Healthy Breakfast Casserole Recipe Perfect For Family Brunch

So you have to cook up a big breakfast for multiple people with big appetites, but you only want to spend about 10 minutes working on it? A swing through the nearest fast food restaurant is one option. Or you could spend even less time (and less money) whipping together this healthy and hearty casserole that can be made in advance and enjoyed all week, as it can be stored for four days in the fridge or even kept in the freezer for months! And as the dish calls for ingredients you almost surely have on hand already, no trips to the grocery store are needed, either.

"I like making this dish when I have family spending the night," says chef and recipe developer Maren Epstein of Eating Works. "It's a satisfying hearty breakfast that everyone enjoys." Plus, she adds it's a recipe calling for "minimal clean up."

The main event here delivers big on the flavor as well as protein. But how best to round out a whole meal? "This breakfast casserole is great served for brunch alongside hash browns and a thick slice of toast," says Epstein. Got some fresh fruit or yogurt to dish out as well? All the better, provided anyone has any room left.

As noted, this dish calls for ingredients you probably have on hand already, with the possible exception being the oat milk. Once you realize how versatile oat milk is (and how tasty it is, too) it will also likely become a kitchen staple. All told, you'll need butter, a large white onion (diced small), sea salt, minced garlic, cumin, eggs, oat milk creamer, diced tomatoes, soft goat cheese, and some dried oregano. And if you want to sub in a dairy-free butter alternative for the regular butter, that's no problem, by the way.

First things first: Preheat the oven to 350 F, and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole pan (or an oven-safe pan of nearly those dimensions). 

Next, melt the butter in a small skillet, and once it has melted, add the onions and salt. Sauté the onions at medium heat until they're soft and translucent, then add the garlic and cumin. Keep stirring and cooking for a few more minutes until the onions and garlic are fragrant, and then remove the pan from the heat before the onions brown and set everything aside to cool. Your kitchen will be smelling mighty fine right about now!

Beat eggs in a large bowl, and once the whites and yolks are all fully combined, then whisk in the oat milk, and stir well. Next, mix in the (fully cooled) cooked onions and garlic. Don't pour the onions into the eggs hot, or the heat will begin to cook the eggs scramble style. 

Pour the egg and onion mixture into the prepared 9x13-inch casserole dish. Then, arrange the tomatoes into the mix, adding enough tomatoes to create a strong body for the casserole. After that, place the chunks of goat cheese throughout the casserole, keeping each about ¾ submerged beneath the egg.

Season the prepared dish with oregano, then place the casserole in the oven on the middle rack, and let it cook for one hour at 350 F. Then, pull the dish out, and allow it to cool for a few minutes before you section it off into squares and enjoy, whether with toast and hash browns, fruit, or whatever else suits your taste.

And as for saving leftovers or prepping the casserole for long storage if you are planning ahead, Epstein says, "It will last in the freezer for six months. I would cut the [casserole] into four-inch squares and wrap them in plastic wrap, and then place them inside Ziplock bags. Defrost them in the toaster oven." And the best part is, you'll have a tasty breakfast ready with even less work than it took the first time around.