(23) Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

As I mentioned last night, this was pretty easy to put together (about 20 minutes start to finish). Look for the tube of turkey sausage in the freezer section. I haven't eaten in quite a while and it was surprisingly tasty!! I had to cook the casserole about 10 minutes longer than written because it was still really wet in the center.

I have to admit, one serving was a tease! I wanted more! This was really good and I will make it again. You could serve 4 good size servings for weekend guests or put this on a brunch spread with other goodies. Did I mention this was good!? YUM!

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Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
Source: Cooking Light Magazine, May 2007

8 ounces ciabatta bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1 pound turkey breakfast sausage
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until toasted.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage to pan; cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Combine sausage, bread, and onions in a large bowl. Combine milk, cheese, eggs, and egg substitute in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to bread mixture, tossing to coat bread. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Uncover casserole. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley; serve immediately.

CALORIES 344 (28% from fat); FAT 10.8g (sat 4.2g,mono 2.2g,poly 1g); IRON 3.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 123mg; CALCIUM 227mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.4g; SODIUM 983mg; PROTEIN 28.7g; FIBER 1g

(5) Cranberry-Apple French Toast Casserole

This recipe got mixed reviews on the CL website. Some said it was soggy, others said it was dry (go figure). Ours bordered on the soggy side (in the middle, at least), but the flavor was delish!! It was SWEET and a little gooey. We had bacon along side and the salt helped cut the sweet. This would be nice on a brunch buffet as a little something sweet!

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Cranberry-Apple French Toast Casserole

Yield: 12 servings
Source: Cooking Light, November 2007

This prep-ahead casserole, which turns extra dinner rolls and cranberry sauce into a brunch or dessert treat, is especially welcome if you are entertaining houseguests for the long holiday weekend. While we enjoyed the tartness of the Granny Smith apples, any baking apple will do. Serve with apple wedges.

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 2 apples)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves
1/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 pound dinner rolls, quartered
Cooking spray
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 1/4 cups apple juice
1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 250°.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add apple, cinnamon, and cloves to pan; cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 tablespoons brown sugar; cook 2 minutes or until sugar melts. Remove from heat.

Place quartered rolls on a jelly-roll pan; bake at 250° for 15 minutes. Arrange rolls in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cranberries evenly over rolls; top with apple mixture. Combine apple juice and the next 5 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour egg mixture over roll mixture; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Uncover dish, and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until golden.

CALORIES 270 (28% from fat); FAT 8.5g (sat 2.9g,mono 3.6g,poly 1.2g); IRON 2mg; CHOLESTEROL 112mg; CALCIUM 103mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41.9g; SODIUM 265mg; PROTEIN 7.7g; FIBER 2.4g

(59) Tex-Mex Egg Casserole

My mom has been making this for years. I've never tried it myself, but today was the magic day! I made it for a retirement brunch at work and it was a success! I love this casserole so much. Serve it with a little sour cream and mmmmmmmm a great Tex Mex breakfast! I used skim milk and next time I will try Eggbeaters just to see how that works. If you try it, please tell me what you think!

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Tex-Mex Egg Casserole

8 eggs
2 c. milk (counting liquid from Rotel)
1t. salt
5 slices of bread cubed (a good layer on bottom of pan)
2 c. grated cheese (I use cheddar.)
1 can Rotel

Cube bread and place in bottom of a 13 x 9 dish sprayed with cooking spray. Drain Rotel liquid into a 2 cup measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 2 cups of liquid. Beat eggs, liquid mixture, and salt together. Spread drained Rotel over bread layer. Sprinkle 1.5 cups of cheese over bread. Pour egg mixture over that and top w/remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350° for 30-45 min. until lightly brown on top. (The bottom tends to get too dark if left too long.) Serve with sour cream as a topping.