Skillet Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Grits Breakfast Bake
Swirled with spinach and topped with fresh herbs, this skillet sausage, egg, and cheese grits breakfast bake will delight your friends and family! And even better? This brunch bombshell of a breakfast casserole can be made in advance!
Ingredients
- 8-10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
- 16 oz hot Italian sausage or your favorite breakfast sausage
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup old-fashioned grits (not instant)
- 1 cup grated Gouda cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2-3 TBSP chopped green onion (divided)
- 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese (divided)
- 3 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1.5 TBSP plain cornmeal
TASTY TOPPINGS: add your favorites!
- red pepper flakes
- freshly chopped green onion and parsley
- Sriracha
- chopped bacon
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-
Thaw spinach + squeeze out liquid with paper towels.
-
In a small-medium pot, bring broth to a rolling boil. Stir in grits, salt, and half and half and reduce heat to low/simmer. Cook grits for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.
-
While the grits cook, brown sausage in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 5-8 minutes or until sausage crumbles and is fully cooked; remove from skillet, and drain.
-
Set aside.
-
Once grits are ready, remove from heat and stir in gouda, garlic powder, pepper, green onion and 3/4 cup Cheddar until melted. (Mixture will be very thick.)
-
Add your sausage and chopped spinach to the grits then gently fold in the eggs until blended.
-
With either olive or coconut oil, grease a 10-12-inch cast iron skillet then sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal. Add your breakfast mixture then sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese and top with a light sprinkling of red pepper flakes.
-
Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until set.
-
Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for approx. 30 minutes. Top with fresh parsley and green onion [optional but delish garnishes for a burst of color!] and top with your favorite hot sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Have half and half handy? Awesome! If not you can make your own by combining 1/2 cup cream with 1/2 cup milk. You can also use 1 cup of heavy cream instead if you'd like.
For the cheese, feel free to use a combination of any cheeses you have on hand! My default is white cheddar and gouda but a number of cheeses would compliment the flavor of this dish! Freshly grated is best flavor-wise but in a pinch you can totally use pre-shredded cheese.
To Freeze: Prepare recipe as directed through Step 5 in a foil baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and heavy-duty aluminum foil. Freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, and bake as directed.
Feeding a crowd? Recipe may be doubled and baked in a 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish for 1 hour.
adapted from Southern Living Magazine November 2013
Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed and enjoy!