Spicy Thai Breakfast Casserole

Spice your meal prep breakfast up a notch with this casserole!

When I asked you all what types of things you'd like to see more of on the blog, one of the popular responses was meal prep ideas. I can totally relate, especially in the breakfast arena. I was needing to come up with a good breakfast meal prep for my kids-- something they could get out of the fridge themselves and warm up in the microwave. My mom makes an outstanding breakfast casserole that is a little more traditional than this and calls for bread (of course) and lots of cheese (of course). Both are things I can't eat and, let's be honest, if you're going to grate an entire block of grass fed cheese into a casserole, you may as well just add shredded dollar bills. Am I right?!?!

The dilemma is that most ingredients in casseroles don't exactly fit the Paleo lifestyle, but they are GREAT for serving a crowd or for meal prep. You can even pre-cut individual servings and separate them into tupperware or baggies and take a serving with you if you're rushing out the door in the mornings. When I got to thinking, I came to the revelation that a frittata is not that different from a casserole, it just uses eggs only. So, why not do a larger scaled frittata in a casserole dish? BINGO!

Now, you all know I love my spicy food. Thai is definitely included in that! So, I thought I'd make this breakfast casserole Thai inspired. I kept the spice mild for the sake of my kids, but if you'd like to take it up to what my favorite Thai restaurant back home in Indiana calls, "Thai Spicy," just bump up the red pepper & chili powder!

Spicy Thai Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

12 eggs

2 Tbs Flavor God Spicy Seasoning*

1 Tbs dried basil or 2 Tbs fresh chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground cardemom

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp chili powder

1/2  tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp red pepper

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbs coconut oil + more for greasing dish

1 lb ground beef or any ground meat of choice

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped broccoli

1 yellow onion

1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)

1/2 cup creamy cashew butter

1 cup chopped tomatoes

*If you do not have Flavor God use the following in place:

1 Tbs garlic powder (in addition to the 1 tsp listed above)

1/2 Tbs onion powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp red pepper (in addition to the 1 tsp listed above)

1 tsp dried basil (in addition to the 1 Tbs listed above)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*F. Grease a large casserole dish with coconut oil. In a large mixing bowl whisk eggs and all the spices together well. In a pan over medium heat, melt coconut oil. Begin to brown the meat. After it has browned a bit, add the carrots & broccoli. They need to be first in the pan as they will take longer to cook down. You can use a lid to help them cook faster if you wish. Once the meat is browned and the carrots and broccoli have begun to soften, add the mushrooms & onions. Once all the veggies have softened, add the cashew butter and blend well with the other ingredients until cashew butter has melted and everything is coated with it. Add the tomatoes and heat until the tomatoes are just warmed through. Add the meat and vegetables to the whisked eggs and mix well. Pour mixture into greased casserole dish. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until a toothpick or fork comes out clean. Don't be alarmed if your casserole goes all "Puff Daddy" on you while cooking. It will settle back down as it cools.

Slice & store in the fridge, or serve immediately-- perhaps with a little coconut milk over top-- and ENJOY!