Italian Sausage Puff Bake

Italian Sausage Puff Bake

Recipe by:  Designs by Jeanne R

The idea for this recipe came from my love of bread and egg casseroles, both savory and sweet that I make for brunch.  I decided that since this works so well for breakfast and brunch, why not create something for dinner using Italian ingredients?  In a perfect world, I would have used provolone or mozzarella to compliment the Italian seasonings.  The reality is that while I try to keep a pretty stocked kitchen, I’m not going to have everything all of the time, especially for a weekday meal.  As you can tell by the picture, this was a medium cheddar, and you know what?  In spite of this being the “wrong” kind of cheese, it was amazing.

Ingredients:

3 – 4 Italian sausages, casings removed

5 cups bread, cubed into 1″ pieces

1 onion, chopped

1 very large tomato, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 – 4 oz can mushrooms, drained

4 basil leaves

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups milk

6 eggs

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cups cups cheese, shredded

Directions:

Using a non-stick cooking spray, coat a 9″x13″ baking pan, then layer the bread cubes evenly in the bottom of the pan.  Brown the Italian sausage in a skillet, then add and cook the onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms.  Simmer, allowing some of the liquid to evaporate, then mix in the seasonings.  Layer the skillet mixture over the bread cubes.  Next, sprinkle a layer of Parmesan cheese over the top.  In a small bowl, beat together the milk, yogurt, & eggs.  Pour over the top, coating evenly.  Finally, top with the shredded cheese, and bake in a 375 F oven for about 45 minutes.

Serve hot.

Recipe Notes:

You’ll also notice that I had to try adding yogurt, and the result was a really fluffy, puffy bake.  I’m in love with the texture of this dish!

This is a great way to use up that day old bread you may have on hand.

Italian Sausage Puff Bake