Easy Breakfast Casserole

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March is National Frozen Food Month. Besides being a great time to take stock of what you have, it’s also a good time to restock. Check out the freezer aisle and take advantage of the sales and specials that many grocery stores are having this month. Frozen foods are cost effective and convenient, so get ready to stock up now.

I like to keep my freezer pretty stocked. First, I keep frozen entrees that are easy to make on nights when you don’t feel like cooking. This saves you from having to eat out, and lets you make something quickly and feed your family at home. Great examples of this are frozen pizzas, lasagna, tamales, or main dish entrees like the Trader Joe’s stir-fry that I like so much. 

Another must have is homemade casseroles, soups, or leftovers. Also great to grab and heat when you don’t feel like cooking. My motto: cook once, eat twice. I always try to make double when I cook so that I can put one dish into the freezer. 

Next, frozen fruits that you can toss into your morning smoothie or yogurt, or add to muffin batter or bake into a crisp. And vegetables for easy sides, stews, soups and the like. No Northwest freezer would be complete without frozen fish. Salmon – always, cod and halibut – usually, and a few bags of shrimp – 100% of the time. Chicken, ground beef and turkey, pork chops, sausage, especially if you can buy them on sale. 

I freeze cooked meat, like crumbled Italian sausage to add to frozen pizza, and cooked chicken strips to top salad. Burgers, pork chops, etc. that can just be reheated quickly. I freeze sides, like quinoa, rice, and crispy smashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, butternut squash, and asparagus. I freeze leftover desserts, slices of pie and cake, cookies, and pumpkin bread. And let’s not waste. I have half a wheel of brie cheese, frozen basil from the garden, spoonfuls of tomato paste, and half a can of evaporated milk.

Store like with like. Keep all your veggies in one spot, group all your chicken together. This lets you look quickly and see what you have. Be sure to follow first in, first out. Move  your oldest items to the front and stock new ones in the back. Whenever I pull something out, I take a quick look and jot down a few things to eat in the days ahead. Then when I’m in a hurry, I already know there’s something easy in my freezer. 

Use some of what you have in your freezer for this Easy Breakfast Casserole. This was hands down the best breakfast casserole I have ever made. I added most of the meat and veggies by eye and included just enough hash browns to give it some oomph. The recipe below makes a standard 9- by 13-inch casserole. My baking dish was 7- by 11-inches, so I used 10 eggs, which I found to be just right. The original recipe called for 6 ounces of cottage cheese, but since the cottage cheese adds creaminess, body, and extra protein, and because we’re trying to stretch our eggs, I used 1 cup. I used 3 slices of Canadian bacon (from my freezer), 5 slices of regular bacon, and some crumbled, cooked Italian sausage (also from my freezer). I add frozen kale to just about everything, but feel free to just use spinach if you like. 

Thawing your frozen hash browns prevents your casserole from being soggy. You can either thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or at room temperature for about an hour. After thawing, you can also opt to pat them dry with paper towels to help remove any remaining moisture. I did not add any salt or use a seasoning blend because I like to let everyone add whatever flavors  they want to their portion. 

To keep things on the lighter side, I loaded up on the veggies, using mushrooms, red bell pepper, spinach and kale. I used a reduced-fat shredded cheese blend, low fat cottage cheese, Canadian bacon, and chicken Italian sausage. I also added some grated Gruyere along with the reduced-fat cheese, which added great flavor. You could also try adding some Swiss or Parmesan, just a little, to do the same thing. 

Make this any way you like. You can change up the veggies, meats, or cheese combination and just follow the quantities for the eggs and the other ingredients. This Breakfast Casserole is delicious, and you’ll have a one and done meal ready to enjoy for all the busy mornings in the week ahead. 

Easy Breakfast Casserole

• 10 oz. sautéed mushrooms, red bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini, or other veggies
• 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach 
• 1/2 cup frozen kale (optional) 
• 1 1/4 cups diced ham, Canadian bacon, turkey or chicken sausage, bacon, or other meat of your choice (precooked)
• 2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed  
• 1-3 Tablespoons sliced green onion (optional), divided
• 1 1/4 cups grated reduced-fat cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Gruyere
• 10-14 eggs
• 1-2 teaspoons seasoning blend, or any spice mix you like on eggs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• 1 cup cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 375º F. Spray 9- by 13-inch casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. Sauté fresh veggies in a small amount of olive oil until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add frozen spinach and kale to pan and sauté just enough to defrost. (If using harder vegetables, like broccoli, briefly boil and drain well.) Layer meat, veggies, hash browns, half of the green onions (if using) and some of the cheese in bottom of casserole dish. 

Combine eggs with seasoning blend, salt (if using), pepper, and cottage cheese in blender cup and process  until well combined. Pour eggs evenly over mixture in casserole dish to thoroughly cover meat, veggies and cheese. Sprinkle additional cheese on top of casserole. Bake until eggs are firmly set and top is lightly browned, about 25-30 minutes. Top casserole with remaining green onions. Serve hot and enjoy!

-adapted from kalynskitchen.com