I am always on the scrounge for new and *different* breakfast ideas as cold cereal, oatmeal, or plain old eggs gets pretty boring. This recipe came in the mail via an advert from a local grocer. Problem? It looked very bland but the base recipe had potential. I added a LOT of veggies and, Shazam! A rockin’ new breakfast fave! Oooooo…and the leftovers are terrific the next day! Please let me know if you like it!
Kicked-Up Savory Breakfast Casserole
1 pound fresh chicken sausage- I used a hot Italian flavor but a breakfast sausage flavor would be good too!
3 c. frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1/4 c. olive oil
12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 red jalapenos, centers cleaned out and finely diced
6 oz. shitake or button mushrooms, diced
1 16 oz container cottage cheese (Look for rBST-free)
6 fresh jumbo organic eggs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9″ X 13″ baking dish. In the prepped baking dish, mix the shredded potatoes and the 1/3 c. olive oil. Pat the potatoes into the bottom of the dish and put into the oven to toast while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Cook sausage in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up into smaller chunks, until evenly browned. Drain and set aside. Wipe out the skillet and saute the veggies in a tablespoon of olive oil till soft and starting to caramelize. Dump this mixture into a large bowl after it has cooled a little bit. Add to the veggie mix the browned sausage, the eggs, the cottage cheese, and all of the shredded cheese (holding back 1/2 cup for the top of the casserole) and mix thoroughly. bring the baking dish out of the oven and pour this mixture over the top of the potatoes. The potatoes will not be cooked at this point, but they won’t be soggy from the freezer either. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top of the casserole. You will have to spread the mixture around the pan as it will be fairly thick. Put the entire dish back into the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Be sure to refrigerate the leftovers!
We had this for dinner and served it with a salad. And yes, I ate this for breakfast QUITE HAPPILY for the next 4 days! Nom nom! And yes, ketchup goes well with it if you are so inclined! lol
