Sausage-Grits Casserole–the heart-healthy version

Pretend there’s a photo here.*

This is our traditional Christmas morning breakfast.  It was also the traditional Christmas morning breakfast of my childhood–in its original, heart-stopping, artery-clogging format.  As soon as I started making it myself, lo these twenty years ago, I substituted vegetarian sausage for the pork that my mother used–I stopped eating sausage when I was in college.  Ground animal protein gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Then after Lee’s heart attack, I realized I needed to cut the fat even further, so I switched to fat-free cheese and eggbeaters (I’ve used skim milk my whole life).

So here you have a southern tradition that won’t kill you.  It’s not the same as the original–I’ll be the first to admit it–but it’s pretty darn good.  It’s also really easy to make (the veggie sausage is MUCH easier to deal with than real pork), and–the best part–YOU MAKE IT THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Have some fruit alongside, and maybe a little sweet pastry of some kind (I might be in the habit of making cinnamon rolls, but you could cut yourself some slack and buy some already made), and you have a beautiful, festive holiday breakfast.  Put on a pot of coffee, since you’ve only had about three hours of sleep and you know you need it, and bob’s your uncle. (heh.  I’ve always wanted to work that into a sentence.  And now I have.)

My Mother’s Sausage-Grits**-Cheese Casserole, modified***
Makes a 9 x 13 pan

2 cups water
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup uncooked quick grits, NOT instant
3 cups non-fat cheddar, plus 1 cup 2% cheddar, all shredded
1 cup eggbeater
1 cup skim milk
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/8 t. garlic salt (yes, I have garlic salt in my pantry–I think this is the only recipe I use it in)
2 pkgs. Gimme Lean, sausage style

Boil water, stir in grits, and return to boil.  Reduce heat; cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In large bowl, combine grits, fat-free cheddar, and 1/2 cup 2% cheddar.  Stir until cheese melts.

In a separate bowl, combine eggbeater, milk, thyme, and garlic.  Mix well.  Add a small amount of the hot grits to the egg mixture (called tempering–to heat the eggs gradually, preventing them from scrambling), then stir the eggs into the grits.

Using your hands (this is messy, but I’ve experimented with lots of different ways of doing it, and this is quickest), sort of roughly crumble the (raw) Gimme Lean into the bowl.  It won’t crumble, per se, like cooked sausage would, but just break it up into clumps and drop them in.  If you stir vigorously, the whole thing will blend together well enough.

Pour into a 9 x 13 baking pan that you’ve generously sprayed.  Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of 2% cheddar.****

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, put the pan on the kitchen counter while the oven preheats to 350.  Bake, uncovered, for 50-55 minutes.

To make a smaller version, halve the ingredients and use a (roughly) 10 x 6 baking pan, and bake for 45 minutes.

*I know I did a similar no-photo-post at Thanksgiving; sorry.  It’s Wednesday morning as I write this, and I’ll be mixing our casserole up on Thursday evening.  We DO NOT need two pans full in the refrigerator.  Use your imagination.

**If you’re not from the south, you may not have grown up on grits.  You’ve been missing out, trust me.

***If you want to make the real McCoy, use 4 cups of grated extra sharp cheddar, 4 eggs, and 2 lbs of bulk pork sausage, cooked, drained, and crumbled.  Don’t ask me how to cook and drain sausage–I don’t do that.

**** I have learned, through trial and error, that using all fat-free cheese causes an unappetizing liquid to pool on the top of the casserole.  Putting that last 1/2 cup of 2% on top seems to prevent this.  When I do a half-quantity, I still hold out 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top.