This keto instant pot breakfast casserole is all about reducing food waste. Shredded broccoli stalks make a great stand in for hash browns. It’s a delicious and nutritious low carb breakfast! This post is sponsored by California Avocados.
I really really hate food waste. Honestly, I am quite fanatical about wasting as little food as possible, and I am on my kids about it all the time. It doesn’t mean that they have to be members of the “clean plate club”, as I don’t think we should push people to eat when they are full. But even the smallest amounts of leftovers go into our fridge and freezer, to be heated up or repurposed in some way. We can always find a use for leftovers and I try not to let anything go bad before I can use it. Occasionally I am unsuccessful but I try to stay on top of what’s in the fridge and needs to be used.
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We are lucky here in Portland because we have city composting. And my husband and I have our own compost bin that gets all mixed up for our garden. But still, there’s that nagging sensation within me that everything should be used as much as possible. So when the folks at California Avocados challenged me to create a no waste or low waste recipe, I was totally game. I love this theme as it is near and dear to my own heart. And it seems so very “California” to reduce food waste as much as possible. Except that I am so good at using what we have or keeping it stored in some way, I was a bit stumped. I don’t throw out much but true kitchen scraps and I am not about to put shrimp tails and avocado skins into my food. Although weirdly, my one child does like to crunch on the leftover shrimp tails. I have yet to catch her eating avocado skins, though.
How to Use Leftover Broccoli Stems
And then one evening as I was making dinner, I held the broccoli stalks in my hand and I had my AHA moment. Now, I tend not to waste broccoli stalks anyway, as I like them just as much and possibly more than the florets. I often chop them up and crunch on a few while I am cooking and then I toss the rest onto the pan with the florets for roasting. But I know that many people toss them and it really is such a waste. They are delicious and full of the same nutrition as the florets, so we should be working them into our meals more often. You can roast them or steam them, but I decided to get a little more creative.
I started searching for classic California breakfast recipes, and I kept stumbling across California breakfast burritos. I don’t eat potatoes or tortillas, so I decided to take those same flavors and make a California-style breakfast casserole instead. But instead of hash browns or potatoes, I used shredded broccoli stalks. Brilliant, right? And much much healthier. Hooray for another fun and delicious way to reduce food waste.
A few notes about this keto recipe: The best way to grate or shred the broccoli stalks is with a food processor. They are tough and fibrous, and it’s hard to do on a box grater.
I made it in my Instant Pot but you could bake this instead. I imagine a 350F oven for 45 minutes would suffice. If you do choose to use your Instant Pot, then you’re best off using a souffle or casserole dish that fits inside. I used my 7-inch springform pan and although it worked well, some of the egg mixture did leak out through the bottom ring. Wrap it tightly in foil if you use a spring form pan!
This keto instant pot breakfast casserole is all about reducing food waste. Shredded broccoli stalks make a great stand in for hash browns. It's a delicious and nutritious low carb breakfast!
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 6 ounces bulk breakfast sausage
- 3 medium broccoli stalks grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Salt and pepper
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- 1 California Avocado thinly sliced
- Salsa, additional cheese, sour cream etc for serving
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Grease a 7-inch diameter casserole dish or souffle dish (you can also use a springform pan but it may come through the bottom a little as it cooks).
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Turn the Instant Pot onto the sauté function and add the avocado oil. Once hot, add the bulk sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook about 4 minutes until most of the pink is gone.
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Add the grated broccoli stalks, garlic, and salt and pepper. Continue to cook another 2 minutes until the broccoli is tender. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream until well combined. Stir in the cheese and the green onion. Pour over the sausage mixture in the pan. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil (if using a springform pan, wrap the bottom in foil as well).
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Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot and add the trivet. Place the dish on top of the trivet and lock the lid. Make sure the vent is closed. Set the cooker to manual pressure for 35 minutes.
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When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then vent until all the pressure is gone. Remove the dish from the Instant Pot.
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Top the casserole with the thinly sliced avocado before serving. Top with any other toppings you desire.
Many thanks to California Avocados for partnering with me to bring you this recipe.
Dee says
So glad to hear that you don’t waste leftovers! I do the same – keep them in the fridge or freezer. In my high carb days I would make a “clean out the fridge” soup – I started with a potato soup base and dumped all the leftovers in the pot. And I would do the same in a casserole – Mexican ingredients as the base and dumped everything in and made a cornmeal/bisquick top and baked it. Family and co-workers asked when I was going to clean out the fridge! My children actually asked for the casserole for their birthday meals! Since it’s only my husband and I now I don’t have too many leftovers. But I”m inspired by you to come up with something low carb! Thank you for all of your great recipes.
Paula M Walter says
I peel the stalks and then slice into coins and they get blanched with the florets. I’ve been doing this for 30= years.
Heather Jones says
Looks great!
I also peel the broccoli stalks and use everything, but the peelings, regularly.
sue says
I do not own an instant pot so can you tell me how to cook this delicious looking breakfast casserole another way? Slow cooker? Oven bake?
Carolyn says
There are instructions in the notes right above the recipe.
Maryann says
Hi can you use anything else besides the brocccoli stems
Carolyn says
Well…sure but zucchini will be wetter and will affect the outcome. I’d stick with broccoli or cauliflower.
Shava Nerad says
Kohlrabi is basically the same as very tender broccoli stem, and it’s grown as its own vegetable. I always laugh at people who throw away their broccoli stems and then would pay for kohlrabi — often a premium as a specialty vegetable!
Susan says
I have always used the stems. The longer the stems on the broccoli when I buy it, the happier I am. When I steam broccoli, I peel and slice. However, the very best use of them is to dice them and cook in water until tender and use in soups. It’s a great substitute for diced potatoes. In fact, I wish stores would start selling broccoli stalks. I can’t wait to try this casserole in my Instant Pot and have enough breakfast for a few days.
Kimberly says
Do you have to use heavy cream? I know this is a keto recipe but I would like to try a paleo option. No cheese or cream. Maybe unsweetened almond milk
Carolyn says
You should be able to do another liquid like almond milk but I recommend adding less. Cream is thick and helps turn eggs into a custard, whereas almond milk is quite thin.
trena says
The stems are my favorite part!!
Carolyn says
Me too!
Michael says
I tried this recipe this morning for Easter brunch…not till I was ready to place into the IP did I realize there were no instructions on what temperature to set the pot…needed to quick-dash to the internet to look up other recipes that were similar and stated “high”…did I miss this important step somewhere?
Carolyn says
Manual is high on my IP.
Michael says
Thanks Carolyn,
My IP has a bunch of pre-programmed settings, so I assumed manual was the Pressure Cook setting, which allows low, medium and high 🙂