This homemade cornbread stuffing with sausage and sage is the Thanksgiving dish I dream about all year long. With shallots and lots of fresh herbs, it’s flavorful, super easy to throw together, and reheats like a dream!
A few years ago, when I was in college, I spent one whole day making freezer meals, and as luck would have it, my fucking freezer broke overnight. I was devastated and haven’t really gotten back into the whole “make ahead meals” things ever since. But, with lots of craziness in the world, having some frozen meals on hand isn’t necessarily a bad idea. Especially when I can eat said meals in the car with one hand in the form of make ahead breakfast burritos!
I have been planning on making some freezer breakfast burritos for a while, but this past weekend was finally the time I decided to get my ish together and actually do it. I was looking for a burrito that tasted like the greasy hangover breakfast burritos I ate in college but had the nutritional benefits of a kale smoothie. Turns out, that’s impossible! But, I still think I got pretty close thanks to a few healthier swaps like turkey sausage and whole wheat tortillas. 😛
These breakfast burritos are perfect for anyone who forgets about breakfast almost every single day (hi) and resorts to eating a salad or Greek yogurt or a chocolate bar just to get something in their belly. But, we all know that breakfast can be so much better. And wholesome. And well-rounded. Which is where make-ahead breakfast burritos come into play.
This recipe has scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, peppers, potatoes, black beans, and cheese stuffed into a whole wheat flour tortilla. Marc insisted on the potatoes, but if you’re going for an extra boost of health, you could always throw in a few handfuls of spinach or arugula instead! I like serving the burritos with guac, salsa, and fresh fruit to complete the whole meal.
The beauty of breakfast burritos is that you can pretty much put anything in them. They’re so easy to make vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc. However, I eat pretty much all things, so mine just requires basic ingredients you can find in any grocery store. You’ll need:
First, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until combined. Set aside.
Next, heat a pan over medium-high heat and cook your sausage until it’s no longer pink and cooked-through. Drain any fat, and place the sausage in a bowl. Set aside.
Then, add the shredded potatoes and bell peppers to the pan with a little oil, and cook until the potatoes are crispy and the peppers have softened. Add to the bowl with the sausage.
After, pour the egg mixture into the pan, and cook until they are softly scrambled and fluffy. Add the sausage-veggie mixture to the eggs, and then mix in a can of drained black beans. Season with salt and pepper.
Next, divide the mixture between eight whole wheat tortillas. Sprinkle each with a little cheese, roll up, and they’re ready to freeze or serve! You can either warm them in the oven if you’re serving burritos to a crowd, or you can pan fry the burritos to get a crispy outside. Even better, use a panini press if you have one!
I’m pretty bad at rolling breakfast burritos, and it’s usually Marc’s job any time we make them. But, it’s actually really easy, and I’m just incompetent apparently. All you have to do is place some filling on your tortilla (try to place it more toward the side you’re rolling up so it’s easy to roll).
Next, fold in the shorter sides to make sure the filling stays in place. Then, take the end of the tortilla closest to you, fold it over, and tuck under the filling a bit to keep everything in place. Roll it up, and place the burritos seam-side down!
We like to eat these burritos with salsa, guacamole, and hot sauce! Greek yogurt or sour cream is great too. If we eat them for breakfast, we usually have a little fresh fruit on the side. Or, if we’re eating them for dinner, we like brown rice and grilled/sauteed veggies!
To freeze the burritos, wrap them with beeswax/plastic wrap/tinfoil, and keep them in an airtight container for up to two months. The filling will also last in the fridge for up to one week. If you store the filling in the fridge, I would assemble the burritos right before you eat them, or they will get soggy!
To reheat, unwrap the burrito and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 3-4 minutes, until they’re warmed through. If the middle won’t warm up all the way, cut the burrito in half and microwave it in 30-second increments until warm!
You can also warm the burritos in an oven at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes.
To take the burritos *up a notch*, heat a skillet with a small amount of neutral cooking oil, and grill the burrito on each side until it’s nice and crispy. If you have a panini press, you can grill burritos that way too!
These burritos can be made with pretty much anything you have on hand. Try:
Mini Chilaquiles Verdes with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Bacon Hash Skillet with Runny Eggs + Harissa
Croque Madame Galettes with Everything Bagel Crust
xo Sara Lynn
*Song of the day: Plants by Crumb
I have been surprisingly social all weekend. I went to a football game on Friday (we won!) (Go Wolfpack!) and then my roommates and I spent the rest of the night with Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen and Cards Against Humanity. If you have never played Cards Against Humanity, let’s just introduce you to their slogan : A party game for horrible people.
And that it is.
Just take a look at their website. Or check out this and this.
I also spent my Saturday night bar hopping with one of my best friends/pseudo cousin. Except that I had to drive home so my bar hopping experience was mostly just me getting leaned on by a bunch of drunk people.
Good times right?
The whole drinking and Cards Against Humanity thing ties together because:
1. Most of the time, if you’re playing Cards Against Humanity, you are simultaneously drinking.
And 2. When I told my roommate, “The only two games I know how to play are beer pong and Cards Against Humanity. What does that say about me?”, his response was, “You’re an evil alcoholic.”
So there’s that.
And now about Zuppa Toscana. It is that delicious soup at Olive Garden with sausage, potatoes, and kale. The broth is lightly creamy and a little spicy.
It is also 220 calories for a bowl of it at Olive Garden. That doesn’t seem tooooo bad, until you consider that it has 15 g of fat and 990 mg of sodium in it. And when you consider that you’re going to have another bowl of it. And a glass (or two) of wine. And probably some type of pasta. And that salad, which also doesn’t seem too bad until you see that there are 150 calories, 10 g of fat, and 760 mg of sodium in it. Also, don’t forget that you’re going to eat like, 4 of those bread sticks (140 calories, 2.5 g fat, 460 mg sodium)
Holy shit, what is in this stuff?
Anyways, I definitely recreated the recipe and lightened it up quite a bit. I calculated it all up and it was about 350 calories per serving. The recipe serves 4, so you get quite a big serving of soup for less than 400 calories. Also, you just throw it in a crockpot. So easy guys.
Ahem.
*thunderous applause*
*The recipe was originally from Fix it and Forget it, but has been changed dramatically*
Ingredients:
6 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 c. whole milk or half and half
2 carrots, grated
3 russet potatoes, sliced
4 cups kale, chopped slightly
1 lb. turkey Italian sausage
Dash salt and pepper
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Sprinkle onion powder
1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
Grate 2 carrots into your crockpot.
Pour in chicken broth.
And the whole milk/half and half.
Slice up your potatoes.
Add them to your broth.
Brown the sausage.
Add it to your broth.
Sprinkle your spices!
Cook for 3-4 hours on high, stirring every once in a while.
1 hour, I REPEAT, 1 HOUR before serving, stir in kale. If you do it any earlier, it will be grossly soggy. Do you want soggy kale? Do you?!
No. You really don’t.
Serve with a light homemade salad and some whole wheat rolls. Sprinkle it with a little parm.
Yum yum yum. This is definitely going to be my fall favorite.
Bonus: It’s gluten free naturally!
It doesn’t taste exactly like the Olive Garden version, but it’s pretty damn close for a light version. Sometime (when you feel really naughty) go ahead and use regular chicken broth, cream, and pork Italian sausage. Or just go to Olive Garden and really go all out. I’m normally not a fan of chains, but I still love Olive Garden every once in a while.
But just make this, okay?
XO Sara
Midterms are finally over. Â Hallelujah.
This past week was what I liked to call “hell week”. Â First, midterms all week. Â Also, school from 9ish-12ish everyday, work from 12:30-6 after that, and then go home, study, and go to sleep.
Needless, to say, I did not eat healthy or work out all week. Â Partly because I didn’t have time and partly because I was feeling sorry for myself.
Because normally my work day and school day only goes from 6:30-12ish. Â Which gives me plenty of time to do homework, clean, make dinner, and exercise.
I’m kind of a princess aren’t I?
But this week should be much, much better, and it’s only a four day week because this coming weekend is Nevada Day (Thanks Nevada!) Â And my mom is coming to see me!!! Â Needless to say, I’m excited. Â SO EXCITED.
Plus I got to make these delicious roll ups for dinner this weekend. Â Like I said, I normally cook healthy. Â But on the weekends I like to have more fun with my cooking by making whatever I want.
The normal schedule is dinner out on Friday, easy meal/breakfast for dinner Saturday night, nice Sunday night dinner.  Anyone else have these kinds of traditions?  It’s what my mom does at home too!  Some things never change, even if you move away 😉
Anyways, about these cream cheese sausage roll ups.  It’s one of B’s faves and it’s a family recipe.  His brother sent it to me and I adapted it just a tad.  And thus, Brandon was a very, very happy man 🙂
P.S. These taste kind of like biscuits and gravy, which is one of my favorites! Â Luckily, these are easier!
P.P.S. These are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Ingredients:
1-2 package(s) refrigerated croissant dough (cresent roll dough)
1 lb. breakfast sausage, regular
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. mustard powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
First, prepare by opening the roll(s) of dough. Â Spread it out so that it is flat. Â Preheat the oven to 350* F.
Brown the sausage in a pan. Â Drain fat.
Add cream cheese, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Â Mix together.
(I know, it’s not very pretty. Â But it’s delicious!)
Place about 3 Tbs. of mixture into each triangle (for 1 package dough) or 1-2 Tbs. of mixture into each triangle (for 2 packages of dough). Â (I like it better with less filling, so next time I will use 2 rolls of dough. Â If you like lots of filling though, go for 1 package :)) Â Roll them up around the dough and place on greased baking sheets. Â Some of them were messy because Brandon and I had an important rerun of The Office to get to, and the commercial break was over!
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve these babies! Â Yum!
They’re even kind of pretty rolled up and baked (in my opinion).
I would serve them with orange juice. Â Just my opinion.
You could even make them mini for appetizers!
Because that’s what I would do.
Have a great week everyone! Â And if this is your hell week, good luck my friend.
XOXO Sara
