Tag Archives: spring

A major part of growing up on the ranch was food. I guess it is because we work so hard. We need to replace those calories! It was safe to say that whenever we had a big work day or a super busy time, my Mom would fire up her oven and keep everyone full, dumb and happy.

I’m pretty  much the same way. Whenever I know I am going to have a crew of people out here, I start planning a menu. I recently had the crew from FarmHer come out to the ranch for their show. Needless to say, I was 30 kinds of excited.

When I travel, I have a tendency to eat poorly. So a few days in, I crave fruit, fresh veggies, I was anticipating the FarmHer crew might be feeling the same way. So I told them I would have a breakfast ready for them when they came out. I planned on lots of fruit, nuts, this casserole, since I raised the eggs, pork, leek and asparagus and cookies, because cookies.

Fresh squeezed oj, fresh fruit, cookies and casserole is a typical “big work breakfast” here.

Every time I make this casserole, it is met with rave reviews. So I am sharing it in hopes your family will enjoy it too! It’s super easy to toss together the night before and seems like more work than it actually is, perfect for a crowd!

Spring Sausage Breakfast Casserole

• 1 pound Brown Ranch pork sausage
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 1 pound asparagus, cut into bite sizes
• 9 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 7 slices sourdough bread, cut into bite sizes
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I prefer a nice melty cheese like an Asadero Or Oaxaca)
• 1 cup parmesan cheese

Fresh ranch eggs, leftover bread and spring asparagus!

Liberally grease a 9×13 baking dish. Layer the sourdough bread in the dish.

In a large cast iron skillet, crumble and brown your sausage. When the sausage is no longer pink, layer it on top of the bread cubes. Use any leftover grease to caramelize your leek, then layer those on top of the sausage. Do the same thing with the shredded cheese and asparagus.

I love a good melty cheese!

Meanwhile, add the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and mustard in a large bowl and beat until well  mixed.

Add the egg mixture to the baking dish. Top with parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Caramelized leek in pork fat is amazing.

The following morning, remove casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake i until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

This actually makes me happy to be awake early in the morning.

This is great topped with some hot sauce, or even better, California avocado!!! Also you could add jalapenos, regular onion, or a variety of other veggies! This recipe is easily adaptable to your taste.