Beef Recipes: Southwest Breakfast Casserole
I am so excited to be sharing another one of the Texas Beef Council’s recipes with you guys.
Here is a delicious breakfast casserole that would be perfect to serve Christmas morning, or even serve for brunch after gifts are opened and kids are running around screaming and playing.
What? Your kids play quietly?
NEED TO SAVE MONEY
ON YOUR GROCERY BILL?
Bragger.
Seriously, this is tasty.
Ingredients:
- 6 slices of sandwich bread
- 1 lb. beef sausage
- 4 cups Colby/Monterrey Jack cheese
- 6 eggs
- 2 cans chopped green chilies
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- 2 cups half-and-half
- bottled picante sauce
- 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
- drizzle of olive oil
As you see the recipe calls for beef sausage. After going to four different grocery stores, including a meat market, I could not find ground beef sausage anywhere. After butchers trying to sell me polish sausage and relentlessly trying to convince me that sausage is pork, I finally ran across a kind and very wise butcher at Albertsons. He informed me that about 10-15 years ago, due to cross contamination concerns, they put a stop to butchers making any ground sausage at the grocery store level. He informed me that it really is easy to improvise at home. He gave me spice suggestions to create my own beef sausage using 1 lb. chili meat.
Beef Sausage Improvising
Add these spices to 1 lb of chili meat:
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp sage
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- a few pinches of salt
- a few cracks of pepper
- a few shakes of red pepper flakes
I share this with you because if I had a hard time finding ground beef sausage, I am sure you will too.
Add those spices to your meat and brown in a skillet. I added a drizzle of olive oil to the pan.
While the beef sausage is cooking, cut the crust off six slices of sandwich bread.
Butter each slice of bread on both sides. I used spray butter because I like the easy route.
Place the bread slices in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
Drain your meat and sprinkle the meat over the bread slices.
Looks like sausage, right?
Smart, hua?
Top the meat with all 4 cups of cheese.
I know. That is A LOT of cheese, but you will not regret it. (Until you’re on the treadmill. Buy reduced fat.)
Pour the two cans of diced green chilies over the cheese.
Next, whisk your eggs, half-and-half, salt and dry mustard.
Pour that over your casserole and then cover the dish with foil.
Refrigerate over night or at least for a handful of hours. I prepared this in the morning and left it in the fridge all day. Then, it was ready to be cooked when dinner-time rolled around.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly.
Let it set for 5 minutes or so to allow the casserole to set before cutting into it.
Plate it up and top with picante sauce, hot sauce, sour cream, more shredded cheese, etc.
I hope that you will join us tomorrow night for the #TXBeef Holiday Menu Twitter party! It is THIS Tuesday, December 13 from 8-9 CST. You will be there, right?
Look for me at the party. 
My Twitter handle is @crystalandcomp.
Why should you be a part of this? There will be 23 Beefy prizes!!!
Plus there will be all kinds of fun and information for making holiday menus easier. On board will be a butcher, a nutritionist and a chef available for such questions.
See ya there!
| Beef Recipes: Southwest Breakfast Casserole |
- 6 slices of sandwich bread
- 1 lb. beef sausage
- 4 cups Colby/Monterrey Jack cheese
- 6 eggs
- 2 cans chopped green chilies
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- 2 cups half-and-half
- bottled picante sauce
- 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
- drizzle of olive oil
- Brown the beef sausage in a skillet drizzled in a bit of olive oil.
- While the meat is cooking, cut the crust off six slices of sandwich bread.
- Butter each slice of bread on both sides. I used spray butter because I like the easy route.
- Place the bread slices in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Drain your meat and sprinkle the meat over the bread slices.
- Top the meat with all 4 cups of cheese.
- Pour the two cans of diced green chilies over the cheese.
- Next, whisk your eggs, half-and-half, salt and dry mustard.
- Pour that over your casserole and then cover the dish with foil.
- Refrigerate over night or at least for a handful of hours. I prepared this in the morning and left it in the fridge all day. Then, it was ready to be cooked when dinner-time rolled around.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly.
- Let it set for 5 minutes or so to allow the casserole to set before cutting into it.
- Plate it up and top with picante sauce, hot sauce, sour cream, more shredded cheese, etc.
As you see the recipe calls for beef sausage. After going to four different grocery stores, including a meat market, I could not find ground beef sausage anywhere. After butchers trying to sell me polish sausage and relentlessly trying to convince me that sausage is pork, I finally ran across a kind and very wise butcher at Albertsons. He informed me that about 10-15 years ago, due to cross contamination concerns, they put a stop to butchers making any ground sausage at the grocery store level. He informed me that it really is easy to improvise at home. He gave me spice suggestions to create my own beef sausage using 1 lb. chili meat.
Beef Sausage Improvising:
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
a few pinches of salt
a few cracks of pepper
a few shakes of red pepper flakes
I am sharing this recipe on these delicious sites: i heart naptime, the girl creative, C.R.A.F.T. craftomatic, crafts keep me sane, skip to my lou, making the world cuter, a southern fairytale, sumos sweet stuff, mad in crafts, tip junkie, tasty tuesday, tempt my tummy tuesday, craft edition, hope studios, todays creative blog, sew much ado, someday crafts, we are that family, blue cricket designs, somewhat simple, paisley passions, house of hepworths, fun to craft, fingerprints on the fridge, tidy mom, a few of my favorite things and it’s a hodge podge life. Looking for a more copious list? Here are over 50 sites to search for and share projects and tutorials.
This looks amazing! And make your own beef sausage…genius! I like sausage mild and now I can make it as mild or as spicy as I want with lean ground beef! 🙂
I would have never thought about converting ground beef into sausage simply by using spices either until the butcher suggested it.
Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for reading!
I think my husband would love this! Love your step by step pictures.
Jane Anne, I am go glad you find the pictures helpful. I am a crayons and paper kind of gal. I need step by step. 🙂
Omg! This looks so yummy! I think my family would love this for breakfast!
I so love breakfast casseroles and now I have a new one to try-yum!I would love if you stopped over to link up at Get Schooled Saturday a Too Much Time on my Hands!
http://kim-toomuchtimeonmyhands.blogspot.com/2011/12/get-schooled-saturday-3.html
Cannot wait to try this! Stopping by from TT&J!!