Italian Country Breakfast Bake

I’m an advertising executive’s dream. I get suckered into Instagram and Facebook ads all the time. I’ll find myself swiping through pictures of things I never knew I needed for hours…oh, wait.

I don’t need them.

It appears an advertisers influence over my purchasing skills is quite potent.

The grocery store is no different. I always set out with a specific list that’s usually kept very short and organized, but then I’ll get side-tracked looking at all the new cheese offerings in the deli, the fancy new end caps, the shiny new packages of chips…

I’ve now got a hoarde of new tuna “Infusions” cups (I’m obsessed with the lemon & thyme flavor), and I fell victim to the new on-the-go black olive snacks. My most recent impulse buy at the grocery store?

This new package of grilled bell peppers:

The same brand also had marinated mushrooms and sweet peppers, too. I loved the little packages and they were actually on sale for $1.99. Might as well buy it and try it, right?

The grilled peppers were a great addition to this breakfast bake. I was already going to use roasted red bell pepper strips, but these grilled peppers gave it even more flavor!

I love breakfast casseroles/bakes. Putting everything into one pan and baking it up—what’s more beautiful than that? I can then eat on a breakfast casserole for a whole week. Easy to put together, easy to reheat.

This breakfast bake combines some classic Italian flavors: Italian sausage, pesto, pine nuts and basil. This was actually the first time I’ve ever had nuts with eggs and I have to say, the combination is truly incredible. Pine nuts have such a wonderful flavor and pair really well with baked eggs. If you wanted an even nuttier flavor, you could use Gruyere in the bake instead of mozzarella. That combination would be out of this world!

Enjoy!

Italian Country Breakfast Bake

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 35 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A hearty breakfast bake with Italian sausage, pesto, peppers and cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. mild Italian sausage
• 1 (3.5 oz) container pesto
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup grilled or roasted bell peppers, sliced
• Pine nuts and basil, for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Drain off any excess grease.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add pesto, mozzarella, Parmesan and peppers and whisk together until well combined. Stir in sausage.
3. Pour egg and sausage mixture into an 8×8″ greased square pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and eggs are set.
4. Top egg bake with pine nuts and fresh basil.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Drain off any excess grease.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add pesto, mozzarella, Parmesan and peppers and whisk together until well combined. Stir in sausage.

Pour egg and sausage mixture into an 8×8″ greased square pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and eggs are set.

Top egg bake with pine nuts and fresh basil.