The best breakfast casserole.
Hold the phone and you better just sit down.
I have found the BEST breakfast casserole recipe.
Like, ever.
Do you love a good casserole that can be prepared ahead?
I do. But I hadn't found one that I truly, absolutely love enough that I'd make it again. That changed when I made this recipe from the Pioneer Woman for the first time. I needed a dish to take to my staff meeting at work (it was my week for treats) and I had some bacon I wanted to use, and an abundance of eggs. So I did what any normal person would do - I started scanning PW's cooking blogs, and found her Bacon & Mushroom Strata recipe. And friends, it was so good that I made it again last weekend when my mom was visiting.
I have to admit, I had a bit of "wife guilt" when I made it the first time for the office. As I was putting the casserole in the fridge to sit over night, Clint looked pretty disappointed that I was making it for work, and not making it for him. But he got to enjoy the second one I made this past weekend. :)
The pita chip crust is what MAKES the casserole. I was a little hesitant (well, a lot hesitant) at first. Because come on - who has ever used pita chips in a breakfast casserole? They're a snack food....or a dipping utensil...not a breakfast food, right? Boy was I wrong - and in such a good, good way.
I've adapted PW's recipe slightly - I don't use the cream cheese (trying to be a bit healthier) and the first time I used a package of bacon that was made here locally and is more like a thick canadian bacon. (It didn't have hardly any fat to render, and was thicker than traditional bacon.) The second time I didn't add any meat to it, and just used mushrooms and cheese. I fried bacon and served it on the side. But the fabulous thing about this casserole, as it common with casseroles, is that you can use whatever meat/veggie combo you want. Sausage, bacon, ham, canadian bacon or left over steak.....mushrooms, onions, asapragus, shallots, spinach, or bell peppers.
Pardon my photos - I took them with my cell phone (too lazy to grab my camera) and I forgot to take a picture of the casserole after it was baked. But trust me - it looked delicious! :)
Here are the basics:
1. Use a 9 oz bag of pita chips for each pan. I used Stacy's Naked Simply Sea Salt pita chips the first time, and the Stacy's Naked Parmesan Garlic & Herb flavored pita chips the second time. Any flavor variety that sounds good to you should be delicious. Just crunch up the chips a bit while they're still in the bag, and then dump them into a sprayed/greased 9x13 Pyrex pan.
2. Cook your meat & veggies. Since I used bacon and mushrooms, first I sauteed 8 oz of bacon, and then sprinkled it warm right on to the pita chips. Then I cooked 8 oz of sliced mushrooms in the same pan as I'd cooked the bacon. I had to add a bit of butter to the mushrooms since my bacon didn't hardly render any fat. Once the mushrooms are cooked, sprinkled them over the bacon & pita chips.
3. Sprinkle your seasonings on top of the meat & veggies. I just sprinkled a bit of ground black pepper, and probably a 1/4 tsp of Trader Joe's 21 Gun Salute salt free seasoning. You don't have to use salt here, because the bacon, cheese and pita chips already have plenty.
4. Sprinkle a 1/2 cup (or whatever looks good to you) of shredded cheese on top. I used Tillamook Cheddar, because it is the.best.cheese.ever.
5. Beat 8 eggs with a 1/2 cup of cream (or milk) and pour over the entire casserole.
6. Cover the 9x13 filled Pyrex with plastic wrap, and refrigerate over night. (I prepped this casserole at about 7:00 pm after dinner, and didn't cook it until the next morning at 6:00 am.) It's best if the eggs have a chance to soak into the pita chips.
7. Bake the uncovered casserole in a 350* oven for 25-30 minutes.
That's it! How easy could that be?
I hope you try this recipe - I think you'll fall as hard for it as I have!
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