Gabe and Lexi, now 15 years old, will be here in a few weeks and we are so excited! Since I’ll be at work most mornings, I’m trying to have some breakfast options for them to enjoy until I get home to make lunch. I’m not sure if I need to be concerned – Lexi will fend for herself (last year she was making avocado toast, eggs over easy with bacon or sausage, yogurt with fruit, etc.) and Gabe will either still be asleep or else stuffing himself with Pop Tarts and/or cereal. But I’d still like to give them other choices, like this casserole that is easy to reheat, healthy and tasty, tasty, tasty.

The twins always enjoy the breakfast casseroles I make during the holidays, most of which are laden with lots of cheese and sausage (yum, yum, yum!) However, when I saw a recipe for baked omelet squares from Allrecipes.com, I knew I needed to give it a try since it was heavy on veggies and less so on meat. Of course I changed it a bit and substituted milk with fat-free half and half, ditched the butter, replaced onions with spring onions, and added red bell pepper and tabasco sauce. Eliminate the ham and you have a great vegetarian version of this dish.

Not only is this easy to prepare, the cheddar cheese crust is to die for — need I say more? And it’s Brad-approved as well. He’s not a casserole fan, but was surprised how much he loved this, especially being skeptical about the black olives, which he said made it great! And it’s carb friendly to boot – another plus in Brad’s eyes.

Ingredients (Serves 12)

• Cooking spray
• 8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 oz. mushrooms (your choice), coarsely chopped
• 1 can (6 oz.) black olives, sliced
• 1 cup green onions (both white and green parts)
• 1 cup cooked ham, chopped (optional if a vegetarian version is desired)
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 12 large eggs
• ¾ cup fat free half and half
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Tabasco sauce, to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Evenly spread cheddar cheese in the bottom of the baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix the mushrooms, olives, green onions, ham and red bell peppers, and spread over the cheddar cheese.

Mix the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper and tabasco sauce until nice and fluffy.

Pour over the ingredients in the baking dish. Do not stir.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the eggs are not runny in the center and slightly brown on the sides and top.

Cool for 5 minutes or so. Slice the casserole into squares and enjoy with your choice of fruit, muffins, hash browns, juice, mimosas, Bloody Marys, etc.

This casserole will keep several days in your refrigerator. Just zap individual portions for a minute or so in the microwave for a fast and delicious breakfast. It also freezes well —thaw individual portions and then reheat in the microwave. I think Lexi and Gabe will thank me!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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