Southwestern Sausage & Cornbread Breakfast Casserole

A peek behind the scenes at Foxes Love Lemons: I keep a huge list of recipes I want to create and blog about. Not necessarily specific ideas, but things like “apple pie,” “an omelet,” “a whole roasted turkey,” and “corn on the cob.” Can you believe I’ve been blogging over two years, and have never posted an omelet? I think sometimes I get caught up in creating things that are new and different, that I kind of overlook the classics. But my recipe archives need some classics, too, don’t you think?

I think a dependable egg casserole should be a part of every home cook’s reportoire. They’re essential for putting on brunch for a crowd with minimal stress. They’re perfect for holiday mornings, because you can assemble them the night before. They even work well for weekday breakfasts: you can assemble and bake them on the weekend, and then just reheat portions in the microwave as needed. And don’t even get me started on the whole breakfast-for-dinner situation. I’ll actually be eating this very casserole for dinner tonight!

In my opinion, the perfect breakfast casserole is a good ratio of eggs to other goodies. Meaning, “other goodies” should comprise the majority of the casserole, with the eggs acting simply as a binder holding everything together. For this Southwestern Sausage & Cornbread Breakfast Casserole, I started with a base of crumbled cornbread (buy pre-made cornbread from your grocery store’s bakery, or make your own on the cheap), then layered in black beans, diced green chiles, pimentos (red peppers work here, too), green onions, and Mexican-style shredded cheese.

The real “meat” of this casserole (pun intended) is the generous amount of Jennie-O Lean Mild Turkey Breakfast Sausage it contains. I’ve been a huge fan of Jennie-O products since I started cooking. In fact, turkey sloppy joes using a box of Jennie-O ground turkey was a favorite meal (made at least once a week) when Jeff and I were first married. Jennie-O products make it easy and delicious to eat well. This Lean Mild Turkey Breakfast Sausage contains less fat than regular pork sausage, and can be cut into slices and cooked as patties, or crumbled into a casserole. Please enjoy, and be on the lookout for an omelet recipe soon!

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Southwestern Sausage & Cornbread Breakfast Casserole

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes plus standing

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 roll (16 ounces) Jennie-O Lean Mild Turkey Breakfast Sausage


• Nonstick cooking spray


• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained


• 1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles, drained


• 4 green onions, thinly sliced


• 2 garlic cloves, minced


• 3 cups cornbread, coarsely crumbled*


• 2 cups shredded Mexican-style taco cheese


• 2 tablespoons pimentos or chopped red peppers


• 8 eggs


• 3/4 cup whole milk


• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


• Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, for serving (optional)


• Hot sauce, for serving (optional)

*For cornbread, I prepared an 8.5 ounce box of corn muffin mix the night before making this casserole. The box made 6 muffins, and I crumbled 4 of the muffins to produce the 3 cups cornbread needed for this recipe. I ate the other 2 muffins as snacks 🙂

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove sausage from casing and place in large nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through, breaking up sausage with side of spoon as it cooks.


2. Meanwhile, spray 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place black beans, chiles, onions, garlic, cornbread, cheese and pimentos in large bowl. Add cooked sausage; gently toss until well combined. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.


3. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in baking dish. Cover dish with foil; transfer to oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until eggs are set and internal temperature of casserole has reached 160 degree F. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley or cilantro, and hot sauce, if desired.

Disclosure: As a member of the Jennie-O Switch Circle, this was a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jennie-O. Sponsored posts help me pay for the costs associated with this blog (groceries…lots of groceries), and help support me as I pursue a career in recipe development and food photography. All opinions are 100% my own.

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