What would Easter be without a crazy number of eggs? This Easter brunch casserole is a hearty meal that is bright and delicious.
Tomatoes, peppers, scallions, and spinach are mixed together with ricotta, parmesan, and of course, eggs. Once this is added to a casserole dish, whole eggs are then nestled into the casserole for an eye-popping presentation.
With all the eggs, cheese, and vegetables, I like to serve this with crusty fresh bread like a baguette. Have it alongside a crisp Easter mimosa or glass of grapefruit juice for a citrusy zippy pairing.
This is a hearty dish that can really be a whole meal itself. Its saltier elements pair well with a fruit salad or a few strips of bacon.
I also like to use a piece of aluminum foil on top of my casserole dish to help the egg whites cook all the way through. Depending on the depth of your baking dish, you will also want to adjust your baking time upwards or downwards. My dish is six inches deep, but if you use a more shallow dish, make sure to check the casserole for doneness early.
What You Need To Make a Vegetarian Easter Casserole
For this vegetarian Easter casserole, you will need grape tomatoes, spinach, bell pepper, scallions, ricotta, parmesan, eggs, salt, olive oil, and pepper.
You can use goat cheese or feta if you want something a little tangier and a little lighter in place of part of the ricotta. You can also add a tiny bit of parsley for a pop of green and garnish if you want, but the dish doesn’t need it.
Ingredients:
- Grape tomatoes
- Fresh spinach
- Bell pepper
- Scallions
- Ricotta
- Parmesan
- Large eggs
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Ground pepper
Equipment:
This casserole requires a large, deep casserole dish, a frying pan, a sharp knife, a cutting board, a bowl, and a whisk. You will want to bake this dish right before you plan to serve it, but the sautéed vegetables can be prepared the night before.
How To Make a Vegetarian Easter Brunch Casserole
Prepare the vegetables: Roughly chop the spinach, slice the scallions, and cut the tomatoes in half. Cut the bell pepper into six thin rings, and dice the remaining pepper.
Sauté the scallions, pepper, and spinach: Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the scallions and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the peppers and cook until they begin to soften, 4-5 minutes. Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Prepare the cheese mixture: Whisk together several eggs and ricotta.
Fold in the sautéed vegetables and the halved tomatoes.
Prepare the casserole: Add the egg mixture to the dish. Add the rings of pepper on top, creating three rows.
Bake the casserole: Put the casserole in an oven preheated to 375ºF. Bake for 10 minutes. The eggs will not be done yet. Remove from the oven and add the whole eggs.
Cracking each one into each pepper ring. They will flow over a little bit, but that’s okay. Cover with the aluminum foil and return to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the eggs have set.
Serve: Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this without the baked eggs?
Yes, of course! You may make this without the baked eggs and just cook it as a vegetable-cheese-egg casserole.
Can I use frozen vegetables?
I have not used frozen vegetables in this dish. However, you could substitute fresh spinach for frozen. Just make sure that you remove most of the liquid from the spinach before you use it.
Can I use egg whites or egg beaters?
In the mixture of eggs and ricotta, yes! The dish will look less yellow (or not at all if you use egg whites) and it will be less rich, but if you are looking to reduce how many egg yolks are in this dish, those are good alternatives.
Vegetarian Easter Brunch Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 oz grape tomatoes
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 1 large bell pepper
- 4 scallions
- 1 ½ cups ricotta whole or part-skim
- 12 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of table salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup of shaved parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Wash and dry the spinach and roughly chop it.
- Slice the scallions into thin rounds.
- Cut the grape tomatoes in half.
- Cut the bell pepper into six thin rings, and dice the remaining pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat.
- Add the scallions to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the peppers and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.
- Remove vegetables from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 6 large eggs, 1 ½ cups ricotta,1 teaspoon table salt, and 1 teaspoon ground pepper.
- Add sautéed vegetables and the halved tomatoes to the cheese and egg mixture.
- Grease a large casserole dish.
- Add the egg mixture to the dish.
- Top with shaved parmesan.
- Add the rings of pepper on top, creating two rows of three.
- Put the casserole in the preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and carefully add the eggs, cracked, into the pepper rings.
- Cover with the aluminum foil and return to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the eggs have set.
- Remove from the oven.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy!
- Easter Brunch Potatoes
- Easter Charcuterie Board
- Easter Mimosa
- Sausage & Cream Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Brioche French Toast Casserole
- Cranberry Apple Casserole
- Vegetarian Biscuits and Gravy
Arielle is a food and drink photographer based in Washington, D.C. She was previously a social science researcher before she fell in love with photography.