On a recent motorhome trip to Arizona, not only did we park in our friends’ driveway for several days, but Edna and Coke fed us some delicious meals. One of my favorites was a sausage egg casserole. This post contains a recipe for the casserole, as well as an adaptation to make sausage egg muffins.

Edna’s original recipe would feed 8 to 10 people, depending on whether you are feeding hungry adults, finicky kids, or a combination of both.  The first few times I made this casserole, I had plenty of leftovers.  Fortunately, it freezes well. Next time I have a crowd to feed at breakfast, I’m definitely making the sausage egg casserole.

Most often, I’m making breakfast for two. When we are traveling, some of my favorite make-ahead breakfasts are single-serving egg dishes like Grace’s Egg Muffins and Green Chili Quiche. I liked the taste of the casserole so much I decided to try sausage egg muffins.

I tried numerous variations with different kinds of cheese and sausage. It took a while get the measurements right so that the mixture would fill, but not overflow, a jumbo muffin pan.  Since I’m always looking for shortcuts, I didn’t beat the eggs for 4 minutes as the original recipe suggests. I also left out the gluten-free flour and baking soda. As a result, they didn’t rise like true muffins or have the same texture as the casserole, but the savory flavor was the same.

A Mistake that Paid Off

When will I ever learn? Once again, I started a recipe certain that I had all the ingredients. When I went to the cupboard, I was shocked to find I was out of canned mushrooms. I called my neighbor to see if I could borrow a can a sliced mushrooms. She said, “Yuck! I’d never use canned mushrooms for anything.”

During my quick trip to the store, I thought about her comment. I do prefer the flavor and texture of sautéed mushrooms. I bought an 8-ounce package of fresh mushrooms. The results were excellent!  The recipe below has been modified to use either canned or fresh mushrooms.

Sausage Egg Muffins

Serves: 6

Active time:  20 minutes                 Total time: 50 minutes

Specialized One-Butt Kitchen Utensils

• Use a Jumbo Non-Stick Muffin Pan. Even though my pan is supposedly “nonstick,” I still use nonstick cooking spray to make it easier to get the muffins out of the pan.
• Use a Whisk to beat the eggs.
• You can use either a 12-inch, Non-Stick Skillet with Lid or a Cast Iron Skillet to cook the sausage.

Ingredients

• 8 oz breakfast sausage (½ of a 16-oz package of Jimmy Dean pork sausage or Jennie-O turkey sausage)
• nonstick cooking spray
• 5 eggs
• 1 ½ to 2 cups (4 to 6 oz) shredded cheese (pick your favorite: Monterrey Jack, Cheddar, Gouda, or Colby)
• ¾ cup (6 oz) cottage cheese
• 1 (4-oz) can diced green chilies
• 1 (4-oz) can mushrooms, drained OR 8-oz fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups before cooking)
• 1 to 2 tbsp avocado oil, optional. You’ll need this if you sauté fresh mushrooms.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a jumbo muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Break sausage into small chunks and cook in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Use a spatula to break up the sausage into smaller pieces as it cooks.  Remove from heat.

If you are using fresh mushrooms, remove the sausage from the pan and sauté the mushroom slices in the leftover sausage grease. Add a small splash of avocado oil as necessary. Cook until mushroom lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Crack eggs in a bowl and beat with a whisk until well blended. Stir in shredded cheese, cottage cheese, diced green chilies, mushrooms, and cooked sausage. Pour mixture into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

Sausage Egg Casserole

Serves: 8 to 10

Active time:  20 minutes                 Total time: 1 hour

Specialized One-Butt Kitchen Utensils

• This 9 x 13-inch  Non-Stick Baking Pan is just right for this recipe.
• An Immersion Hand Blender comes with several attachments, including a blender, whisk, food chopper, and milk frother. For this recipe, use the whisk attachment to beat the eggs.
• You can use either a 12-inch, Non-Stick Skillet with Lid or a Cast Iron Skillet to cook the sausage.

Ingredients

• 1 (16-oz) package Jimmy Dean Sausage
• nonstick cooking spray
• 8 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup flour, regular or gluten-free
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• 3 cups (12 oz) Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (The original recipe calls for Monterrey Jack. I’ve also had good results with Cheddar, Gouda, and Colby.)
• 1 ½ cup (12 oz) cottage cheese
• 2 (4-oz) cans diced green chilies
• 1 (4-oz) can mushrooms, drained OR 8-oz fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups before cooking)
• 1 to 2 tbsp avocado oil, optional. You’ll need this if you sauté fresh mushrooms.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13-inch dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Break sausage into small chunks and cook in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Use a spatula to break up the sausage into smaller pieces as it cooks.  Remove from heat.

If you are using fresh mushrooms, remove the sausage from the pan and sauté the mushroom slices in the leftover sausage grease. Add a small splash of avocado oil as necessary. Cook until mushroom lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Crack eggs in a bowl and beat with a whisk attachment on an immersion blender for 4 minutes.

Mix together flour and baking powder, then stir into eggs.  Stir in shredded cheese, cottage cheese, diced green chilies, mushrooms, and cooked sausage. Pour mixture into pan and bake for 40 minutes or until set and lightly browned.