Thursday, March 27, 2014

Mini Breakfast Casseroles -- You Say Egg Strata; I Say Frittata

This evening I decided to make "breakfast for dinner"...and not just any old breakfast, either! I'm making practice runs for Easter breakfast! This evening I decided to make personal (individual) Mini Breakfast Casseroles...or Egg Strata as some might call it...or Frittata as others might. They are low-carb, wheat-free, grain-free and gluten-free...made WITH biscuits! Whatever you want to call them...just call them delicious! The great thing about making "individual" breakfast casseroles is that you can prepare a variety of "fixings" and individualize each casserole. I oven roasted some uncured bacon and sauteed fresh baby spinach, diced fresh mushrooms, diced red bell peppers and then sliced some fresh cherry tomatoes and green spring onions as my array of "fixings". I also shredded some extra sharp white cheddar cheese. I added all of those different fixings to my casserole, but omitted the mushroom and onion in hubby's casserole since he doesn't care for those. I had a few leftover week-old Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits that I used as the "bread" to add to my little breakfast casseroles. These casseroles are so easy to put together and you can add whatever you like to them. I buttered 4 small (9 to 10-ounce) casserole dishes. I layered broken up biscuits (about half a biscuit in each dish), then layered the "fixings" and cheese and poured eggs beaten with cream over top and popped them into the oven to bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. They are so simple to make. You could use ramekins or any small baking dish. I snapped a few photos below as well as the easy peasy recipe. So, whether you like to call it a Breakfast Casserole, an Egg Strata or a Frittata makes no difference. Generally speaking, a strata has some type of bread added to it (like these do) where a frittata usually does not contain bread...and a quiche can either have crust or be crustless. To be safe, I just call this a Breakfast Casserole because that can include all of the above without being too confusing. I served our Breakfast Casserole alongside my No-Flip Berry Pancakes (topped with diced strawberries, a splash of no-sugar syrup and a pat of butter). I've improved my pancake recipe to make an even bigger, fluffier pancake and will post my improved recipe tomorrow. Can you picture these beauties on your Easter breakfast table? Enjoy!
















Mini Breakfast Casseroles
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 to 2 tablespoons butter for buttering casseroles
10 large eggs
1/2 cup cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 or 3 Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits, crumbled into 1-inch pieces
5 or 6 slices cooked bacon (or browned sausage)
1 cup sauteed vegetables of choice (mushrooms, onions, spinach, peppers, etc.)
1/2 cup diced tomato, optional
1/4 cup sliced green onion, optional
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl (or 4-cup glass measuring cup), beat eggs and cream together; season with salt and pepper.

Butter casseroles and divide crumbled biscuits evenly between casseroles. Divide and layer bacon or sausage and vegetables between casseroles and top with cheese. Pour beaten egg mixture evenly among casseroles and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until done.

    

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Where do you purchase Maverick bacon? This looks like a great breakfast!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Julie -- I picked this package up at my local Publix grocery store. I've seen it a Kroger and I think Whole Foods, too. For whatever reason, they don't put this bacon with the other bacons. It is in the fresh meat section of my stores (possibly because it's uncured?). I really like it -- there is more meat than in regular bacon I find and it tastes good, too! :-)

Unknown said...

Thank you! I will check our local Publix! Love bacon for breakfast!