Poblano Egg and Sausage Casserole

This Egg and Sausage Casserole overflows with deep, rich flavors. With the ingredients stuffed into Poblano peppers, the presentation is unique and fun. It's lovely for breakfast, brunch or even dinner.

What You'll Need

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• Poblano chile peppers - Sizes vary -- for this recipe, you'll want peppers that are about 6-ounces each.
  
• sweet Italian sausage - Chicken or pork.
  
• onion - Choose onions that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
• fresh cilantro
• ground cumin
• ground chipotle powder - For a small kick of heat.
  
• eggs
• cheddar cheese
• salt - I cook with Kosher salt. It’s coarse and salts foods in a subtle way that enhances their flavor without making them taste salty.
• black pepper - Freshly ground is best.

* Fun fact: Dried Poblano chile peppers are called Ancho Chiles.*

How to Make Poblano Egg and Sausage Casserole

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(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

- Place the peppers, one at a time, directly on top of a high flame on the stove. Use kitchen tongs to turn them as each side chars.

(If your stove is electric, see Recipe Tips and Substitutions below.)

- Remove them from the burners, place them in a brown bag, fold over the top and let them steam for 10 minutes.

- When they’re cool enough to touch, use your hands to peel off the skin.

- Use a paring knife to make a slit vertically down each pepper -- do not cut through the entire pepper. Carefully open it, trying to keep the rest of it intact as you do. 



- Remove the seeds and trim away the membranes from the inside.

- Place the peppers in a small enough baking dish (about 8 x 10), so that the peppers are close enough together that the sides are touching. Set aside.



- Preheat the oven to 375°F and adjust a rack to the center.

- Add the sausage to a medium-sized sauté pan, break it up into small pieces and sauté over medium heat until it's cooked through, about 5 minutes.

- Add the onion and continue to sauté until it begins to caramelize, about 7 minutes. 


- Stir in the cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the cumin, chipotle powder, salt and a few pinches of pepper. Whisk until they're well blended and a bit frothy.

- Evenly divide the sausage mixture among the prepared peppers in the pan.

- Then evenly pour the egg mixture into each pepper -- a good amount will "spill" into the pan around them.

- Top each pepper with an equal portion of the grated cheese. 


- Bake in the preheated 375°F oven until the egg mixture is set, about 30 minutes.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

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• If you have an electric stove, you can roast the peppers in the oven under the broiler. Place them on a baking sheet directly under the broiler until the skin is fairly evenly charred and blistered, about 2 minutes. Then use kitchen tongs to flip them over and char again. Continue according to the instructions in the recipe card below.
• The instructions in the recipe tell you to steam the peppers in a brown paper bag after you've roasted them. If you don't have one, place all of the peppers together in a bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. This will work just as well.
• If you're finding it's difficult to remove the skin, you can run them under a very light stream of cold water as you peel them. Try not to use too much as you don't want to "wash off" any of the smoky flavor.
• Though the presentation is fun with the stuffed peppers, to reduce the prep time, you can dice the roasted peppers and mix all of the ingredients except the cheese together and bake with the cheese sprinkled on top.
• For an egg white only casserole, use egg whites from 16 large eggs.
• You can substitute the chipotle powder with cayenne, or, it you don't want the small kick of heat, omit it.
• For a vegetarian version, use about 2½ cups of peeled, diced Russet potatoes. (Cook the onion first, then add them to the pan and cook until tender.)
• If you want to try to keep all of the egg mixture inside each pepper (like a bowl), you can use bits of crumpled foil to prop the portions of the pepper up that are laying flat in the dish. The smaller the baking dish, the better, because when they're closer to each other, they will hold each other up. (With this method, they're less like a casserole and more like stuffed peppers.)

Serving Suggestions

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I especially love serving Egg and Sausage Casserole for a main course at a casual brunch, but it's of course delicious any time.

Whether you serve it for breakfast, brunch or dinner, it's delicious with fruit and/or salad. Here are a few suggestions:

• Watermelon Pizza with Lime
• Melon with Oregano and Feta
• Tomato and Cucumber-Lemon Salad
• Cucumber Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
• Tomato Onion Salad with Balsamic Vinegar

This Mimosa Granita would also be really fun to serve with it.

Can you make this breakfast casserole ahead?

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Yes, you can make a good portion of it ahead of time.

• The peppers can be roasted up to 4 days ahead of time. Keep them tightly wrapped in the refrigerator (a Ziploc bag is perfect).
• They can be peeled, seeded and prepared to be filled up to 2 days ahead of time. Keep them in the refrigerator in an airtight container until you're ready to use them.
• The sausage and onion filling can be made a day ahead, also kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• The egg mixture should be made about 45 minutes ahead, which is when the casserole can be assembled and baked.
• It's best to serve it right out of the oven.

I hope you enjoy this Egg and Sausage Casserole with Poblanos as much as my family and I do!

More fantastic egg recipes:

• Egg White Frittata with Potato
• Roasted Hatch Chile Bacon and Eggs
• Bacon Hash Brown Casserole with Eggs
• Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine
• Hawaiian-Style Portuguese Sausage Omelet
• Breakfast Grilled Cheese Bagel with Egg
• Smoky Chipotle and Egg Breakfast Nachos

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