Italian Brunch Bake
1 pound Mild Ground Italian Sausage
1 pound baby portobello mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 packages (6 ounces each) fresh baby spinach
8 slices Italian bread (1 inch thick)
12 eggs
1 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend
1. In a large skillet, cook sausage, mushrooms, onion, peppers and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, saute spinach until wilted. Place bread on a baking sheet. Broil 2-3 in. from heat for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Layer sausage mixture and spinach over bread; pour egg mixture over top. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Cover and bake 50 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Yield: 12 servings.
1 piece equals 373 calories, 20 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 255 mg cholesterol, 839 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 24 g protein.