This protein packed breakfast casserole is filled with all the fixings you want on a tailgate Saturday or brunch at home. Stuffed with healthy vegetables, turkey sausage and topped with crispy cheesy hashbrowns, it’s the perfect breakfast casserole you’ll want to stab your fork into.
My brain is already in fall mode. I am already thinking about football, fall leaves, sweaters and all the tailgating foods. I cannot wait to make this protein packed breakfast casserole for our early Saturday morning football tailgates. The best part? It can be prepped the night before. No waking up early to make food because you’re going to need all the sleep you can get for the full day of friends, family and tailgating!
This protein packed breakfast casserole is healthy-ish, I like to say. It has so many vegetables (hey, fiber) and high biological protein from eggs and turkey sausage. The cheese is there but don’t stress about it, it's just a little cheese, okay?
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is fennel. I've really grown to love fennel this past year. The simple taste of anise when combined with sausage is a flavor bomb that you can't beat. I suppose you could add an avocado slice or two on top, if you wanted. I am not a fan of soft hashbrowns that you often see in the bottom of other casserole dishes, so I needed to make mine crispy on top with a good crunch when you stab your fork into it.
Ingredients for protein packed casserole
- Bell peppers: Bell peppers are abundant this time of year and are high in vitamin C (think collagen production and brain health) and B6! B6 plays a huge role in the production of red blood cells (helps to carry oxygen throughout your body) and metabolism of carbohydrates (helps to regulate and break down carbohydrates for energy in our bodies).
- Did you know that organic bell peppers have 10% more carotenoids and vitamin C than commercially grown peppers? Me neither!
- Turkey sausage: I used an Italian turkey sausage for this recipe- you can either make it with links and cut them or cook some ground sausage. Most turkey sausage is a great alternative to regular sausage by providing less saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Make sure to check the sodium- a lot of times turkey sausage/bacon can be higher than regular.
- As a disclaimer, if you buy local/fresh sausage- go for it! I always like fresh and local rather than commercially processed meats. If I do buy commercial, I look for a brand that has less preservatives and nitrates.
- Eggs/egg whites- I used fresh organic eggs and egg whites for this recipe. I only buy 100% egg whites and try to buy as local as possible. My local Aldi does a great job supplying eggs from Michigan farmers. If you want to know more about the health benefits of eggs, check out this post.
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Protein Packed Breakfast Casserole
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 10 people 1x
Description
This protein packed breakfast casserole is filled with savory sausage, vegetables and crispy hashbrowns. Perfect for prepping the night before for a tailgate or brunch with friends. | mealswithmaggie.com #proteinpacked #breakfastcasserole #healthybreakfastcasserole #fennel #sausage #hashbrowns #eggcasserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups bell peppers, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 links chicken sausage (or more depending on size of sausage)
- 1 cup egg whites
- 6 whole eggs
- ½ cup skim milk
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ cup monetary jack cheese, shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 cups hashbrowns, shredded and thawed (I used frozen and thawed them)
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Once softened, add in mushrooms and peppers.
- When vegetables are finished sautéing add to casserole dish and chop chicken sausage. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg whites, milk and whole eggs.
- Gently pour egg mixture in casserole dish. Add in fennel seed, paprika and cumin. Sprinkle monetary jack cheese and half of cheddar cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- While casserole is baking, combine shredded hashbrowns, garlic powder and other half of cheddar cheese. If you are using frozen hash browns (I did) remove from freezer, rinse with cold water (until thawed) and then ring out water.
- When the casserole is finished baking in the oven, remove foil and sprinkle on hashbrown mixture to top. Set broiler to low for 5 minutes or until hashbrowns are crispy on top.
Notes
If you use ground chicken sausage just simply sauté it before the vegetables.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, tailgating
- Cuisine: American
Hungry yet? Would you guys be interested in seeing more healthy tailgating food options? What are some of your favorites?
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Your spellcheck keeps turning "Monterey" to "monetary". Just FYI. We all knew what you meant.
Thanks! I must have overlooked this!
Do the hash browns get done with only putting under broiler for 5 mins? I don’t broil much so I wasn’t sure.
Hey everyone! I worked out the approximate macros for this tasty meal for anyone who wants them! There are a couple things I did slightly different though so look at my notes too!
Serving (1/8 9x13 casserole dish)
Calories: 320
Fat: 13.8g
Carbs: 25.4g
Protein: 24.3g
*Notes:
- I used 2% milk instead of skim
- I used avocado oil instead of olive oil
- For the hash browns I used a whole 30 oz bag of Ore-Ida shredded hashbrown potatoes
- For the chicken sausage I used a whole pack (5 links) of Nature’s Promise mild Italian chicken sausage
I hope this helps! 🙂
Nutrition facts? Thanks!
Just posted them! Sorry for the delay!
Any chance you have the dietary information on this?
This Breakfast Casserole looks delicious and love the addition of crispy hashbrowns on top. This is definitely one that I will be making for the next brunch or tailgate here! Thanks 🙂
Thank you Carrie !