As I sit here to write up this post at 8:20 pm on a Monday night, I’m also multitasking— Scarfing down this cheesy breakfast casserole because I completely forgot to have lunch and dinner, and I’m also telling my dude to get back in his bed for the 10th time tonight, which I’m pretty sure I might have to do so another 10 times at least. Today was one of those days where it seemed everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, and admittedly, I had a proper child-like meltdown.
My household got hit really bad with the flu and it set me back (work wise) almost 2 weeks. Since I started this blogging journey (Motherhood in Stilettos is turning 3, eek!!) this has been my busiest season by far and getting knocked out by the flu was the worst timing ever. As moms, we already feel like sick days just aren’t an option and then add that you also have a job, you feel like your whole world is crashing. Because of this, I’ve been so frazzled and not able to think straight, and my breaking point was this lovely cheesy breakfast casserole.
It may or may not be obvious, but food photography is kind of my favorite and yet, I struggled hard to make this recipe look “yummy” or “pretty”. I also struggled with the direction altogether.
“Do I make this recipe look more Christmas-y or not?”
“Does this recipe even look edible?”
I was basically my own worst critic and was beating myself up pretty bad. After taking about a hundred steps back, I realized that I needed to chill and be kinder to myself. It’s a hard lesson, but I can’t always have every single piece of content that I create and photo that I take be better than the next. I’ll simply be unhappy if I continue on this path and it just isn’t realistic. So, this is my cheesy breakfast casserole. The photos don’t scream holidays because I’d have this all year round. Yes, there’s loads of cheese because cheese is life. And yes, I’m feeling better after my open and honest rant.
Last week I shared my overnight eggnog french toast casserole with raspberry syrup, which was for all of my sweet-toothed eggnog lovers. Seeing how much of a hit it was, I knew I wanted to share another breakfast casserole but for my savory peeps. This recipe is definitely more on the indulgent side but I couldn’t resist. We all like to indulge every now and then, and what better time to do so than during the holidays.
Yet again, I’m coming at you with another easy recipe to whip up without breaking a sweat, aka my specialty. The steps are simple. Crisp up some pancetta, then saute some onions, garlic, and red pepper. Combine them with some whisked eggs, milk, and cheese. Toss with the potatoes, then pop it in a baking dish and cook for 30 minutes. Once all cheesy and melt-y, remove from the oven, top with some green onions and serve.
Cheesy Breakfast Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 (250 g) package pancetta
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
- 6 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 (20 oz) bag frozen breakfast potatoes, thawed
- 2 cups shredded cheddar (I prefer old strong cheddar)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- (optional topping: thinly sliced green onions)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium pan, cook panetta over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Reserve about 1 tbsp of grease in the pan, discarding the rest. Add the onion and red pepper to the pan, and saute for 5 minutes until cooked. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant. Pour the vegetables into the mixing bowl with the pancetta. Add the potatoes and 1 1/2 cups cheese to the mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and black pepper until combined. Then add them to the potato mixture, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a 11×7-inch or a 9×9-inch baking dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes and the top of the potatoes begin to slightly brown. Remove and let the casserole rest for 5 minutes. Top with green onions and serve!
Bon Appétit!
-Kristeena
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