandwich bread
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
Softened unsalted butter or nonstick vegetable cooking spray (for pan)
4 scallions, white and pale green and dark green parts separated, thinly sliced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 425°F. Toast bread on a rimmed baking sheet until dry, 8–10 minutes.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking into pieces with a spatula, until browned, about 7 minutes.

    Step 3

    Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Arrange 6 bread slices in dish in one layer, covering bottom of pan completely and cutting slices to fit if needed. Tear remaining slice into smaller pieces to fill in any gaps.

    Step 4

    Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to baking dish, scattering over bread.

    Step 5

    Heat skillet over medium and add white and pale green scallion parts. Cook, stirring, until softened and just starting to take on color, about 3 minutes. Add spinach, stir to combine, and cook until warmed through, 1–2 minutes more. Top sausage with spinach mixture, then top spinach mixture with cheese.

    Step 6

    Whisk eggs, milk, yogurt, mustard powder, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Gently pour over casserole. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

    Step 7

    Uncover dish and transfer to a cold oven. Heat oven to 375°F and bake casserole until eggs are puffed and cheese is browned, about 40 minutes.

    Step 8

    Let casserole cool several minutes. Top with dark green scallion parts.

    Do Ahead: Casserole can be assembled 1 day ahead. Tightly cover and chill.

Read More
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.
A glug of lemon-lime soda gives this pound cake a citrusy zip and tender crumb.
All the cozy vibes of the classic gooey-cheesy dish, made into a 20-minute meal.
Layer homemade custard, ripe bananas, and vanilla wafers under clouds of whipped cream for this iconic dessert.
Creamy and bright with just a subtle bit of heat, this five-ingredient, make-ahead dip is ready for company—just add crudités.
This cake was created from thrift and was supposedly named after its appearance, which reminded people of the muddy Mississippi River bottom.
Fufu is a dish that has been passed down through many generations and is seen as a symbol of Ghanaian identity and heritage. Making fufu traditionally is a very laborious task; this recipe mimics some of that hard work but with a few home-cook hacks that make for a far easier time.