Droolicious Cuisine – Bacon Egg and Cheese Casserole

With the holidays around the corner you’ll need to think beyond casseroles, hams and turkeys if you have some family in town  crashing at your place. We’ve got a yummy Bacon, Egg and Cheese Casserole you can make up for when the mob wakes up hungry and wants something more than Captain Crunch!

This casserole can be made ahead of time and still tastes great re-heated. At a Weight Watchers Points Value of 5, this is a filling meal that is a great start to the day. You can also add vegetable fillings.. steamed spinach and mushrooms are very good! Enjoy!

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Casserole

Ingredients:
6 slices turkey bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 (12-ounce) bag frozen hash brown potatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
3 large eggs
3 egg whites
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray three 2-cup oval baking dishes, casseroles, or ramekins with cooking spray.
2) Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and onion and cook until potatoes are tender and golden, about 6 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and let cool slightly.
3) Beat the eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Add the ricotta, 1/3 cup of the Swiss cheese, the Parmesan, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne, stirring until blended. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1/3 cup of Swiss cheese.
4) Bake until the casseroles are slightly puffed and golden and the cheese is melted, approximately 20-25 minutes.

(*If you bake the casserole in a single dish, the cooking time should be increased.)

Yields 6 servings.

Nutritional Info (per serving): 220 Cal, 9g Fat, 4g Sat Fat, 0g Trans Fat, 134mg Chol, 445mg Sod, 17g Carb, 1g Fib, 18g Prot, 271mg Calc

Thanks to MommaDrool for the recipes in this series. You can find many more droolicious recipes over at her site, “2 Little Chicks”