Spinach and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

Are you a breakfast eater? I’ve never been one to eat a full meal at breakfast, opting instead for a muffin or some fruit. But I do love a good breakfast casserole and will often make one for brunch. Since I’m always looking for ways to add more vegetables to my meals, I opted for a spinach and mushroom breakfast casserole.

Some breakfast foods are heavy and sit in your stomach like a lead weight all morning. I’m always looking for lighter options. This spinach and mushroom egg casserole is a variation of a Paula Deen recipe. If you watch her show, you know she tends to fix calorie-laden food. I cut out some of the fat in my version and substituted healthier choices.

 

This dish has your basic breakfast ingredients so no need to add any side dishes to the meal. You’ll start preparing this recipe by frying up some hash browns and sweet onions for a few minutes, then spread them in your casserole dish followed by a layer of bread cubes.

 

Using the same pan, saute your onions and spinach until the spinach leaves start to wilt.

 

Carefully spread your veggies over the hash browns and bread cubes. Your egg mixture comes next and will get absorbed somewhat into the bread cubes, which makes them soft and tasty after the casserole is done baking.

 

Cheese is sprinkled on top. I cut back on the amount of cheese used in the original recipe, but honestly, you could cut it down even more if you want to further reduce the calories and fat.

 

You’ll bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes and remove just before it starts to brown.

 

This is a great dish to serve for breakfast or brunch. Easy to make, and it’s packed with flavor!

 

Spinach and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

3 tablespoons butter
1 small sweet onion, chopped
4 cups shredded hash browns
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2-3 cups fresh spinach
2 1/4 cups 2% milk
8 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 cups cubed French bread, crusts removed
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup grated Cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and saute over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the hash browns and saute about 5 minutes. Spread the onions and hash browns at the bottom of the greased dish.
Arrange the bread cubes evenly on top of hash browns.

Using the same frying pan, saute the mushrooms for 2 minutes, then add the spinach leaves and saute until leaves are softened. Layer the vegetables atop the cubed bread crumbs. In a large mixing bowl, whip together the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard, until well blended. Pour the milk and egg mixture over the layers. Add Parmesan as the next layer, and then sprinkle the Cheddar on top.

Bake the casserole uncovered for 35 minutes, until slightly golden brown.