Veggie Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole

Start your day with a nutritious and delicious veggie sweet potato breakfast casserole! It's a great breakfast to meal prep for busy mornings, and perfect for kids and adults alike. (gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian)

This post is sponsored by the Egg Nutrition Center. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Lively Table running!

It's back to school season, which also means back to chaotic mornings for a lot of us! Busy schedules also mean that it's extra important to start the day off on the right note with a nutritious, satisfying breakfast. Growing up, I pretty much ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast every day during the school week, which seemed fine at the time.

 But now that I'm a dietitian with a little one of my own, I know there's a better way! Which is why I came up with this sweet potato breakfast casserole recipe. I know that not everybody has time in the mornings to prepare a meal, especially on busy weekdays, so this egg bake is a great solution. Just prepare it when you have time - on the weekend or in the evening - and it's ready to go in the morning!

Why should you start your morning with eggs?

I'm a huge fan of eggs for breakfast (or any time of day, really). Eggs are naturally nutrient-rich, they're affordable, and they're easy to incorporate into so many dishes, like this breakfast casserole.

You probably already know that eggs are a good source of high-quality protein, with 6 grams per large egg with all 9 essential amino acids. But eggs are also an excellent source of vitamin B12, biotin, iodine, selenium, and choline. Eggs are also one of the few foods that have vitamin D. Most of these nutrients are found in the yolk, so make sure you're using the whole egg!

Eggs, Pregnancy and Babies

Recently in the nutrition community, choline has become a nutrient in the spotlight. Choline is a lesser-known nutrient that is critical for babies' brain development, so it's important for both pregnant women and infants to consume enough of it (whether that's through mom's milk or through food). Yet about 90% of Americans, including approximately 90% of pregnant women, don't consume enough choline. Most foods are not good sources of choline, and it's not in most prenatal vitamins either. The good news is that eggs are an excellent source of choline! Two large eggs provide more than half the recommended amount of choline for pregnant women, making it a little easier to meet those needs. One large egg also meets the needs of babies 7-12 months of age.

It’s also recommended to feed top allergens, like eggs, to infants (starting at 4-6 months) frequently to potentially prevent food allergies from developing.

Why You'll Love This Veggie Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole

For both myself and Queen C, I like to prep easy egg bakes, like this veggie sweet potato breakfast casserole for quick breakfasts or lunches. She loves eggs paired with veggies, and I love the extra nutrition she's getting! Pairing eggs with veggies can actually help our bodies absorb more of the nutrients found in vegetables, so they're great to eat together. And it's even better when it's all in one simple dish that's ready to go in the morning. Cut the baked breakfast casserole into finger-sized pieces for younger babies, or smaller bites for older babies once they have developed a better pincer grasp. The veggies are cooked down before going into the casserole, so they're plenty soft for babies to chew.

The flavors of the sweet potato, bell pepper, and onion really complement each other well in this breakfast bake and I added a little spinach because I always seem to have some on hand that needs to be eaten. A little turmeric enhances the pretty yellow color and adds subtle warmth, while a sprinkle of cheese adds a little gooey, savory goodness.

Ingredient Substitutions

What's great about egg bakes, though, is that you can throw in almost any vegetable that you need to use! If you have something on hand you want to throw in, just add it to the other veggies that you're sautéing, and you're good to go! Same goes with the cheese. I like gouda or gruyere, but any kind that you have in your fridge will work well. To make this dairy-free, omit the cheese and substitute the milk for canned coconut milk.

Other Make-Ahead Egg Recipes You'll Love

• Healthy Meal Prep Breakfast Sandwiches
• Red Pepper Kale and Feta Frittata
• Broccoli Cheddar Egg Muffins
• Italian Sausage Frittata

With a nutrient-rich veggie sweet potato breakfast casserole for breakfast, you and your little one will be ready to tackle the busy day ahead!

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a star rating in the comments below!

Veggie Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Start your day with a nutritious and delicious veggie sweet potato breakfast casserole! It's a great breakfast to meal prep for busy mornings, and perfect for kids and adults alike. (gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian)

• Author: Kaleigh
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 50 min
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6-9 servings 1x
• Category: breakfast
• Method: baked
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tsp oil
• ½ medium sweet potato (about 1 cup)
• ½ red bell pepper (about ¾ cup)
• ½ medium onion (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 big handfuls spinach
• ½ cup shredded cheese (such as gouda, swiss, cheddar, or gruyere)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp ground turmeric

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9-inch square or round baking dish.
2. Dice sweet potato, bell pepper and onion in ½-inch pieces. Mince garlic.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes and sauté about 10 minutes. Add bell pepper, onion and garlic and continue cooking until soft, about 5-10 minutes. At the very end of cooking, add spinach and continue cooking until spinach is just wilted. Transfer veggies to prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle with cheese.
4. While vegetables are cooking, whisk eggs, milk, pepper and turmeric in a large bowl.  Pour egg mixture over vegetables in the baking dish.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until eggs are set in the center.
6. Remove from oven and cool slightly before cutting and serving or storing.

Notes

• This recipe can easily be doubled for a 9x13-inch pan.
• Leave out cheese and swap milk for coconut milk for a dairy-free/paleo/whole 30 option.
• Add any vegetable by sautéing it with the other veggies.
• Use any cheese you like.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Keywords: sweet potato breakfast casserole, make ahead breakfast bake, vegetarian breakfast casserole with sweet potatoes

Resources:

https://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/downloads/toolkits/ENC-Cognition-Interactive.pdf https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/