Breakfast Sausage Casserole

Every year, Menlo Park Pres takes a break from regular church services, and instead goes out into the community to do volunteer work. It's part of their motto to "Serve the World" and I think it's a great event, with thousands of volunteers flooding the Peninsula that weekend. This year, I chose to volunteer at the
First Resort's Birthday Party - which is a celebration for kids from unplanned pregnancies. I offered to bring food to the event, and was tasked with making a sausage souffle.

I've never been able to follow a recipe, and this time was no exception. After reading through it once, I "forgot" to print it out, and instead went shopping for what I thought would make a delicious dish from Smart & Final. Turns out it was a huge success, and a number of people stopped by to ask me for the recipe. I'm getting better at taking note of what I add in my food, now that I'm sometimes asked to contribute to magazines, etc, so making this recipe up wasn't that difficult. It's not a health food option, but it's a cheap and delicious fix for when you have a crowd over for brunch.

Laura's Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Feeds 10

20 ea Sausage Links

2 ea Red Peppers, sliced lengthwise into 1/4" sticks
2 ea Green Peppers, sliced lengthwise into 1/4" sticks
2 ea Yellow Onions, sliced with the grain
6 Tbs Oil, separated

5 ea Eggs
1/2 can Condensed Mushroom Soup
1/2 can Whole Milk
1/2 can Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Dried Mixed Herbs
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

3 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
10 slices Thick Sliced Bread, halved


Preheat the oven to 400F
Spread the sausage links on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, if necessary, do this in batches
Butter a 9 X 13, 4" deep casserole dish
Heat 2 Tbs of oil, and sautee the red peppers until carmelized. Repeat with the green peppers & onions
Slice the sausage into 1/4" pieces, and mix it with the all the vegetables
In the blender, combine the eggs, mushroom soup, milk, tomatoes, herbs & flour

ASsemble the Casserole:
Layer half of the sausage mixture, top with 1/3 of cheese, then a layer of bread
Repeat with a second layer, and then top the bread with the last cup of cheese

Pour the egg mixture over the casserole
Leave to soak for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 320F for 1 hour
Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean