Recipe: Italian Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast casseroles ooze comfort food, but usually a lot of calories, fat and carbs come along with that as well. With this Italian Breakfast Casserole, you don't have to think twice! Two squares contain only 244 calories, 10 grams of fat and 20 grams of carbs. Compare that to other breakfast casseroles and you know it's a winner. Plus it's got 18 grams of protein! The best part of this recipe is that it doesn't even taste "skinny"; the reduced-fat crescents create a light crust topped with sausage, peppers, mushrooms, spinach and cheese. Yes, please!

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Recipe: Italian Breakfast Casserole

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40-45 minutes
Yield: 7 to 8 servings
Serving size: 2 squares

Ingredients

• ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 can reduced-fat crescent rolls
• 3 links reduced-fat fully cooked chicken sausage links, thinly sliced
• 5 eggs
• 4 egg whites
• ½ cup skim milk
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup reduced-fat mozzarella shredded cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 13x9-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray, then set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, red bell pepper, onion and mushrooms and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until soft and the onions are translucent.
3. Add the spinach, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Add the spinach and stir until it begins to wilt. Remove the skillet from the heat.
4. Roll out the crescents on the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and pinch the seams together.
5. Evenly spread the sausage link slices over the crescents, and spread the cooked vegetables over the sausage.
6. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, and milk. Pour the egg mixture over the cooked vegetable layer, then top the casserole with the cheeses.
7. Bake covered in foil for 20 minutes, then 15 minutes uncovered, or until the eggs are set.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving: (2 squares)
Calories: 244
Calories from fat: 96
Fat: 10g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 133mg
Sodium: 598mg
Carbohydrates: 20g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar 6g
Protein: 18g
WWP+: 7
SmartPoints: 7

3.1 The nutrition content of recipes on Popculture.com have been calculated by Registered Dietitian, Jessica Penner, of Smart Nutrition.