You know that hash brown casserole that you find at brunch potlucks? The one with the corn flakes on top? I have good news and bad news for you. I calculated a random hash brown casserole from allrecipes.com and came up with a total of 99 PointsPlus for the 9×13 pan, with each serving having 22 grams of fat! That’s the bad news, for both you and your cholesterol level. The good news is that I have a lightened up version that will satisfy the “I need something cheesy and potatoey for breakfast” craving. The whole recipe has 39 PointsPlus, and each serving has less than 3 grams of fat. Yeah!
The only down-side to this recipe is that it needs to cook for a little over an hour in the oven. Not the most convenient weekday breakfast. Lucky for me, we have a new “houseguest” named Wilbur who gets 5 am walks with my daughter and husband. I assembled the dish the night before and then had Marc put the casserole in the oven before their walk. The rest of the house woke up to a hot breakfast an hour later 
I made mine pretty plain, with just sautéed onions. Try adding a cup of mushrooms or red peppers (sautéed with a little non-stick spray). The PointsPlus don’t change! Or add 3 ounces of turkey bacon, crumbled (will increase the PointsPlus by 1 per serving).
Potato and Egg Breakfast Casserole
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16 ounces frozen hash browns, thawed
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12 ounces fat-free evaporated milk
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1/2 cup chopped onion, sautéed in non-stick spray until browned and soft
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1/2 cup egg whites
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1 tsp. salt
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2 ounces low-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 8×8 pan with non-stick spray. Layer hash browns, sautéed onions and cheese (and other vegetables or turkey bacon if using). In a small mixing bowl, combine evaporated milk, egg whites, and salt. Pour evenly over ingredients. Cover and bake for one hour. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes or until top is slightly browned. Makes 8 servings.
Recipe adapted from Heart Healthy Recipes.
Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder:
8 servings= 5 PointsPlus
6 servings= 6 PointsPlus
4 servings= 9 PointsPlus.
