Mexican Breakfast Casserole

I'm not your typical tea and toast kind of breakfast person, and I'm always on the hunt for new and unique breakfast recipe ideas. This Mexican Breakfast Casserole, for me, is just the right blend of breakfast and lunch with breakfast recipe items such as eggs, whole wheat bread and skim milk and delicious lunch recipe items like chorizo, bell pepper and cheeses. This is a delicious eggy, meaty and cheesy 'breakfast' recipe that's sure to fill you up while pleasing all of your taste buds!

Common popular Mexican breakfast items include Huevos Rancheros (�ranchers eggs�), which are fried eggs served on fried corn tortillas and topped with items like tomato-chili sauce, refried beans and guacamole, as well as Chilaquiles, which are corn tortillas simmered in salsa with pulled chicken and cream crema, queso fresco, raw onion and avocado (Mexican breakfast cuisine sure is mouth-watering, isn't it?). But until I came across this Mexican Breakfast Casserole recipe I had no idea there even was such a thing as a breakfast casserole.

Casserole in the United States and much of Europe usually consists of pieces of meat, various chopped vegetables, a starchy binder such as rice, flour, potato or pasta, and quite often a cheesy or crunchy topping. Casserole is wonderful because it is basically a one-dish kind of meal where the liquids from the meat and vegetables release during cooking to form a stock while slowly cooking in an oven and this liquid helps to cook the starchy binder. They are often served as main courses � for lunch and dinner and include dishes such as ragout, moussaka, lasagne and shepherd's pie. This Mexican Breakfast Casserole recipe is so completely different from a common casserole � which is probably why it first caught my eye!

There is a huge 'laundry list' of ingredients for this breakfast casserole recipe, including chorizo, ground turkey, onion, bell peppers, garlic, spinach, whole wheat bread, eggs, milk, and three different kinds of cheese � just to list a few. But don't let this list dismay you. Preparation of this breakfast recipe is actually a lot easier than the list of ingredients would have you believe � and the best part is that this is a breakfast recipe that can be cooked ahead of time to make breakfast time a whole lot easier!

The directions for this breakfast casserole recipe are pretty easy, too. You cut your bread into cubes and place the cubes on the bottom of a large baking pan. Whisk your eggs, milk and spices together and set aside. Next, brown your chorizo and ground turkey before adding onion, garlic and bell peppers. You layer this casserole a little like a lasagne when putting it together � over the bread goes a layer of meat and veggies, half the egg mixture and half the cheeses, and you repeat until all ingredients have been used. The bake time for this delicious breakfast recipe is only about 45 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the cheese on top is slightly browned.

Sarah-Jane Bedwell, the creator of this delicious Mexican Breakfast Casserole recipe actually calls it a 'Christmas Morning Mexican Breakfast Casserole'. The different traditions within different cultures are so fascinating sometimes. She suggests that you should enjoy this delicious breakfast recipe with fresh fruit and refried beans. Whatever you serve it with, you should definitely enjoy it!