I’ve had a lot of requests for a sausage egg and cheese casserole without bread. This green chili egg casserole fits the bill with good things like spicy chorizo sausage, hatch chili peppers and two kinds of cheese. My tasters couldn’t get enough of this chorizo egg bake. It serves 6 hungry diners or 8 if you’re serving it with other sides. Chorizo egg bake is a great breakfast for weekends and holidays.
Is chorizo green chili egg casserole a make ahead breakfast?
The short answer is yes AND no.
Many egg bakes (like strata) REQUIRE an overnight soak. That’s because they have bread in them and resting overnight gives the egg custard a chance to soak in and puff when baked.
This low carb egg casserole doesn’t have bread, so theoretically, you don’t NEED to let it rest overnight, but if you want to get a jump on breakfast the day before, you CAN make it ahead of time.
Ingredients for chorizo egg bake
- Fresh Chorizo Sausage
- Sweet Potato
- Onions
- Green Pepper
- Hatch Chiles
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Eggs
- Milk
- Salt & Pepper
What is chorizo?
Chorizo is a spicy sausage made from seasoned ground pork. It’s popular in Spanish, Mexican, Portuguese, Catalan, Puerto Rican, South American and Filipino cooking – and it’s definitely a fave in my house.
Two types of chorizo
There are two main types of chorizo, Spanish and Mexican, but they’re very different.
Mexican chorizo
Mexican chorizo is seasoned with vinegar and chile peppers and is uncooked. I used Mexican chorizo for for this low carb egg casserole. It’s spicy and irresistible with the sweet potatoes and hatch chiles.
Spanish chorizo
Spanish chorizo is cooked and sold either smoked or dry. The Spanish variety is seasoned with garlic and pimentón and usually comes with a casing, that you might not notice if you didn’t know it was there. Remove the casing before enjoying.
I used the fresh Mexican chorizo in the egg bake, but you can also use the cooked Spanish variety (not dry).
Are sweet potatoes healthy?
Absolutely! Sweet potatoes are really good for you, loaded with vitamins (A, B6& C), they are rich in antioxidants. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite veggies. I like them because they have more moisture than plain spuds and of course, that light sweetness.
Health benefits aside, I included sweet potatoes in the egg bake to create a yin-yan with the spicy chorizo, hatch green chilies and savory cheeses. It works.
How to make chorizo sweet potato green chili egg casserole
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Remove the casings from the Mexican chorizo, and add them to the skillet, breaking the sausage apart with the back of a wooden spoon as it browns.
- Transfer the chorizo to another dish and add the chopped sweet potatoes, onions and green peppers to the rendered fat. Cook until the peppers and onions are tender. Mix in the chopped hatch green chiles and browned chorizo.
- Transfer the sweet potato and sausage mixture to a prepared casserole dish.
- Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese to the casserole.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour over the casserole. Use your wooden spoon to adjust the ingredients so they’re evenly spaced in the dish.
- Add the remaining cheese and bake.
A few tips
If you made the chorizo egg bake the night before:
- Remove the green chili egg casserole from the refrigerator about 45 minutes to an hour before you put it in the oven to bake, so that it comes to room temperature. If you put it directly from the refrigerator to the oven, it will need to bake longer. You can test doneness by sticking a cake tester into the middle, if it comes out clean, it’s done.
- Reserve that last sprinkle of cheese for the next day, so it stays on top of the casserole and gets that golden, cheesy dome. If you’re cooking this egg casserole immediately, sprinkle on the cheese.
- If the top starts to get too brown, lay a piece of tin foil over the top of the casserole.
What if I don’t have Mexican chorizo for the egg bake?
If you can’t find fresh Mexican chorizo, you can use the smoked variety, but not the dried.
- To use the smoked Spanish chorizo, remove the casings and dice the sausage into bite sized chunks.
- Add a teaspoon or two of olive oil to a hot pan and fry the chunks until their fragrant and start to take on a crust.
- Continue with the recipe as instructed.
What’s the best milk to use?
I used whole milk for this egg bake. It would probably work with 1% or 2% though I haven’t tried it. I’d avoid skim milk. You can also use half and half for a richer egg casserole.
How does the chorizo sweet potato egg bake casserole taste?
So, there you have it. A sausage egg and cheese casserole without bread. It’s great if you’re sticking to a gluten free diet but that’s not why we love it. The chunks of spicy sausage and golden sweet potato nestled in the egg custard give a flavor pop to each bite. Hatch chiles continue the spicy tingle and the cheese adds richness.
Initially, I thought this chorizo egg bake would make about 8 servings, but watching my husband mow through it, I’ve revised the recipe to serve 6. If you’re serving other things to go along with this (like a fruit salad, sweet rolls or biscuits), it’ll probably stretch to 8 servings.
The flavors in this green chili egg casserole border on Southwestern. The hatch chiles are from Hatch, New Mexico. Fire roasted, with a spicy kick, they’re delicious in the chorizo egg bake. If you can’t get chiles from a roadside roaster, you can find canned ones at the grocery store.
More hearty egg recipes:
- Spinach and Mushroom Breakfast Strata
- Ratatouille Veggie Quiche
- Bacon and Caramelized Onion Strata
- Roasted Bell Pepper and Artichoke Quiche
- Ham and Cheese Frittata with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Chorizo Sweet Potato Egg Bake
Equipment
- 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole dish
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound fresh chorizo casings removed
- 3/4 pound sweet potatoes peeled and chopped to 1/2" dice
- 1 small onions chopped to 1/2" dice
- 1/2 green pepper seeded and diced to 1/2" dice
- 4 ounce can fire roasted hatch chiles drained and chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces monterey jack cheese shredded
- 2 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
- 9 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- If you're baking the casserole immediately, preheat the oven to 350°.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add the chorizo. Break apart with the back of a wooden spoon, so that it's separated into little crumbles. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a small bowl.
- Cook the rendered sausage fat down so that any excess liquid evaporates and you're just left with the flavorful fat. Add the sweet potatoes, onions and green peppers to the pan and sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cover with a lid.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes start to brown and are tender. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cooked chorizo and hatch chilies. Set aside.
- Toss the two cheeses together until well mixed and set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine the eggs, milk, remaining salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
ASSEMBLE THE EGG BAKE:
- Spray the casserole dish with vegetable spray. Transfer the chorizo mixture to the casserole dish. Top with 3/4 of the cheese and pour the egg mixture over the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to adjust the ingredients and make sure they're well balanced and combined.
FOR MAKE AHEAD:
- If you're making the casserole ahead of time, make it to this point. Cover and refrigerate. Wrap the remaining cheese and refrigerate. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before baking to let it come to room temperature, then follow the baking instructions.
TO COOK NOW:
- Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining cheese mixture and bake for 30-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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Looks/sounds amazing. Will be trying this one out for Christmas morning. Am only finding diced canned hatch chiles locally. Would you recommend mild or hot canned chiles for this recipe? Small bit of heat would be nice, but don’t think my midwestern family’s tolerance is too terribly high. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I would go with mild (if you can’t find medium heat hatch chiles at the store.
OMG what a great treat to make for Sunday and holiday breakfast! Definitely making this!
I think you’d like this one, Nola!