Broccoli Sausage Breakfast Bake

Labor Day weekend and then school again and September is fully here now, even if Louisiana doesn't cool down until October. The pressure of senior fall is a specific texture — not unpleasant, more like the way a good gumbo roux smells when it's getting close, that edge of smokiness that tells you to stay alert. I submitted my first two college applications this week: Howard and Spelman. Both with essays I am genuinely proud of, which is a feeling I try not to take for granted.

The Howard essay was about Grandpa Elijah. About his name and his stories and the way a person can be a river — carrying things forward, shaping the landscape without anyone seeing the full shape. I wrote that the Atchafalaya Basin holds water the same way family holds people: imperfectly, generously, with consequences that ripple outward into the future. Mr. Guidry read the final draft and said simply, "There it is." That's his highest compliment. I know because I've been watching him give feedback for two years.

Daddy barbecued on Labor Day, a long slow smoke of pork ribs that started at seven in the morning and finished at four in the afternoon. I sat outside with him for part of it, doing calculus homework at the patio table while he tended the smoker. We didn't talk much. We didn't need to. He brought me a rib to taste at noon and I told him it wasn't done yet and he said he knew, he was testing me, and I said it needed another hour and a half minimum and he said exactly right. He has been teaching me barbecue for years without naming it teaching, and I have been learning without naming it learning. That's how most of the real things go.

MawMaw called on Sunday to ask how the applications were coming and when I told her about Howard she said, "Your grandfather would have wanted you in Washington." I hadn't told her it was about him. She knew.

Daddy was out at the smoker before the sun was fully up that Labor Day, and somebody had to make sure the rest of the house ate something real before the wait began. This broccoli sausage breakfast bake is exactly what that morning called for—warm, filling, the kind of dish that sits easy while you settle into a long day of patience and purpose. It’s become the thing I make when the hours ahead are going to ask something of all of us, a way of saying we’re ready.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb ground breakfast sausage (mild or spicy)
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped small
8 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Cook the sausage. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground sausage and diced onion together, breaking the sausage into crumbles, until browned and cooked through, about 7—8 minutes. Drain excess fat and let cool slightly.
Blanch the broccoli. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 2 minutes until just tender-bright. Drain and pat dry.
Whisk the egg mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until fully combined.
Assemble the bake. Spread the cooked sausage and onion mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scatter the broccoli over the sausage. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheddar cheese over the top. Pour the egg mixture evenly over everything.
Top and bake. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese over the top. Bake uncovered for 35—40 minutes, until the center is set and the edges are golden. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
Rest and serve. Let the bake rest for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving. It holds well for up to an hour at room temperature, covered loosely with foil.

Nutrition (per serving)

Broccoli Sausage Breakfast Bake — The Morning Before the Long, Slow Smoke