Baked Sausage and Egg Casserole

I am not sure what it is about Christmas morning, but, every year I start dreaming about all the combinations of healthy Christmas Breakfast Casseroles I can create. By the time we get up Christmas morning, I know exactly what I want and this year was no different.

Pigs in a blanket….baked pancakes…cheesy onion biscuits, maple sausage – yes please!

I love the sweet, salty, herby flavors you get when you wrap your breakfast sausages in fluffy buttermilk pancakes then top it all off with a little hint of maple syrup. This savory casserole captures all these flavors baked together with sweet tomatoes, green onions, earthy mushrooms, thyme and cheesy goodness.

You could make this vegetarian by omitting the sausage and add more mushrooms or potatoes instead.

Enjoy!

BAKED SAUSAGE AND EGG CASSEROLE (print it!)INGREDIENTS:

• 10 Chicken Maple Sausage links, diced
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced
• 8 green onions, diced
• 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• A few dashes hot sauce
• 1 1/4 cups Krusteaz Protein Pancake mix
• 3 oz 2% sharp cheddar, finely shredded
• 1 oz parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add mushrooms. Cook for 4-5 minutes to soften and release moisture. Remove from heat, add sausage and add to the casserole dish. Top with the tomato, onion and thyme.
3. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, hot sausage and Krusteaz mix. Pour in the casserole pan. Top with cheeses and bake 35 minutes until the top is slightly golden and the casserole is cooked through.
4. Cool 5 minutes, slice into 10 squares and dig in.

Makes 10 servings, 4 WWFreestyle Smartpoints each

Nutrition facts per serving for all ingredients:

STEP – BY – STEP:

There are two star ingredients in this recipe that capture the taste and texture I was after in having sausage in a pancake blanket.

These Trader Joe’s 1 Smartpoint Maple Chicken sausages and Krusteaz Buttermilk Protein Pancake mix.Saute the diced mushrooms for a few minutes to release their moisture.While the mushrooms cook, prep your veggies.

TIP: To send a tomato, cut in half and squeeze. This releases all the seeds and excess juice.Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper and Krusteaz mix.Build you casserole starting with a layer of sausage and mushrooms.Then, your “red and green” – tomatoes, green onion and thyme.Pour over the eggy pancake mix.Top with both cheeses.Then bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and the casserole is set.Resist cooling 5 minutes then slice into 10 squares and serve.

I absolutely love how this casserole is like dipping your pancakes in a little syrup and grabbing a piece of sausage with each bite. Night all!