Egg Foo Young Casserole

I am so excited about this recipe!! It's one of those recipes that I've been meaning to make for about 3 years, which the can of bean sprouts can attest to, because it had been sitting in my pantry one year after the expiration date patiently awaiting to become something greater. Don't worry, no stomachs were harmed in the consumption of these bean sprouts (in my mind, canned goods never expire -- hmmm, something wrong with that?). Just these stomachs.

I served this to my best friend in the whole world. She came over to help me with my resume so I took the opportunity to feed her. Which is my favorite thing in the whole entire world. Feeding People. It's my thing. My son thinks that she is his best friend. So he kissed her 1,029 times.

I digress, if you are a fan of the Chinese dish Egg Foo Young I don't know how you can't be as excited as I am about this discovery! No frying. Just baking. In one dish. Just stir it up. You'll be cutting sodium, saying buh-bye to preservatives, no thanks to waiting for delivery, just HELLO to make it at home and being completely fabulous.

The casserole starts with a base of eggs and dry milk powder, celery, green onions, soy and sesame. The eggs are beaten with the milk powder (you could maybe use regular milk - drop me a line if you do!) and mixed with chopped celery and green onions. Then you dash in some soy sauce and sesame oil.

While it's baking you get to cook up the most flavorful mushroom sauce you will ever eat. Ever. Ever. I used white button  mushrooms because that was what was on sale, but you could use cremini or even canned. Whatever floats your boat. Just make sure to brown um' up real nice then de-glaze with sherry, or something similar, like white wine.

Then you add some chicken stock and cornstarch to your wine-induced mushrooms. It gets bubbly. It gets thick. It gets real. We all wanted more sauce on our eggs, so if you are a saucy type person, I would recommend adding some more stock to your mushroom sauce.

Once the sauce is all thick and the aroma is lusciously filling your kitchen, pour it over your sliced casserole. Top with chow mein noodles for crunch. Now sit back and enjoy your creation. Life is good.

The leftovers. Yes, the leftovers were just as good. You could eat this all week long. You could eat this for breakfast. You could eat this for lunch. You will eat this for dinner. 

 

Printable Recipe Here

Egg Foo Young Casserole

Serves 5

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

8 eggs

1/2 cup dry milk powder

1 16 oz. can bean sprouts, washed and drained

1 1/2 cup celery, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 8 oz. container fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup sherry

1 1/2 cup chicken stock, warmed

2 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

3 green onions, chopped, divided

4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chow mein noodles, for serving

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl thoroughly whisk eggs and dry milk powder. Stir in bean sprouts and celery. Season with 1 chopped green onion, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place into a greased 13x9 baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Do not over-bake.

Meanwhile, prepare the mushroom sauce. In a large skillet heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until softened and taking on some color around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add remaining 2 chopped green onions and minced garlic. Saute for about a minute, until fragrant.

De-glaze pan with sherry and cook until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine 1/2 cup chicken stock and cornstarch. Whisk well. Add chicken stock and cornstarch mixture to the mushrooms, stirring well. Bring up to a gentle bubble.

Once mixture becomes thickened, slowly add remaining warm stock to the pan. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Season with remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce and remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper, if desired.

Once casserole is done baking, remove from oven and slice into squares. Plate 2 squares and top with mushroom sauce and chow mein noodles, if desired.