Brunch Casserole

I wanted to try a new breakfast meal that encompasses all my favorite ingredients - eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and more.  This is what I came up with after browsing a few inspirational recipes online.  It has nearly everything I go for, except for grits and pancakes.  But those can be served with this wonderful dish. 

I can't wait to serve this up for my family visiting this weekend for the Memorial Day holiday.  I know they'll love it as much as my husband and I did.  It's so filling too! 





Mandy's Brunch Casserole
(Serves 8 to 10)

1 pound bag of shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 small bag (3 oz) of bacon bits (or use your own crumbled turkey bacon, about 1/3 cup)
1 medium onion, diced
6 eggs
1 can of cream of mushroom soup - I used fat-free, low sodium kind
2 cups of shredded cheese - I used reduced fat cheddar
1/2 cup of milk - I used 2%
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper seasoning to taste - I used at least 1/2 tsp of each
1/2 cup of green onions, diced for topping the casserole


Note: I make it easy on myself and use the bags of potatoes and bacon, like this:





Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Spread the hash brown potatoes at the bottom of the pan.  It should cover the entire cassrole dish with some going up the sides as well, like this (pictured below):





In a medium skillet, cook your onion and bacon until brown, about seven minutes.  Set aside when done.


In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, cream of mushroom soup, parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.  Mix and stir well until all blended.  Add in the cooked onion and bacon.  Stir until mixed together.  Pour over the hash brown potatoes.





You can now either bake immediately or leave in the fridge overnight to soak.  If you bake right away, then top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and the green onions.  If you place it overnight, then wait to top with the cheese and green onions right before baking! 


Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes in the oven.  Test it by placing a fork or knife in the casserole.  If it comes out clean, your breakfast is ready.  If not, let it bake a bit longer.  Mine was ready after the first test.  We sure devoured this up! 


What do you serve a large crowd for breakfast?  Do you make any casseroles similar to this that your family loves?

Cheezy Grits and Eggs Casserole

Yesterday's funny food poem was inspired by the recipe in this post.  Actually it started even before that....  I attended a brunch a few months ago where a friend made a dish with eggs, grits and cheese.  It was so simple yet so amazingly scrumptious.  I wanted to recreate that meal but lighten it up where I could. 


So here is my version of Cheezy Grits and Eggs Casserole.  My husband and I loved this one.  I wish my daughter Vivian would have liked it too but she wasn't real impressed.  However, she did eat the turkey-bacon "chips" that I made to accompany it (which was just cooked, crispy bacon broken into bits - hahaha!).  Oh well, maybe when she becomes older, she'll gain better taste buds and be more appreciative of mommy's cooking..... Here's hoping!  :-)









Cheezy Grits and Eggs Casserole
(Serves 6)

3 cups of water
3/4 cup of quick cooking grits
4 tbsp light butter (half a stick)
2 cups of reduced fat shredded cheese, any variety
2 extra large eggs
1/4 cup of milk
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp green onions
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
dash of Cajun seasoning
dash of Paprika


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a 2 Qt (about 8 x 12 inch) baking pan with cooking spray.  In a medium sauce pan, cook your grits according to the package directions - It should be three cups of water to 3/4 cup of grits.  Boil and stir until creamy, about seven minutes.  Reduce to low heat.  Add in the light butter and 1 cup of the reduced fat cheese. Stir and mix well. 



In a small, separate bowl combine the two extra large eggs with 1/4 cup of the milk.  Stir well.  Then pour into the sauce pan with the cooked grits.  Add in the seasonings - garlic and onion powders, green onions, salt, pepper, cajun spices and paprika.  Stir several times.  Then pour entire mixture into the greased baking pan.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.  Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes at 400 degrees.  If you're lucky, your cheese will harden and form a nice crust on top, just like mine did! 







Ooooh, this is good stuff folks!   When the edges are slightly browned, the casserole is done.  Remove from the oven.  Let it cool for about ten minutes before cutting and serving.  Enjoy! 


(Variations: I've also added 1/3 cup of bacon bits to this and it tasted even better!  Experiment with your own favorite veggies and meats in this breakfast recipe.)


Have you ever been to a brunch?  What food(s) stood out during your brunch experience?

Skinny Crab Quiche

On New Year's Day, I opted to make the Skinny Crab Quiche from my meal plan that I hadn't gotten around to preparing in the days prior.  We love seafood and this looked like a simple dish that anyone could throw together.   It came out great!  My husband and I loved it.  This would be great for brunch or any gathering among friends.  Enjoy!






Skinny Crab Quiche
(Makes 8 pie slices)
Adapted from Taste of Home

1 can (6 oz) lump crabmeat, drained
2 cups of reduced fat shredded cheese
1/2 cup of pureed or finely chopped spinach
1/2 cup of green onions
1 and 1/2 egg substitute (egg whites or other)
1 can (12 oz) fat-free evaporated milk
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, divided in half
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic and parmesan seasoning blend
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
dash of Cajun seasoning


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Generously grease a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, combine the drained lump crab meat, 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheese, spinach, green onions and half of the Parmesan cheese together.  Blend well.  Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the greased pie plate, making it like a crust. 




Sprinkle with salt and onion powder.  Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.  In a separate bowl, mix the egg substitute, milk, remaining Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, garlic and parmesan seasoning blend and Cajun seasoning.  Gently pour the seasoned egg mixture over the crab meat crust in the pie plate. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Test to see if quiche is done by inserting a knife to see if it comes out clean.  Even though your top may be brown, you don't want any liquid underneath.  Let the quiche stand for ten to fifteen minutes before cutting.  I cut mine into eight slices. 






Note: You could also bake this in an 8x8 inch square baking pan and cut it into squares to feed more people. 
Do you like quiche?  What are some of your favorite brunch foods?