There are days like today where I have been on my feet all day in the kitchen and I still have a story to write before I go home and it’s 4:37 p.m., tick, tock… The last thing on Earth I want to think about when I get home is what to eat for dinner.
That was kind of my mood when I developed the cheesy squash and sausage egg bake a couple of months back. It’s a mouthful, I know. But it’s delicious and super easy. And it also makes a great lazy weekend brunch, though your guests (or cats) will think you labored over it for hours. They don’t have to know.
I stood in the walk-in (basically, a closet, only it’s refrigerated and for food) and waited for something to inspire me. Well, not for long because it's cold in there. Like your fridge at home, we have eggs, milk, random hunks of cheese, and assorted breakfast and lunch meats. I started grabbing things I wanted to eat right then. I was getting hangry. I grabbed a piece of a leftover butternut squash, a half-used red onion, a chile, some herbs, and went to work. All I remember is throwing everything in the oven and 30 minutes later I was eating lunch. My coworkers walked up and were like, “Rick, you made family meal!” ...and in about 10 minutes, the egg bake was gone.
Once my blood sugar returned to a normal level, I thought, this is the winter squash dish I want to eat. It’s great for breakfast, a fancy brunch, lunch, or dinner. Make it for yourself on Sunday and eat it all week—call it "meal prep."
The technique in this recipe is all about taking turns. First, you roast the squash 10 minutes on its own before piling everything else on top to guarantee it's cooked to that delicious caramel level by the end of everything. Then you add in the sausage onion, chile, and garlic, and cook 10 minutes so it browns = max flavor. THEN take the pan out for a third and final time to add the eggs, milk, and cheese for you guessed it, 10 minutes, ish. Throw some extra cheese on near the end if you're living your best life.
And you can really choose your own adventure with this recipe: as long as you have ten eggs, some kind of milk, any squash, any sausage you like (we did chorizo and it was awesome)—or skip the sausage and let it be vegetarian!—and plenty of cheese, boom, dinner. Or whatever meal you want to call it.
Pro Tip: How to Cut a Squash Without Injuring Yourself or Others
