Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole, and it's not just for breakfast!

I'm forever trying to figure out ways to use stale bread.  Natalie and I don't eat enough bread to ever use it up before it goes stale.  I do freeze bread sometimes, so this would be a good way to use frozen or leftover biscuits, rolls, etc.  You can also adjust this recipe to fit your tastes!  I think it would be great with sauteed mushrooms and a can of cream of mushroom soup...or with sauteed onions and peppers.  I can think of so many variations.  Use your imagination and use what's "on hand"  This recipe took a little prep time...more than I usually put into a dish, lol.  It was worth it, though.  Also, you could easily use leftover cooked sausage or bacon, and that would definitely shorten your cook time.  As would toasting your bread ahead of time.  This was what I had, so this is what I used.  :)

About a cup of ground sausage.  (I used deer sausage, because that's what I had in the freezer.)

5 slices of stale bread

2 cups of milk, plus 1/4 cup

a couple of TBS of flour

margerine or cooking spray

3 eggs (could have used a couple more, but that was what I had)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

3/4 cup frozen spinach (all that was left in the bag, lol.)

salt and pepper to taste.  (you can substitute grated Parmesan cheese for the salt.  It's plenty salty enough, and gives it a great flavor.)

First of all, I cubed the bread and baked it in the oven until toasted, hard.  (Whatever bread you use, make sure to cut it into cubes or chunks and toast it.  It helps it to absorb the liquids and keeps it creamy.)  While that toasted, I greased the bottom and sides of my crock pot with a little margarine.  You could use cooking spray, though.  I also started browning my sausage.  I usually add a little splash of water in my sausage when I brown it.  It seems to help it break into smaller pieces.  I was out of cream of anything soup, so I had to make my own gravy, lol.  Which led to the next step!  When the sausage was cooked all the way through, I sprinkled the sausage (still in the pan) with the flour.  Deer sausage is very lean, so I didn't bother to drain the grease off of it.  When the flour was cooked, I stirred in the 2 cups of milk, making sausage gravy.  While that simmered, I checked my bread.  It was done, so I took it out to cool for a minute.  I beat my eggs with the little bit of milk and Parmesan cheese until it was nice and fluffy.  Next, I put the spinach in the sausage gravy to "cook" while I began layering the casserole.  The bottom layer was the toasted bread.  Second, I poured the sausage/spinach gravy over the bread.  Finally, I finished up with the eggs.  I cooked it on low ,for a little over an hour, until the eggs were done.  Then, I sprinkled the cheese over it, and let it cook another 20 minutes until it was melted and bubbling around the edges.  

It was sooo good and creamy!  I love it, and I have enough to eat another couple of meals off of it.  Natalie was not so fond of it, but she doesn't like breakfast casserole, lol.  This is one recipe I will definitely make again and again and again!  I think next time I will try another variation and see how I like it.  Enjoy!  Happy Cooking!  :)