TIP OF THE DAY: Egg Bake Recipe For Breakfast Or Brunch

October 21, 2013 at 8:16 am · Filed under Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

[1] Make it in advance. In the morning, just place it in the oven (photo © Kraft).

Baguettes & Butter
[2] To cube bread, day-old (or even two-day-old) is better (photo †© King Arthur Baking).

[3] Cook and crumble bacon (photo © iGourmet).

Microplane Ribbon Shaver
[4] Grate a brick of Cheddar (photo © Microplane).

We tried this do-ahead baked egg bake recipe this past weekend, and enjoyed the ease of doing the prep work in advance.

We rolled out of bed, turned on the oven to preheat, and within the hour were enjoying a sumptuous casserole.

The recipe calls for spinach, bacon, and Cheddar, but you can customize it as you like.

For example, use seasonal ingredients—asparagus, tomatoes or zucchini, for example.

Or substitute ham, sausage, turkey or other protein for the bacon.

You can vary the cheeses or use a mixture of them—Cheddar, goat cheese, Emmenthaler (Swiss), Parmesan or other favorite.

DO-AHEAD EGG BAKE (CASSEROLE)

The recipe is courtesy Kraft. Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 40-50 minutes.

Ingredients For 12 Servings

8 large eggs

3 cups milk

8 cups French bread cubes* (3/4 inch)

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

12 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1 package (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

Preparation

1. WHISK eggs and milk in large bowl until well blended. Stir in bread. Add spinach, bacon and 1-1/2 cups cheese; mix lightly.

2. POUR into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. HEAT oven to 350°F. Bake, uncovered, 48 to 50 minutes or until the top is puffed and golden brown.

TIP: FRESH EGGS ARE THE BEST

You can make your egg dishes and baked goods even more flavorful with Eggland’s Best. Because the eggs are typically delivered to supermarkets within 72 hours of laying, they have a great fresh-from-the-farm taste.

Of course, your retailer needs to put the fresh eggs on the shelf, rather than stockpiling them in the warehouse. Check with the store manager to be sure.

TIP: DIAL DOWN THE CALORIES

You can save 50 calories and 6 g total fat per serving by preparing this recipe with cholesterol-free egg product, fat-free milk, turkey bacon and 2% milk shredded Cheddar cheese.

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*You’ll need about half of 1-pound loaf of bread to get the 8 cups of cubes.