4 Easy and Healthy Blender Yogurt Egg Puff Casseroles

To skip the photo tutorial and go straight to the recipes, click on these links:

Broccoli & Canadian Bacon Egg Puff Recipe

Green Chile & Onion Egg Puff Recipe

Asparagus & Chive Egg Puff Recipe

Spinach & Artichoke Egg Puff Recipe

I've made and eaten a lot of egg casseroles in my day. Not only do I enjoy a savory breakfast or brunch entree, but I also love the convenience of casseroles when feeding guests.

Trouble is, most egg casserole recipes are loaded with some combination of cheese, potatoes, and bread. (Translation: loaded with calories and carbs.) So, I've been experimenting for awhile in pursuit of a lightened up yet flavorful egg casserole.

Today, I'm sharing the results. Here are recipes for 4 different flavor combinations of egg casseroles. They're packed with flavor and nutrition, and considerably lower in calories and naughty ingredients.

HEALTHIFIED & SIMPLIFIED! Here's how I've healthified and simplified these egg casserole recipes:

• Yogurt is used in place of cheese. It adds flavor and nutrition without nearly as many calories. Sure, cheesy egg casseroles are delicious, but those are for the occasional splurge. My yogurt egg casserole recipes can be eaten regularly without guilt.
• Whole grain flour is added; it's necessary for maintaining the casseroles' puffy texture, but it has far fewer carbs than the strata egg casserole recipes with loads of bread cubes.
• Chia seeds are added. That may seem like an odd ingredient for an egg casserole, but they disappear into the mixture--no one will guess they are there. Chia seeds serve 2 purposes in these casserole recipes. (1) Chia seeds absorb 10 times their volume in liquid. Yogurts can vary greatly in their moisture content and in some cases result in too much liquid in the casserole. Chia seeds are the equalizer--helping to absorb the excess moisture. (2) In addition, chias are wildly good for you. I explain their nutritional benefits in a previous post.
• The combo of adding flour, baking powder & soda, and using a blender for the egg mixture, results in a light, puffy casserole. It falls only slighty while cooling. Most egg casserole recipes I've tried fall dramatically when they cool, resulting in a denser consistency.
• Using a blender makes it easy to quickly combine the ingredients. The blended egg mixture is ready in under a minute. Pour it over the veggies in a baking dish, and it's ready to cook.
• 1 formula, 4 (or more) varieties. The same easy blender egg mixture is used in each of the 4 recipes. Simply switch out the veggies that are added to each. That also means that you can come up with your own veggie combinations by using my recipes as guidelines for quantities.
• Make-ahead convenience! You can assemble and refrigerate these the night before and they're ready to bake in the morning.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION for 4 casserole varieties.
 (per serving when casserole is cut into 9 pieces)
Ranging from only 126 to 149 calories and 3 to 4 Weight Watchers Points! Loaded with nutrients, too.

Broccoli & Canadian Bacon Egg Puff Casserole

• 149 calories, 6.2g fat, 503mg sodium, 10.6g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 14g protein 
• Weight Watchers PointsPlus:  4
• High in phosphorus, selenium, thiamin, vitamins C & A, calcium & iron.
• If you're watching your sodium, you may want to reduce the amount of salt suggested in the recipe, since the Canadian bacon adds sodium.

Asparagus & Chive Egg Puff Casserole

• 126 calories, 5.1g fat, 268mg sodium, 10.1g carbs, 1.8g fiber, 3.0g sugars, 10.9g protein
• Weight Watchers PointsPlus:  3
• High in phosphorus, selenium, riboflavin, vitamins C & A, calcium & iron.

• 128 calories, 5.0g fat, 427mg sodium, 10.7g carbs, 2.6g fiber, 3.2g sugars, 9.7g protein
• Weight Watchers PointsPlus:  3
• High in selenium, vitamins C & A, calcium & iron.

• 140 calories, 5.2g fat, 321mg sodium, 13.3g carbs, 3.4g fiber, 2.6g sugars, 11.6g protein
• Weight Watchers PointsPlus:  4
• High in phosphorus, selenium, manganese, riboflavin, vitamins C & A, calcium & iron.

GLUTEN FREE? Easy. Use gluten-free oat flour instead of wheat flour.

Step-by-step photos for making
Yogurt Egg Puff Casseroles (4 varieties)

First I'll show you how to make the basic egg mixture that is used in each variety and then share recipes and tips for making the 4 different flavor varieties. They all use the exact same cooking procedure.

To skip the photo tutorial and go straight to the recipes, click on these links:

Broccoli & Canadian Bacon Egg Puff Recipe

Green Chile & Onion Egg Puff Recipe

Asparagus & Chive Egg Puff Recipe

Spinach & Artichoke Egg Puff Recipe

HOW TO MAKE THE BLENDED EGG MIXTURE

Step 1. Assemble the ingredients for egg mixture (all 4 of the casserole varieties begin with these ingredients):

• eggs -- I use 8 large whole eggs. If you prefer to use more whites than yolks, you can use whatever combo you like. The total egg measurement should be 1 3/4 cups.

view on Amazon:  2-cup Pyrex measuring cup

• Flour. Choose between unbleached white flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or whole grain oat flour (gluten-free oat flour is available, if preferred). TIP: You can make oat flour by blending rolled oats into a fine flour consistency.
• Baking soda and baking powder. Check their expiration dates to make sure they're fresh. Combined with the flour and yogurt, these provide lift and lightness to the casserole's texture.

view on Amazon:  whole wheat pastry flour, oat flour, gluten-free oat flour, baking soda, aluminum-free baking powder

• garlic powder, salt and pepper
• OR, use my one-step, homemade all-purpose seasoned garlic salt; recipe here

• Greek yogurt. Regular yogurt is not recommended because of its higher liquid content. However, you can strain regular yogurt to make your own Greek yogurt; here's how
• Chia seeds. These disappear into the mixture to add hidden nutrition. They also serve as a thickener.

view on Amazon:  organic chia seeds

Step 2. Add the eggs to a blender and blend at medium speed for 30 seconds.

view on Amazon:  my 5-speed KitchenAid blender

Step 3. Add the yogurt and dry ingredients and blend another 20 seconds.

Here's how to make each individual casserole variety. They all use the basic blended egg mixture explained above.

1. Broccoli & Canadian Bacon Egg Puff Casserole

view Broccoli & Canadian Bacon Egg Puff recipe

• Additional ingredients:  broccoli and Canadian bacon

Chop the broccoli and Canadian bacon. Precook the broccoli until it is tender but still crisp. You can steam it on the stove top. However, I think it's easiest to use the microwave. Simply put the broccoli in a microwave safe dish (no water needed--it steams in its own moisture), cover it, and microwave approx. 4 minutes, stirring half way through. Put the prepared broccoli and Canadian bacon in the bottom of a sprayed or greased baking dish and pour the blended egg mixture on top. Stir it to combine, pulling the ingredients up from the bottom as you stir. Bake until set and golden. Cool slightly before cutting.

view on Amazon:  8x8 square baking dish with lid

Lots of flavor without high calorie cheese. Yay!

2. Asparagus & Chive Egg Puff Casserole

click to view Asparagus & Chive Egg Puff recipe

Additional ingredients:  fresh asparagus and chives

Mince the chives and chop the asparagus into 1-1/2 to 2 inch pieces. Precook the asparagus until it is tender but still crisp. You can steam it on the stove top, or use the microwave (my choice). Put the chopped asparagus in a microwave safe dish (no water needed--it steams in its own moisture), cover it, and microwave approx. 4 minutes, stirring half way through. Put the prepared asparagus and minced chives in the bottom of a sprayed or greased baking dish and pour the blended egg mixture on top. Stir it to combine, pulling the ingredients up from the bottom as you stir. Bake until set and golden. Cool slightly before cutting.

The asparagus is dense, so it settles in the bottom of the casserole. It has a pretty layered look when it is cut. And, It's delish!

3. Onion & Green Chile Egg Puff Casserole

click to view Onion & Green Chile Egg Puff recipe

• Additional ingredients: canned green chiles and green onions

Drain the canned green chiles and chop the green onions. Use both the white and green part of the onions. Distribute the chiles and chopped onions in the bottom of a sprayed or greased baking dish and pour the blended egg mixture on top. Stir it to combine, pulling the ingredients up from the bottom as you stir. Bake until set and golden. Cool slightly before cutting.

I've tried  other green chile egg casseroles that only use 1 can of green chiles, but I can hardly taste the green chiles. That's why I triple the amount of chiles in mine. They are mild, not spicy, but are flavorful if you add enough of them. This casserole is even better with some garnishes like salsa, sour cream (or yogurt), guacamole, thinly sliced jalapenos, and cilantro.

4. Spinach & Artichoke Egg Puff Casserole

click to view Spinach & Artichoke Egg Puff recipe

• Additional ingredients:  fresh baby spinach; canned artichoke hearts; and, either chopped roasted red peppers OR chopped pimentos. 

Drain and roughly chop the artichokes and roasted red peppers (if using jarred chopped pimentos, drain them). Place spinach in microwave safe bowl, cover, and microwave for approx. 2 minutes, until completely wilted, stirring half way through. (It's not necessary to add any water to the spinach; it will steam in its own moisture.) Or, you can saute the spinach in a small skillet until it wilts, if you prefer. Distribute cooked spinach, artichokes, and red peppers (or pimentos) over bottom of prepared baking dish. Add blended egg mixture and stir it to combine, pulling the ingredients up from the bottom as you stir. Bake until set and golden. Cool slightly before cutting.

I love the lacy pattern the spinach makes in the cut casserole pieces. It tastes as good as it looks.

GENERAL TIPS

VISIBLE DONENESS CHECK. Cook the casseroles until they are puffy in the center, golden brown, and have no visible signs of liquid. When they cool, they will fall slightly, but not nearly as much as many traditional egg casseroles. They maintain a light texture.

The puffy consistency is evident in the air bubbles that are visible in the baked, cut pieces.

USE FOR WRAP OR TORTILLA FILLING. Rather than cutting the casseroles into squares, you may also spoon the baked eggs into a warm tortilla for a breakfast burrito or wrap.

FREEZE LEFTOVERS. Individual squares may be wrapped individually placed inside a freezer bag or container, and frozen for up to 1 month. To reheat, place frozen egg puff square on plate, cover, microwave at 50% power for 3 minutes, turning over half way through.

 RECIPE MAY BE DOUBLED and baked in 9x13 baking dish. Blend in 2 batches if your blender isn't big enough to mix a double batch at one time. Increase cooking time 5 to 10 minutes.

INVENT YOUR OWN VEGGIE/HERB COMBOS. Use my recipes as guidelines for quantities, and substitute other vegetables, herbs, and seasonings of your choice. Most vegetables need to be precooked (as demonstrated in the recipes above), because they won't soften enough during the baking time alone.  

MAKE AHEAD CONVENIENCE. Casserole may be assembled the night before, covered, and refrigerated. The following morning, uncover, set out at room temperature for 30 minutes, stir and bake.

view on Amazon:  8x8 square baking dish with lid

Now, all that's left is choosing a favorite combination.

Make it a Yummy day!

Monica

Click on these links for the complete printable recipes in this post:

Broccoli & Canadian Bacon Egg Puff Recipe

Green Chile & Onion Egg Puff Recipe

Asparagus & Chive Egg Puff Recipe

Spinach & Artichoke Egg Puff Recipe

Try these easy breakfast/brunch sides:

Individual Parmesan Hash Brown Cups
 

Easy Baked Bacon
 

Turkey Breakfast Sausage
 

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