Recipe: beef breakfast sticky buns

Ingredients

• 1 Basic Country Beef Breakfast Sausage (Recipe below)
• 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 package (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust dough
• 1/2 cup jalapeno pepper jelly, warmed (optional)
• cream cheese
• BASIC COUNTRY BEEF BREAKFAST SAUSAGE
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
• 1/4 cup softened reduced-fat cream chese
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

Prepare Basic Country Beef Breakfast Sausage. Set aside 2 cups beef in large bowl; reserve remaining beef for another use. Add onion and mushrooms to same skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach to skillet; stir to wilt spinach. Add vegetable mixture to beef; set aside 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is cooled completely, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Unroll pizza dough on flat surface; pat or roll dough evenly to 14 x 10-inch rectangle, pinching together any tears, if necessary. Spread beef mixture on dough, leaving 1/2 inch border on short side furthest from you. Starting at closest short end, roll up jelly-roll style, pinching to close. Slice dough into 8 pieces using serrated knife and careful sawing motion; place cut-side-up on greased baking sheet.

Bake in 425°F oven 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove buns to cooling rack. While still warm, drizzle with melted jalapeño pepper jelly, if desired.

Basic Country Beef Breakfast Sausage: Combine 1 pound ground beef (96% lean), 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add beef mixture; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking into 1/2-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally. (Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.) Makes 2-1/2 cups crumbles

Cream Cheese "Frosting": Combine 1/4 cup softened reduced-fat cream cheese and 1 tablespoon milk in small bowl, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over warmed beef buns.

Cooks Notes: Baked buns can be frozen in 2-bun packages for 3 to 4 months. To reheat, place 2 frozen buns on microwave-safe plate. Microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) 45 to 60 seconds or until heated through. Let stand 30 seconds.

NUTRITION INFORMAITON
Nutrition information per serving: 409 calories; 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat; 0 g monounsaturated fat); 57 mg cholesterol; 1084 mg sodium; 53 g carbohydrate; 3.1 g fiber; 28 g protein; 4.5 mg niacin; 0.3 mg vitamin B6; 1.6 mcg vitamin B12; 2.8 mg iron; 17.8 mcg selenium; 4.1 mg zinc; 64.7 mg choline.

This recipe is an excellent source of protein, niacin, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc; and a good source of fiber, vitamin B6, iron and choline.