Breakfast Casserole with Bacon, Sausage, Sweet Potato, and Kale

When I make a recipe, I always expect it to turn out great. Of course, sometimes it doesn't, but if I weren't expecting delicious results, why would I bother making the recipe at all?

On the other hand, sometimes there's a qualifier. I might say to myself, "These cookies will be great--for sugar-free cookies." Or in this case, "This will be wonderful--for a dairy-free breakfast casserole."

You may have already guessed that this recipe blew that qualifier right out of the water (especially since only recipes that are amazing without qualifiers end up on the blog at all!). This breakfast casserole is so delectable that I do not think anyone will notice or care that it's dairy free.

I found this recipe over at Susan's blog, Food.Baby.Life, which was my assignment for this month's Secret Recipe Club reveal. Susan is a busy mom of three boys under age five, and still finds time to study, cook, and share delicious recipes on her blog! I, for one, am very impressed. Susan's recipe index includes a huge selection of allergy-friendly baked goods along with lots of family-friendly main dishes like this one.

Since I'm in the midst of a Whole30, I had to steer clear of Susan's baked goods, even though this hazelnut chocolate ganache tart looked almost too amazing to pass up. I perused a bunch of savory recipes, and in the end narrowed it down to this sweet potato, bacon, and egg bake or this creamy prawn curry. I asked my fiancé to help me decide and he was in the mood for breakfast, so I went with the egg bake.

I was really excited about the egg bake recipe because I already had all the ingredients on hand. I also had some sausage and kale I needed to use up, so I decided to add that, too. The title sounded a bit cumbersome with all that added in ("Sweet Potato, Bacon, Sausage, Kale, and Egg Bake"), so I decided to call it a breakfast casserole.

This recipe comes together quickly, is packed with flavor and texture, and reheats well, so you can make it ahead to have breakfast on hand for busy mornings. The nutritional yeast gives the casserole a nice cheesy taste. If you're not dairy free and don't have nutritional yeast, you could add a freshly grated sharp cheese, like pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano, instead.

I hope you give this awesome breakfast a try! (P.S. It's also delicious for lunch or dinner.) Make sure to visit Susan's blog for more great recipes like this one!

Breakfast Casserole with Bacon, Sausage, Sweet Potato, and Kale
Yield: 3-6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients (adapted from Food Baby Life):

1 large sweet potato, peeled and finely chopped
4 slices bacon*
2 fully-cooked sausage links, finely chopped (I used Wellshire Farms turkey andouille sausage)
6-8 kale leaves, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
6 large eggs
1/4 cup milk of choice or water
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

*Use sugar-free bacon if you're doing a Whole30. I use Wellshire Farms, and US Wellness Meats also sells bacon with no sugar added. Also, check the ingredients on your sausage because some kinds do contain sweeteners.

Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13" pan (or similar sized casserole dish) with olive oil.

Put the sweet potato chunks in a microwaveable bowl and add 1/4 cup water. Cover the bowl with parchment and microwave for 3-5 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. Drain any excess water. If you'd rather not use a microwave, you can also just steam the sweet potato on the stovetop.

Chop the bacon crosswise into pieces about half an inch wide. Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until almost crisp. Add the sausage, raise the heat to medium high, and cook until nicely browned. Add the kale and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted. Stir in the cumin, coriander, and cooked sweet potato and remove from the heat.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl with the milk or water and nutritional yeast. Add the meat and vegetable mixture to the bowl and stir. Pour everything into the prepared baking dish, using a spoon to spread everything out so it's evenly distributed.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the eggs are just set. Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Slice into squares and serve hot.

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I reheat mine for about a minute in the microwave.

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