EASY BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound Italian sausage (hot, but mild or sweet also work)
1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
6 eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 (20 ounce) bag frozen hash browns, thawed
2 cups shredded cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
thinly sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375F.
Add the ground sausage to a medium pan. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Save 1 Tbs. of sausage grease in the pan and toss the rest. Add the onion and red pepper to the pan, and saute for 5 minutes until cooked. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture into the mixing bowl with the sausage. Add the hash browns and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese to the bowl. Stir well.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and black pepper. Add to the hash brown mixture, and stir. Pour the mix into a baking dish, and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an extra 10-15 minutes..until the top of the potatoes begin to lightly brown. Remove and let it rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions if you like and enjoy!