Spinach, Ham, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

This Spinach, Ham, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole was inspired by a casserole my best friend Meghan made on an annual "girls weekend" trip this summer. What is not to love about a casserole? They can be made a day ahead, it is easy clean-up, you can tweak the ingredients to your taste, and they make good leftovers! Even though this is a breakfast casserole we actually made it for dinner earlier this week. When I was a kid my mom use to make us breakfast for dinner as a treat. I don't know what it was about that but my brothers and I always thought it was so much fun! Whether its eggs or pancakes and bacon, eating breakfast for dinner always brings back some sort of nostalgia for me!

                    

Spinach, Ham, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

2 cups of diced ham (can substitute cooked ground breakfast sausage)

2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese (swiss would also work nicely)

1 bag or bunch of fresh spinach

1 package of crescent rolls

2 cloves of garlic, chopped (fresh is better but minced will work in a pinch)

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

6 eggs

1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil, saute garlic until fragrant. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat.

2. Lightly coat 13x9 baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Unroll crescent rolls and place
    in bottom of baking dish. Layer the ham, cheese, and spinach on top of the crescent
    roll crust.

3. Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper in bowl. Pour egg mixture on top of ham, cheese, and
    spinach layers.

4. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes or until top of casserole is
    slightly browned.

*This can be prepared the night before and kept covered in the refrigerator.

The best part about this recipe is the crescent roll crust! It provides a firm and crispy base for the fluffy egg, ham, cheese, and spinach filling. In the past, I have always used hash browns as a breakfast casserole base but I am now a crescent roll convert! The crescent roll crust holds all of the other ingredients together so nicely. Immaculate Baking Company makes crescent rolls that contain no artificial preservatives, no hydrogenated oils, and uses unbleached flour. I found Immaculate Baking Company crescent rolls at the Mishawaka Whole Foods Market.

Not only does this casserole taste delicious but the spinach gives it an additional nutritional punch. Spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can consume. Spinach contains lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids, glutathione, alpha lipoic acid, vitamins C, E, and K, minerals, polyphenols, and betaines. WHEW... that was a mouthful! Long story short, spinach has been shown to have an inverse relationship with cardiovascular disease, cancers including lung, skin, oral, stomach, ovarian, prostate, and breast, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and cataracts. EAT YOUR GREENS PEOPLE!

I hope you enjoy this Spinach, Ham, and Cheese Casserole either as a breakfast or as a fun way to switch up the usual dinner routine! If you substitute different breakfast meats, cheeses, or veggies let me know what you used and how it turned out!