Flavors for the Whole Family
Eggs are a staple in my household. They are a great source of protein, easy to make, and they exist in bulk in our fridge mainly because they are my husband’s favorite food. Not only does he eat them in some form or fashion every day, but he actually goes to bed sometimes and comments that he can’t wait to wake up so that he can eat them again! Due to his love of eggs, we have gotten very creative over the years with how we cook them. One of the easiest ways to is to make them into a casserole. We spice them up, pack in some veggies, and make them in bulk for the hectic mornings where we are rushing out the door. While you may think of a breakfast casserole as something that you make for holidays or a brunch occasion, they are actually an incredibly easy dish to make, say on a Sunday, and then have multiple servings left over that pack easily and reheat well. The recipe below is our favorite spin on a “California” breakfast casserole but of course, if there are ingredients that don’t sit well with you, substitutions can always be made.Another great thing about this dish is that it may also be a good way to sneak in some veggies for your kids if they are picky eaters since the eggs, meat, and cheese somewhat mask the veggie flavors. I hope that you enjoy the recipe below. Happy baking, and cheers to all you fellow breakfast lovers out there!
California Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
- 8-10 eggs
- ¾ cup liquid egg whites (or separate 4 whites from real eggs)
- 1 package ground turkey sausage OR 8 slices turkey bacon
- 1 whole avocado, pitted and diced
- ¼ cup scallions, chopped
- 1 small red pepper, diced OR ¼ cup roasted red peppers, sliced
- 1 handful raw spinach
- ½ cup Monterey Jack or Colby cheese
- 1 cup skim or 1 % milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:Line and spray a 9 x 13 baking pan, and pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Prep all items that need to be chopped or diced and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the egg whites until smooth. Slowly add in 1 cup of milk, stir, and set aside. In sprayed pan, cook turkey sausage adding raw red pepper (if using) once meat is about halfway done. Add approx. 1 tsp. salt and pepper, and cook until done. If using the bacon, cook, crumble, and set aside to pour into pan.Place the meat, avocado, scallions, red peppers (if not already added to meat or if using the roasted reds), spinach, and half the cheese to the pan. Pour the egg mixture in to coat it all, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the dish and bake for approximately 20 minutes, remove from the oven, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Return to the oven uncovered for another 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are cooked through (a fork will come out clean once cooked). Let cool and enjoy!
