Gluten and Dairy Free Slow-Cooker Breakfast Omelet Casserole

During the holiday season, it seems that the busyness of our daily lives only gets even more hectic. Whether it’s holiday gatherings, seasonal traditions or just plan old everyday work, time seems to be at a premium during this part of the year. It’s so tempting to save time by turning to quick-to-make but not so nutritious commercial options. Instead, resist the urge to binge on junk food (New Year’s weight-loss resolution is just around the corner!) and stretch your time with a few slow-cooker meals!

This colorful and tasty omelet casserole is my favorite Christmas brunch. It’s easy to throw together then simply stand back and allow the slow cooker to do the rest, while you enjoy your Christmas morning. Whether it’s to give yourself some self-care, wrap those last minute gifts, grab your coffee and read the Christmas story to the kids or enjoy the happy smiles and squeals while they unwrap their gifts. All the while knowing that a tasty hot meal will be ready to serve whenever the gang is ready for it! I like to pair this colorful fully-loaded omelet casserole with a side dish of fruit and some freshly made mini muffins for an easy Christmas breakfast feast.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil for greasing slow-cooker
• 1 green onion
• 1 very small red onion (or onion color of your choice)
• 2/3 cup cubed fully cooked ham
• 2 small Roma tomatoes
• 2 small cloves of garlic
• 1/3 of a red bell pepper (My kids gladly devour the remaining pepper slices!)
• 1/3 of a green bell pepper
• Fresh parsley
• 2 small mushrooms
• 2-3 cups shredded potatoes
• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup of almond milk (Fresh Homemade Cashew and Almond Nut Milk)
• Dairy free cheese for topping
• Salt and pepper to taste (I use course ground black pepper and Himalayan pink salt because of the added mineral benefits.)

Notes: I chose to use red and green peppers to give it more of a festive Christmas vibe. When making the dish for another occasion or merely to save time year around, feel free to be creative and use any color you desire. This recipe offers many opportunities for variation and creativity, by simply swapping your choice of vegetables and herbs, it’s a whole new dish each time you make it!

Optional add ins and swap outs:
black olives
spinach
dill
jalapeno pepper
cilantro
bacon or sausage crumbles
Worcestershire sauce (added to egg mixture)
Slow-cookers tend to mellow flavors which makes them great for ingredients with bold flavors. This is one style of cooking where a little extra spice never hurts.

Start by chopping up all of those flavorful veggies and cubing your ham, then set aside.

Now shred your potatoes. I like using fresh potatoes and doing this myself with my Kitchen Aid attachment.

Making them myself means I am assured that no gluten containing fillers have been added to my hash-browns. Gluten containing ingredients are often added to the hash browns sold in supermarkets to prevent the potatoes from sticking together. You can use pre-shedded hash browns from the store if you prefer, but if cooking gluten free remember to check the label very carefully.

Next spray or grease your slow-cooker well with olive oil. Some people prefer to use a disposable liner for ease of cleanup. I tend to avoid liners since I don’t like the health aspects of cooking in plastic or the added waste of single-use plastic items, but feel free to use one if you so desire. Even if using a liner I still recommend greasing the liner for ease of serving.

Line your slower cooker bottom/sides with your shredded potatoes.

Add your diced meat and veggies.

Now whisk up your dozen eggs with the almond milk, salt, and pepper.

Pour over your potatoes and veggies in the slow cooker. The egg mixture should pretty much cover the potatoes and veggies in the slow cooker.

I used a standard 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe. The combined ingredients only filled the crock about half full. Space-wise it would appear the recipe could be doubled, but doing so may also cause the recipe to not cook properly. I did not test this recipe doubled, so if you are feeding a crowd and choose to double, it is at your own risk. 🙂

Next top with your favorite dairy free cheddar cheese.

Throw it on HIGH for about 3 hours while you enjoy your morning and the slow cooker does the work! Due to a wide variety of manufactures, styles and even the age of your appliance, every slow-cooker tends to cook a bit differently. Therefore any time frame offered can only be approximate and will vary slightly between slow-cookers.

Simply serve and enjoy!

Allow yourself to take a breath and relax, enjoy your holiday morning and savor the flavors of life. You will be going full speed again before you know it.

Wishing You a Moment to Pause and Take in the Joys of the Season, the Homesteading Hen

Do you have a favorite (and nutritious) time-saving holiday meal tip?