Sweet Potato Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This is a favorite recipe for so many reasons. Use what you’ve got on hand&mdahs;no sweet potato? Use butternut squash. Pork sausage, sage sausage, or breakfast links will all work. Bread? Perfect to use up that leftover Italian loaf or dinner rolls. Plus, make this ahead, then just pop it in the over on Christmas morning. So easy!

6 ounces Sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes – leftover dinner rolls would also work. Use what you’ve got on hand. 1 (8-ounce) sweet potato 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 6 ounces uncooked sausage 3 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 3/4 cup), divided – Cheddar our Gouda would also work 2 cups your favorite milk 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 5 large eggs Cooking spray 1/4 cup maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. Place bread on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, stirring once. Cool on pan 5 minutes. 3. Pierce potato with a fork. Place potato on a microwave-safe paper towel. Microwave at HIGH 8 minutes or until done. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel potato, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. 4. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage to pan; cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. 5. Place bread, sweet potato, half of sausage, and half of cheese in a large bowl. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a bowl, stirring with a whisk; pour over bread mixture, and toss gently to combine. Let stand 20 minutes. 6. Scoop mixture into an 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining half of sausage and remaining half of cheese. Cover with foil lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake at 350° an additional 20 minutes or until done. Let stand 5 minutes. Drizzle with maple syrup.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is a super versatile recipe: sub whatever squash, hardy greens, and sausage you have on hand or prefer. The end result is still a tasty combination and impressive presentation.

2 medium acorn squash, halved down the middle, seeds removed (you could also stuff a Kobacha, Butternut, or Sweet Dumpling squash) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Olive oil cooking spray 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided 8 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed (sweet sausage or turkey sausage would also work) 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, halved and sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 4 cups tightly packed torn Kale (Tat Soi or Chard would also work here) 5 oz cremini mushrooms, finely chopped 1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken stock 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs

Heat oven to 375°. Cut a thin slice off round side of each squash half to create a stable base. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; coat with cooking spray. Place squash flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil; bake until golden and tender, 30 minutes. Remove from oven; flip squash and set aside. Heat broiler. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 teaspoon oil. Add sausage; cook, breaking into coarse pieces, until brown, 6 minutes; transfer to a bowl. To same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and leek; cook until leek is soft, 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook, 30 seconds. Add kale and mushrooms and toss; add broth. Cover and cook until kale is tender, 5 minutes; stir in sausage. Divide kale-sausage filling among squash. In a bowl, combine walnuts, Parmesan and panko; sprinkle evenly over squash bowls and coat with cooking spray. Broil until panko is golden, 2 minutes.

Kale Mushroom Strata

1 Tbsp olive oil 1 bunch Kale (dinosaur or Tuscan kale), center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced Salt and freshly ground black pepper 5 oz of cremini mushrooms, finely chopped 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) 1/2 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups milk 4 oz grated cheddar cheese

Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with a little olive oil and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the thinly sliced kale and cook until just wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions and mushrooms, and add salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Line the bottom of the casserole pan with one third of the thinly sliced bread. Spread one half of the kale mushroom onion mixture over the bread. Sprinkle one third of the cheddar cheese over the top. Lay down the second third of the bread slices. Top again with the remaining kale mixture, and then with a third of the cheese. Lay the remaining slices of bread over the top. Pour the milk egg mixture over the bread, pressing down with a spatula so that the milk is absorbed by the casserole layers. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheddar cheese. Note: At this point you can chill overnight for making ahead, or continue. Let the casserole sit for about 15 minutes to further absorb the milk while you preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Cover with foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Let the casserole sit for a few minutes before serving.