ArcaMax

Flint Roman Chaney arrived a little early on January 18, 2020. He was scheduled to arrive on January 20. That would have been a cool birth date to have.  Such a clever set of numbers but, alas, he had other things in mind. He wanted to start partying early.

Speaking of parties, we had one in honor of his parents Jen (our Operations Manager), and her husband Flint (the handsome professional photographer). It was a baby shower with a gift emphasis of diapers. Now, there’s a theme. Can’t get enough.

It was an afternoon couple’s shower on a Sunday. Brunch. We held it in the complex party room.

I thought I’d share the menu and mention why I made each item...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Italian Sausage, Mushroom and Cheese Brunch Casserole

Servings: Serves 12 as part of a brunch menu. Serves 6 very hungry people with no other items on the side.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb of loose Italian sausage. Hot or Mild. Your choice
2 Tbl of olive oil, divided
1 cup of diced onion
1 lb of sliced mushrooms or whole mushrooms cut into quarters. Make sure they are clean.
2 cup of grated mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend
1/4 cup of sliced green onion. White and light green parts only
1 cup of cottage cheese, rinsed and drained
10 eggs
1 tsp of Italian seasoning blend
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray your 9-by-13-inch casserole with olive oil spray.

In a large fry pan add one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sausage and break it up into bite-sized pieces. Cook over medium high heat to brown the sausage and cook it through. I continually break up the sausage as it cooks so I get small, bite-sized pieces. When it is half cooked, add the diced onion and cook until loosened. When meat mixture is cooked, spread it into the bottom of the casserole dish.

Return your fry pan to the stove and add another tablespoon of olive oil. Heat that and add the mushrooms. Cook until all liquid is released, and the mushrooms are beginning to brown on the edges. Layer the mushrooms over the meat mixture.

Sprinkle one cup of the cheese and half of the green onions over the casserole ingredients.

The cottage cheese can now be drained and rinsed in a colander.

Take out your blender. Add all of the eggs, the drained cottage cheese and the Italian seasoning blend along with a quarter cup of Parmesan cheese. Whiz the eggs until the whole mixture is combined. This will only take a few seconds. I just have you do this in a blender so it’s thoroughly combined.

Pour the egg mixture over the casserole ingredients. Gently take a fork and spread open spots in the casserole so the egg mixture will penetrate. You want all ingredients gently coated.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the center is completely set. You can do the jiggle test to make sure the middle is firming up and the top is beginning to brown.

The casserole can be served after you take it out of the oven. Let it sit 10 minutes first, so it sets up and no one burns their mouth. Garnish the top with the rest of the green onions.

This can sit on a buffet table for service. It’s still good at room temperature. It can also be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to a few days.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola