Posted on: Wednesday, March 9, 2005
RECIPE DOCTOR
Try light version of dish rich in sausage, cheese
By Elaine Magee
Q. I love to serve this extra- rich casserole at brunch. Can you please show me how to lighten this up and show me the difference in calories and fat — it never ceases to amaze me! The recipe is from the April 2002 issue of Bon Appetit (my favorite magazine).
A. I thought Easter and springtime would be the perfect time for the light version of this brunch-ish recipe. I love that you can make and bake this dish a day ahead and then just reheat in individual portions or altogether when needed.
I lightened this up by using 12 ounces of a light breakfast sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Light) instead of 16 ounces of regular Italian sausage. I used 3 large (high omega-3) eggs plus 3/4 cup of Egg Beaters instead of 5 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks. The original recipe also calls for 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese, so I just used the pre-shredded part-skim mozzarella. And if that didn't bring the calories and fat grams down enough, I used 1 cup of fat-free half-and-half and 1 cup of low-fat milk instead of 1 cup of regular half-and-half and 1 cup of whipping cream. You won't believe the savings! The calories went from 551 calories to 251 calories and the fat from 48 grams to 12.5 grams. Saturated fat fell from 22 grams to 5.5 grams and the cholesterol from 319 milligrams to 133.
If you aren't crazy about sun-dried tomatoes, you can substitute some chopped red pepper or roasted red pepper.
Original recipe contains 551 calories, 48 grams fat, 22 grams saturated fat, and 319 milligrams cholesterol per serving.
BRUNCH CASSEROLE WITH SAUSAGE, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND MOZZARELLA
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with canola cooking spray.
Sauté sausage, using a potato masher to break it up into small bits, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until brown and cooked through (about 8 minutes) Add shallots and garlic and sauté another 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of parsley. Spread sausage mixture in prepared dish. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, egg substitute, fat-free half-and-half, and low-fat milk on medium speed for a couple of minutes to blend well.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups of cheese and salt, if desired. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in dish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and parsley over the top.
Bake until the casserole is golden brown on top and cooked throughout (about 30 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 8 servings.
• Per serving: 251 calories, 24 g protein, 10.3 g carbohydrate, 12.5 g fat (5.6 g saturated fat, 4.4 g monounsaturated fat, 2.1 g polyunsaturated fat), 133 mg cholesterol, .5 g fiber, 540 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 45 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids .7 g. Omega-6 fatty acids 1.4 g. • Weight Watchers points: 6 Elaine Magee is author of "The Recipe Doctor Cookbook" and "The Flax Cookbook." Reach her at www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses can't be provided. This column is distributed by Knight Ridder News Service.
