Smoked Gouda and broccoli egg casserole

Glenda makes this mouth-watering egg soufflé every Saturday at the lodge. It is unparalleled in texture and flavor and pretty much the only reason why I work there. I come for the food. I mean, don’t we all?

I have wanted to make her recipe at home for quite some time now but chicken out every time. What if I mess up? What if it does not live up to the soft, creamy and savory wonderfulness that is Glenda’s magical egg soufflé?!?!?

Once I remedied myself with the fact that it is indeed Glenda’s magical egg soufflé, which comes with cozy Saturday memories of eating with the crazy wildberry crew; accompanied with laughs, stories and love…I realized that I didn’t even want to try. That delicious dish is already spoken for.

I did, however, go into a casserole making frenzy at my house trying out different ideas in hopes to create something separate but just as amazing. Thus was born my Smoked Gouda and Broccoli Egg Casserole. If casserole worship is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Ever.

This is a rich and filling casserole while having the added plus of being a healthy and guilt-free breakfast with all the veggies I load in. Oh, it’s also gluten-free!

What you’ll need:

10 eggs

One head of broccoli, sliced thin

Half a pound of dutch smoked gouda (basic smoked gouda works just fine but if you can find the dutch stuff, use it! It is very creamy!)

1 medium to large zucchini, coarsely chopped

Half an onion, coarsely chopped

1 tsp Hungarian paprika

1 tsp granulated garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Pie dish (or any baking dish that is roughly the size of a pie dish)

Directions:

Whisk eggs in medium sized mixing bowl. Grate the gouda and then add to the whisked eggs. Add paprika and garlic and set aside.

Start sauteing onion with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil (any fat will do, your choice) until the onion starts to brown. Add in the zucchini and broccoli and cook until it’s tender but still slightly firm. Salt and pepper your veggies to taste after they are cooked.

Add the veggies to the eggs mixture and stir around. Add into a greased baking dish and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

I say “about” because it seems like egg dishes have a mind of their own. One day it’s done in 30, and the next day it’s done in 45. So just keep an eye on it. This dish is pretty hard to mess up! And the best part about this way of cooking is how easy it is to be creative with it. Depending on what I have in my fridge at the time, sometimes I do spinach and shitake mushroom instead. Or sun dried tomatoes with diced ham. As long as you use the base of eggs with the smoked gouda, the rest is entirely your playground to experiment with!