Chattavore

What I ate, plate by plate.

Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole with Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli

Loaded with ham, Cheddar cheese, and broccoli, this Instant Pot breakfast casserole (or strata, if you will) comes together so quickly and is a perfect one-dish meal for breakfast or brunch…but no one will judge you if you eat it for lunch or dinner, either!

an overhead picture of a plate of Instant Pot breakfast casserole with ham, cheddar, and broccoli on a white plate with the soufflé dish of casserole in the background

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Breakfast Casseroles are the Best!

Raise your hand if you love a one-dish breakfast???You guys know that I love my grandmother’s Christmas egg soufflé. When I set out to make an Instant Pot breakfast casserole, I knew that I wanted it to be even easier than that one, which is saying a lot.
a picture of a soufflé dish of Instant Pot breakfast casserole with ham, cheddar, and broccoli with a serving spoon and forks in the background
I decided to go with ham instead of bacon or sausage, since it doesn’t need to be precooked. Combined with sturdy bread cubes (I went with tangy sourdough), smoked Cheddar (though you could certainly use regular), broccoli, and eggs, this breakfast casserole – or strata – took about fifteen minutes to throw together after dinner. I covered the dish with foil and stuck it in the fridge overnight.
an overhead picture of a soufflé dish of Instant Pot breakfast casserole with ham, cheddar, and broccoli with forks and a serving spoon in the background
This is a seriously simple “pot-in-pot” meal. Just pour a little water in the bottom of your Instant Pot, add the trivet, and set your baking dish or soufflé dish in a little sling made out of foil. A few minutes under high pressure and you have a perfectly baked egg casserole that is 100% customizable (don’t like broccoli? Leave it out! Prefer pepper Jack? Go for it! This breakfast casserole is your oyster!). Also, let’s take a quick second to address the elephant in the room: that broccoli is not pretty. I promise it was delicious and it wasn’t mushy!

For real, you guys. You can have this Instant Pot breakfast casserole however you want it. And trust me…you want it!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite and The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

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a head on shot of a plate of Instant Pot breakfast casserole with ham, cheddar, and broccoli with the soufflé dish of casserole in the background

Yield: 4-6 servings

4

168

Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole with Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli

15 minPrep Time:

35 minCook Time:

50 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups cubed sturdy bread (such as sourdough, ciabatta, or French baguette)
  • 1 cup finely chopped broccoli
  • 1 cup diced ham
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese (I used smoked Cheddar)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine the bread cubes, broccoli, ham, and 3/4 of the cheese in a large mixing bowl. Pour into an 8-cup soufflé dish or other round baking dish.
  2. In the same bowl (there is no need to wipe it out first), whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over the bread mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
  3. Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate overnight.
  4. When ready to cook, pour 1 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Place the trivet in the Instant Pot. Make a foil sling by folding two 20-inch pieces of aluminum foil into thirds to make two long strips. Place the foil strips perpendicular to each other on top of the trivet.
  5. Place the casserole dish into the Instant Pot on top of the foil sling. Fold the ends of the sling over so that they are not hanging out of the Instant Pot.
  6. Place the lid on top of the Instant Pot and make sure that the pressure release valve is set to sealing. Select the pressure cook setting and set the time for 25 minutes. When the cook time is up, turn the Instant Pot off or unplug it. Allow the Instant Pot to depressurize naturally for 10 minutes then turn the pressure release valve to venting to release the remaining pressure.
  7. Carefully use the aluminum foil sling to remove the casserole from the Instant Pot. Remove the foil and allow the casserole to stand for ten minutes before serving.
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https://chattavore.com/instant-pot-breakfast-casserole-with-ham-cheese-and-broccoli/

Pimento Cheese Biscuits

Pimento cheese biscuits are just about as southern as you can get. They’re soft and fluffy and take approximately 2% more effort than a regular biscuit to make. They’re a great way to use up leftover pimento cheese (is that a thing?!?!?)!

A picture of a pimento cheese biscuit on a plate with butter and a basket of pimento cheese biscuits in the back

Can you think of two foods that are more Southern than pimento cheese and biscuits?

I really can’t. Funny thing is that of course neither were invented here in the southeast part of the U.S. but certainly no one reveres these foods nowadays like we do around these parts.

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Pimento cheese is one of those foods that I cannot keep in the house if I don’t want to be constantly dipping a cracker or a pretzel or a tortilla chip or just a spoon into it every. single. time. that I open the refrigerator. And biscuits…well, they’re my typical Sunday morning breakfast. Nothing better than biscuits with some Kerrygold.

I mean, unless it’s pimento cheese biscuits with Kerrygold.
a basket of pimento cheese biscuits with a butter dish in the background
Pimento cheese biscuits are a great way to use up leftover pimento cheese, but if you, like me, do not know the meaning of the term “leftover pimento cheese”, then by all means make some (here’s my recipe) or buy it especially for this purpose. I promise, pimento cheese biscuits take only about 2% more effort than regular old buttermilk biscuits.

The tricks to making perfect pimento cheese biscuits:

  • Good ol’ Southern flour made with soft white winter wheat. White Lily is always in my pantry and Martha White will work as well. If you are not fortunate enough to have grocery store access to this, this thread from Chowhound recommends using half all-purpose flour and half cake flour.
  • Make sure that the butter and the pimento cheese are cold. I take them out of the fridge right before I make the biscuit dough.
  • I always use full-fat buttermilk to make my biscuits, but if you don’t have it you can use heavy cream, half and half, or milk (preferably whole milk).
  • Fold your biscuit dough to get flaky layers better than any remade biscuit ever thought about having!
  • I used a biscuit cutter to make pretty biscuits for pictures, but I usually just use a knife so I don’t have scraps that have to be reformed. This makes the most tender biscuits!
  • If you like crispy bottoms on your biscuits (I do) preheat the pan while you preheat the oven. Even better, use a cast iron skillet or a stoneware pan to bake the biscuits!

So – next time you have leftover pimento cheese (I’ll take your word that this is a thing) or just want to combine these two ultra Southern foods, pimento cheese biscuits are the ticket!
a pimento cheese biscuit on a plate with a pat of butterClick here to save this recipe for later on Pinterest!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate and The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Yield: 6 biscuits (can easily be doubled)

Pimento Cheese Biscuits

15 minPrep Time:

15 minCook Time:

30 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup/5 ounces/ 150 grams all-purpose soft white winter wheat flour (such as White Lily/Martha White) OR 1/2 cup/ 2.5 ounces / 75 grams EACH regular all-purpose flour and cake flour
  • ¼ teaspoon/1 gram baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons/10 grams baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon/4 grams salt (kosher salt weighs less than table salt so if you are measuring in teaspoons you will need ¾-1 teaspoon)
  • 3 tablespoons/1 ½ ounces/ 40 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • ½ cup/2 ounces/60 grams cold pimento cheese
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (I use full-fat) OR same amount heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I highly recommend using a small cast-iron skillet or a stoneware pan to get crispy bottoms. If you are using one, place it in the oven to preheat as well
  2. Stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to cut the butter and pimento cheese into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You don’t want the largest pieces to be bigger than peas.
  4. Add the buttermilk a little at a time (the measurement is approximate because I don’t ever measure…I just pour a little bit, stir, and pour more until I get all the dough to stick together). Stir after each addition until everything just comes together into a cohesive dough.
  5. Turn the biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it out into a rectangle then fold into thirds like you are folding a letter. Repeat that twice, then pat it out and cut into 6 pieces or use a biscuit cutter (I used a biscuit cutter to make these look nice for the picture, but usually I just cut them so that I don’t have to handle the dough too much).
  6. Place the biscuits on the preheated pan or a baking sheet so that they just touch. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Serve immediately.
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https://chattavore.com/pimento-cheese-biscuits/

Sausage and Red Pepper Mini Quiches

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® community. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and ConAgra Brands. All opinions are mine alone. #BreakfastGoals2018 #CollectiveBias

Sausage and red pepper mini quiches come together so quickly and they’re so easy to make…and delicious, of course. They’re great for brunch!
Sausage and red pepper mini-quiches stacked on a cutting board

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How do you feel about brunch?

Are you a brunch person? For me, brunch = life. I mean, breakfast food is always perfect…am I right? How can you go wrong with biscuits and gravy? Bacon? Eggs? Sausage? Answer: you can’t. Breakfast foods are awesome any time of day. I mean, it’s not really universally accepted to eat spaghetti for breakfast, but it is totally universally accepted to eat pancakes for dinner.
An overhead shot of a cutting board with sausage, eggs, roasted red peppers, grated cheese, and pie crust
The really great thing about brunch is that most of the time brunch foods are pretty easy to whip up but when you say that something is “brunch” it becomes totally fancy and special. I mean, serve up a mimosa beside just about anything and it’s fancy, right? Easy, crowd-pleasing, and fancy? Hello!
An overhead shot of a muffin pan filled with unbaked mini-quiches with sausage, a bowl of whisked eggs, and a cutting board with chopped roasted red peppers and grated cheese
Quiche is one of my absolute favorite brunch foods. First of all, quiche is an awesome “clean out the fridge” food. Throw in a little bit of this and a little bit of that and add some eggs and you have an incredibly delicious and well-balanced meal.
A picture of baked sausage and red pepper mini-quiches in a muffin tinQuiche = Girly Food? NAH.

The thing that always makes me laugh about quiche is that a lot of men think of it as “girly” food. I mean really, how can food be girly? And who really cares? What matters about food is that it tastes good. Honestly, I’m really not sure how food that includes pie crust (I mean, would you turn down apple pie?), cheese, and eggs should somehow only be consumed by women because it has a French name. Can we all just agree that that is silly?

Especially when the quiche in question is this sausage and red pepper mini quiches. With Odom’s Tennessee Pride® Country Sausage, roasted red peppers, and smoked cheddar cheese, these quiches are substantial…but baked in a muffin pan, it’s miniature in stature so everyone gets their own baby quiche…no annoying attempts to cut a slice out of a pie-shaped quiche, because we all know how annoying that can be.
An overhead picture of baked sausage and red pepper mini-quiches stacked on a cutting board
My mom has bought Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage since I was a kid. Once, I bought another brand because the store where I was shopping didn’t have Tennessee Pride (tragic, I know). I should have made another stop (I could have picked some up at Walmart, which is where I got this), because I was sorely disappointed with the other brand. Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage always has the right balance of herbs and spices and it browns up perfectly. It’s just how sausage should taste to me. It’s perfect in this quiche with the smoked cheddar and roasted red pepper (which I roasted myself, but you can totally buy a jar).
A photo of a woman getting a package of breakfast sausage from a cooler at a grocery store
These sausage and red pepper mini quiches are so easy to make…the whole thing comes together in about 15 minutes, and then they’re baked and ready to eat in 25. You could even make them the night before and stick them in the oven when you’re ready to bake…and this sausage and red pepper quiche is delicious hot or at room temperature.

These sausage and red pepper mini quiches would be perfect on your Easter brunch table!

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A picture of roasted red pepper and sausage mini-quiches stacked on a cutting board. One quiche is cut open, revealing the sausage and red peppers inside

Yield: 8 mini-quiches

Sausage & Roasted Red Pepper Mini Quiches

15 minPrep Time:

35 minCook Time:

50 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

  • 8 ounces (1/2 package) breakfast sausage; I used Odom's Tennessee Pride®Country Sausage mild variety
  • pastry for a single crust pastry (I used one crust from a packaged pie crust)
  • 1 roasted red pepper (jarred, or make your own - see notes for directions), chopped
  • 4 ounces smoked cheddar cheese (1 cup, grated)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
  2. Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until browned.
  3. Roll the pie crust into a rectangle and cut into 8 equal pieces. I don't get too precious with this - just estimate how big you think it needs to be for 8 mini quiches. Press the 8 squares each into a cup of the muffin tin.
  4. Divide the sausage, chopped red peppers, and cheese among the 8 pastry crusts.
  5. Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl or large measuring cup. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes

To make your own roasted red peppers, heat a broiler to high with a rack 6-8 inches from the broiler. Cut the sides off of a large red pepper. Place the red pepper skin side up on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler and broil until the skin is blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 15 minutes then peel off any blackened skin.

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https://chattavore.com/sausage-and-red-pepper-mini-quiches/

A picture of roasted red pepper and sausage mini-quiches stacked on a cutting board. One quiche is cut open, revealing the sausage and red peppers inside

Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Bread

Banana beer bread with chocolate chips is a delicious and simple to make bread that is just sweet enough for dessert but you can eat it for breakfast too! Scroll down for video.

Banana beer bread with chocolate chips is a delicious and simple to make bread that is just sweet enough for dessert but you can eat it for breakfast too! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

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Do You Make Banana Bread?

Things I never make:

  1. Banana bread

Weird, right? Banana bread is one of those super-basic things that everyone makes. But I really never do. I mean, until now. Because what else are you going to do when you have four super-ripe bananas about to start attracting flies in your kitchen?
Banana beer bread with chocolate chips is a delicious and simple to make bread that is just sweet enough for dessert but you can eat it for breakfast too! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Bread

You get your husband to bring a brown ale home from work and you make banana beer bread. Yep. Plus chocolate chips, because in my humble opinion banana bread is always made better by the addition of chocolate.

I was pretty concerned that this banana beer bread would turn out too wet. There is a lot of liquid in there. It turned out perfectly, though – so moist and sweet enough for dessert but wholesome enough for breakfast (because bananas and whole wheat flour). Put your banana beer bread in the fridge, though. I didn’t. It did not end well.
Banana beer bread with chocolate chips is a delicious and simple to make bread that is just sweet enough for dessert but you can eat it for breakfast too! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Click here to save this to your Pinterest baking and breakfast boards!

Since I made this banana beer bread, maybe I’ll up the ante on my banana bread making game. Banana bread is one of the few ways that I can get Philip to consume bananas, and if beer is included, even better (the brown ale that I used was Maduro Brown Ale from Cigar City Brewing, and I have also had great luck with Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale).

This recipe was shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!


Yield: 1 8 1/2 inch loaf

Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Bread

15 minPrep Time:

1 hrCook Time:

1 hr, 15 Total Time:

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Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour - I used white whole wheat)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 very ripe bananas
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown ale
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350?. Spray a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray or grease with butter.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas then stir in the butter, eggs, brown sugar, and beer.
  3. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips and stir until no dry spots remain. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.
  4. Bake the banana bread for 55 minutes to an hour, rotating the pan halfway through baking. When the bread is done, a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
  5. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let it cool completely before serving.
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https://chattavore.com/banana-beer-bread/

Banana beer bread with chocolate chips is a delicious and simple to make bread that is just sweet enough for dessert but you can eat it for breakfast too! | Recipe from Chattavore.com
This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Recommended for this recipe:

Other ways to use your overripe bananas:
Banana Pudding Cake
Peanut Butter Banana Chip Cookies
Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Easy Scones with Plums and Greek Yogurt + Video

These easy scones with plums and Greek yogurt are full of good stuff – yogurt, whole wheat, and fruit – and they’re so delicious you won’t be able to resist! (Scroll down for video)

a close-up picture of a scone with plums and Greek yogurt with a pitcher of cream and a teapot in the background

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Scones v. Biscuits

A while back one of my friends posted on Facebook about trying what some tout as the best biscuit in Chattanooga (I contend that my biscuits are the best in Chattanooga…I still need to open that biscuits and gravy food truck). A British friend of hers commented that she really didn’t understand what an American biscuit was, as “biscuit” is the word that Brits use for what we in the States call a cookie. I commented and told her that I thought of a biscuit as a slightly more moist, savory scone.
a picture of a scone with plums and Greek yogurt with a teapot, a cup of tea, a pitcher of cream, and a jar of lemon curd in the background
I think that was a pretty decent explanation.That post and my tea at the English Rose made me start thinking that scones are really something that I don’t make enough. I mean, I love scones, and even though they’re not exactly like biscuits they’re definitely just as easy.
a picture of a scone with plums and Greek yogurt with a cup of tea, a teapot, and a pitcher of tea in the background

Plum Scones

A couple of weeks ago I was racking my brain trying to think of a recipe to put some fresh plums into. I considered putting them into my chicken biscuits, but ultimately decided that was a peach’s job and instead decided that plums needed to go into some easy scones. These easy scones have fresh chopped plums, Greek yogurt, and milk. I even went and healthed them up even more by adding some whole wheat flour.
an overhead picture of a scone with plums and Greek yogurt with a teapot, a cup of tea, and a pitcher of cream

Authentic? Eh.

I’m not going to lie…the butter and Greek yogurt make these plum scones pretty dang tender and biscuit-like, so I don’t want anyone fussing that they aren’t authentic. I’m a Southern cook, so it’s going to come across in just about everything I make. Still, if you taste these easy scones I don’t think you’re going to complain, especially if you have them with some salted butter or some lemon curd (my personal preference). And whether you have a cup of coffee or tea, I don’t think you can go wrong. Try them and see for yourself!
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!


Yield: 8 scones

Easy Scones with Plums and Greek Yogurt

20 minPrep Time:

20 minCook Time:

40 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup chopped fresh plums (3-4 plums)
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, 1/2 cup of sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  3. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until only small pieces of butter are visible. Stir in the Greek yogurt and milk.
  4. Turn the scone dough out onto a floured surface. Fold and turn until a cohesive dough forms. Form into a large rectangle (use a rolling pin if needed - I just patted it out with my hands).
  5. Sprinkle the chopped plums onto the dough and roll the dough into a tube. Flour again and form a disc, about 8-10 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 triangles and place on a baking sheet.
  6. Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream or milk and sprinkle with the additional tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top and no longer doughy. Serve warm with butter, jam, lemon curd, or clotted cream.
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https://chattavore.com/easy-scones/

a close-up picture of a scone with plums and greek yogurt on a plate with lemon curd