Christmas Breakfast Casserole

First of all, Happy Holidays!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is having a great holiday season so far.  Coming up on the new year, my wedding anniversary now, I am more excited than usual.  I can’t wait to relive the day (by my mom and Adrianne of Adrianne Elizabeth Events) through our pictures courtesy of Red Gallery Photography and videos courtesy of Studio Z Films!!  

Christmas morning was the usual: wake up, open stockings, open presents, then make breakfast, all while in our pj’s.  We traditionally just have a free-for-all at breakfast; everyone always seems to want something different so it’s not usually very elaborate.  I figured this year would be the same, but we ended up with an unplanned spectacular spread of both paleo and non-paleo foods for all eaters at our table.

My mom suggested the day before that we try a breakfast casserole and asked if I could whip anything up.  So I did!  We also celebrated our first Christmas with my husband who traditionally has a German-style breakfast with his family: cold cuts, cheeses, soft boiled eggs, quark, and various breads and jams.  To make him feel more at home, we got some cold cuts and cheeses, and my mom put out some blueberry scones with mixed berry jam and lemon curd.  To make a paleo plate, I grabbed some turkey, prosciutto, salami, fruit and a slice of my Christmas Breakfast Casserole.

My mom spares no expense to make holidays feel special.  She pays attention to details and decorations that always make the day feel out of the ordinary.  My brother was so happy with our breakfast he said to my mom and dad, “why don’t we make breakfast like this everyday?!”

Substitutions.  When making this recipe, you don’t have to follow it exactly.  Here are some things you could change based on what sounds good to you.  Instead of sweet potato, you could shred butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, or a combination of one or more of these veggies.  I leave the skin on for fiber when I grate the sweet potato, but I would NOT do this with the substitution suggestions.  Instead of breakfast sausage you could use spicy italian, ground beef, or turkey sausage.  Instead of onion you could use green onions, but I wouldn’t cook them before baking.  I’d slice 2-3 and stir them into the “batter” raw. I would not suggest substituting raw greens like kale, collards, or spinach for the frozen spinach.  The fresh greens release too much water while baking and make the center of the casserole very hard to cook.  No one wants a watery egg casserole.

Make it ahead.  To prepare this the day ahead, for easy entertaining, cook the sausage and onions and let them cool. Defrost and squeeze the water from the frozen spinach by twisting it in a kitchen towel. Shred the sweet potato. Once prepped, place the sausage, onion, spinach, and sweet potato in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate.  Day of, just add the eggs and seasonings to the bowl, beat/ stir and bake!

Later on, more family including my 93 year old grandma, Nana, came over for more gifts, games, hanging out, and Christmas dinner.  Here’s Nana opening her favorite Christmas gift, roasted cashews.