Italian Garlic Chicken Sausage Strata

To most people, the word “casserole” recalls a salty, gooey dish tasting of cream-of-whatever soup and packed with saturated fat and processed junk.

With our Italian Chicken Sausage Strata, we’ve rethought the casserole altogether. Instead of the usual suspects, this recipe is loaded with lean protein and greens, and the leftovers are fantastic for lunch, too. We’ve mixed cubes of crusty baguette with sautéed mushrooms and onions, low-fat chicken sausage, and plenty of Garlic Gold® Italian Herb Nuggets. Bound with a pint of fat-free egg whites, the dish holds together and stays moist without the egg yolks or dairy.

Serve the strata for dinner along with a big green salad, or bring as a potluck dish to a brunch or baby shower. It’s easily sliced into squares and served to your family or a big crowd!

-Coco Harris, Recipe Editor for Garlic Gold®

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons Garlic Gold Oil^®, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces white button mushrooms, halved and sliced 1/8” thick
• 1 pound fully cooked garlic herb chicken sausages, diced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 pound frozen chopped spinach, defrosted to room temperature
• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2” cubes
• 1 pint egg whites
• 4 tablespoons Garlic Gold® Italian Herb Nuggets
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Heat three tablespoons of the Garlic Gold Oil® in a large (12-inch) skillet over a medium flame. Add the diced onion and salt and sauté for 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and given up most of their liquid, but not quite started to brown.
2. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and sauté with the onions for another 10 minutes, until most of their liquid has evaporated.
3. Transfer the sautéed onions and mushrooms to a large (6-quart) bowl.
4. Place the skillet back over the flame and add the remaining three tablespoons of Garlic Gold® Oil, along with the chicken sausage. Sauté for five minutes, until browned.
5. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and turn off the heat. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits up from the bottom of the skillet, then transfer the broth and sausages to the bowl with the vegetables.
6. Add the spinach, baguette, egg whites, Garlic Gold^® Italian Herb Nuggets, pepper, and nutmeg to the bowl, and toss to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow the bread to soak up all of the liquid.
7. While the mixture is sitting, preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly oil a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole dish.
8. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and bake for 55 minutes, or until golden brown on top and cooked through. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing, then serve hot.

Serves 8.