This Bacon and Cheese Egg Bake recipe is one of my favorite brunch dishes ever! Made from bacon, veggies, and of course eggs and cheese, this easy breakfast idea is filled with protein and flavor!
1cupgrated cheeseabout 4 ounces (I used sharp cheddar)
4ouncesof spinach
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/4teaspoonpepper
Instructions
Grate the squash and onion with your cheese grater (or dice them nice and small).
Spray a 9x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until tender crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and lay it on paper towels to help absorb extra grease. Pour out the extra bacon grease from pan and return the pan to the stove (it will still have a layer of grease on the bottom since you haven't cleaned it).
Add the grated squash and onion to the pan, and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender and any cooking liquid that they have released has cooked off.
While the veggies are cooking, break your eggs into a bowl, add the milk and salt and pepper, and beat with a fork to combine well.
Place the cooked vegetables in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the spinach. Add the cheese. Crumble the cooked bacon over the top of the cheese. Pour the egg mixture over everything in the dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center of the dish is set and no longer jiggles. Let the dish cool for 3 to 5 minutes before serving hot.
Notes
I like to chop the spinach because I just want little pieces to eat, not a whole leaf. If you like the spinach more wilted, you can cook it with the other vegetables, but this makes it too mushy for my taste.
You can bake this in different sized dishes, including a round pie plate. This recipe also doubles well in a 9x13-inch dish. You will have to adjust the baking times depending on the dish you use. You know when it's done when the center is set. I just shake the pan gently in the oven, and if the middle moves, then I cook it another few minutes before repeating the shake test.
I love to grate the squash. When it is grated and cooked before adding it to the eggs, it looks, feels, and tastes a lot like a hash-browns-style potato! The Costco bag had yellow and green zucchini in it, and I choose to use the yellow squash in this dish because it really will get mistaken for potatoes (which go over better with my kids than squash). If I only have zucchini, then I'll peel the outside to hide the green from them. Yep, this is cooking-for-kids-level strategic.
If bacon isn't your thing, skip it and sauté the vegetables in olive oil. You can also sub the bacon for 4 ounces of cooked sausage or some cubed ham, which are all delicious.
This freezes great and reheats very well. I like to prep a batch to keep in the fridge for easy breakfasts. If I'm going to freeze this, I'll just cut it into squares and put them in a single layer in a freezer bag or container.
Serve with a side of fruit, a smoothie, or even some muffins.