Christmas Brunch Breakfast Casserole

Originally posted on: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/15047/christmas-brunch-casserole/

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 pinch dried parsley
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside. Add the mushrooms and onion to the skillet; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with the tablespoon of butter. Place potatoes in bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with salt, garlic salt, and pepper. Top with crumbled bacon, then add the onions and mushrooms.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and parsley. Pour the beaten eggs over the casserole and top with grated cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
5. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until set.

Moussaka

Ingredients

• 3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
• salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fines herbs
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• salt to taste
• ground white pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
4. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Shepherd's Pie

• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
• 1 small rutabaga, chopped
• 1/4 cup frozen green peas
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 cup milk, or as needed
• 3 cups prepared mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the celery, carrots, parsnip, rutabaga, and peas into a large saucepan and fill with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and steam for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
3. Meanwhile, crumble the ground lamb into a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until lamb is no longer pink. Drain off any grease. Stir in the steamed vegetables and tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and sage. Transfer everything to a greased 7x11 inch baking dish.
4. Mix enough milk into the mashed potatoes to make them spreadable. Spread them over the top of the casserole and garnish with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is browned and the casserole is heated through.

Vegetable Casserole with Herb Dumplings

Casserole ingredients:

1 T. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 t. sweet paprika

1 large potato, chopped

1 large carrot, sliced

1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes

1 1/2 c. vegetable stock

14 oz. orange sweet potato, peeled and diced

2 zucchini, thickly sliced

1 yellow squash, thickly sliced

2 T. heavy cream

Dumpling ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

2 t. chopped italian parsely

1 t. dried thyme

1 t. chopped rosemary

1/3 c. buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.
2. Mix all the casserole ingredients in a large oven proof pot or pan.
3. Combine the dumpling ingredients in a separate bowl. Form the dough into golf ball sized balls and drop on top of the vegetables.
4. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 30 min or until potatoes are tender.