Asparagus Artichoke Breakfast Casserole with Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Farmhouse Bread, Milk and Egg. Perfect for a Sunday brunch!
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Looking for Easter or Mother’s Day Sunday brunch ideas? I love the convenience of a breakfast casserole because you can just put it together the night before and have it ready to bake in the morning.
This breakfast casserole (the fancier term is “layers”) features asparagus (fresh) and artichoke hearts (canned), large cubes of rustic bread, bacon, onions, all held together with eggs, milk, and cheddar cheese.
It’s spring in an 8×13!
Asparagus Artichoke Breakfast Casserole
ingredients
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6 cups 1 to 1 1/2 inch rustic bread (about half a loaf) or 6 slices of bread
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2 ounces bacon (2 to 3 thick slices), roughly chopped
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1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
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1 pound asparagus, removed from hard bottom, spears cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
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1 15-ounce can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained, chopped
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2 tablespoons chopped chives or green onions
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6 eggs
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2 cups of milk
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8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
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1 1/2 teaspoons salt
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1/4 teaspoon black pepper
method
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Drying bread cubes in the oven:
Place bread cubes on a baking sheet and heat at 200°F for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly dry. OR you can use stale bread that is no longer soft. Drying the bread in the oven will prevent it from falling apart when you add the egg mixture later.
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Cooking the chopped bacon:
Place the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until bacon is lightly browned and most of fat is drained. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Drain off all but enough bacon grease to cover the bottom of the pan (don’t turn off the drain, it’ll clog your pipes).
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Sweat onions:
Add chopped onions to pan with bacon fat. Fry over medium heat until lightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. Put the bacon back in the pan with the onions, stir, remove from heat.
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Blanch asparagus:
While the onions are cooking, bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain the asparagus and shock in ice water to stop cooking.
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Mix eggs, milk, cheese:
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork or whisk. stir in milk. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese.
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Preheat oven to 350°F
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Place the bread in the egg-milk mixture, fold in the bacon and vegetables:
Place the bread cubes in the egg and milk mixture and press down with your hands so that the bread cubes absorb most of the egg and milk mixture. Gently fold in the onions, bacon, asparagus, chopped artichoke hearts, and chives. (Be careful not to break the bread.)
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Assemble casserole:
Generously butter the inside of a 2 1/2 to 3 quart (8 x 13 inch) baking dish. Carefully pour the bread, egg, milk and vegetable mixture into the casserole dish and spread evenly.
At this point, you can catch up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate until cooked.
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Bake:
Bake uncovered at 350°F for 4o minutes. If the casserole becomes too brown during cooking, cover with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
