Pulled Pork & Apple Breakfast Casserole

Who says breakfast at home can't be fancy?

Meal prep.

It is necessary on some level for anyone who lives the Paleo lifestyle. I don't meal prep lunch or dinner, but I do meal prep breakfast as often as possible. Since I strive to keep my family on the straight and narrow when it comes to food, breakfast is the biggest challenge. So much of a challenge that breakfast was the last meal we transitioned into Paleo. When you're used to just giving your kids a bowl of cereal for breakfast (it was at least gluten free), adjusting to having to prepare a full meal can be so challenging!

I know challenges like this keep many people from going full Paleo-- either for themselves or their family. I try to make most of my posts family friendly-- because my family eats them!

This recipe is actually a meal prep within a meal prep. Uh, how cool is that?? This casserole calls for pulled pork. Pulled pork is something I always recommend people cook for their meal prep. It's totally hands-off to cook, and a large hunk of shoulder or butt will yield a lot of meat you can eat on all week long-- it also freezes well! I personally love my own recipe for pulled pork-- it's the only one I use. You can find it here.

I love using pulled pork throughout the week, because when the seasonings are neutral enough, you can use it to make ANYTHING. I love putting it in hashes, and scrambles. One of my favorite pulled pork meals was this BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza.

I had some leftover pulled pork this week, but not enough to serve everyone for one meal, so I thought I'd get creative with it. Making breakfast casseroles is an easy concept really-- meat, veggies, eggs, bake. It's basically a frittata in casserole form, and it is fantastic for breakfast meal prep! Make a dish, cut it in desired sizes and throw it in a ziploc baggie on the go, or warm up a piece in the toaster oven while you get ready for work. Quick, convenient, and loaded with fat, veggies, & protein! If you'd like another breakfast casserole recipe, check out this Spicy Thai Breakfast Casserole I made a while ago. It's another favorite!

This recipe is for a smaller 8x8 casserole dish, but you can simply double the recipe for a full sized casserole dish. I paired it with some of my But Smackin' Good BBQ Sauce for added kick, and of course I included a little bit of bacon. Wink, wink. A little bit sweet, spicy, and salty this casserole is sure to please your belly & your meal prep needs!

Pulled Pork & Apple Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

1 cup prepared pulled pork
4 slices bacon chopped
1/2 yellow onion chopped
2 small granny smith apples chopped (you can use any apple, but granny smith will yield the most flavor)
7 eggs
Dash salt & pepper
Fat to grease pan

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375*F. In a pan over medium heat begin to cook bacon and chopped onion. Once the bacon and onion have cooked down significantly, add the apple and cook down a bit. If your pulled pork is cold, add it to the pan when you add the apples. If it is already warm, you don't need to add it to the pan at all.

In a bowl, whisk eggs well with a bit of salt and pepper. Add the cooked bacon, onions, apples & pork and mix everything well. Pour into an 8x8 greased casserole dish. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes, until middle is cooked through.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Slice it up and serve it right away with a little BBQ sauce, or separate it into individual portions and refrigerate for breakfasts throughout the week!

Enjoy!