A few weeks ago I was meandering the grocery store aisles, looking for bargains with no specific recipes in mind. Cremini mushrooms, red bell peppers, frozen hash browns and shredded cheese were all on sale, so I thought I’d make some sort of breakfast casserole. I picked up some Canadian bacon and fat-free half and half as well, and when I got home searched the Internet for ideas on what to make. Luckily, I ran across a number of quiche recipes that used hash browns for the crust and I was immediately sold!

As much as I love quiche, I can’t believe I never thought of using hash-brown potatoes as the crust. Well, I know now and this will be my main go-to crust from here on out. The hash brown are delightfully crispy and make a great crust for any type of quiche you want to make.  The mushrooms, bell peppers and Canadian bacon that I used make an awesome filling, but feel free to use whatever combination of veggies and meat (if desired) that you like best. By the way, I thawed the entire bag of frozen hash browns and had enough left over to make a hash brown pancake for later.

Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

• 3 cups shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained well
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 6 oz. Canadian bacon
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup fat-free half and half
• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
• ½ cup spring onions, diced small (both green and white parts)
• ½ cup Cremini mushrooms, diced
• ½ cup red bell pepper, diced small
• Hot sauce to taste
• 2 cups shredded triple cheddar cheese (divide into 1½ cup and ½ cup)
• Seasoned salt to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place the hash browns between paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray, mix together the hash browns and butter, and press them on the bottom and sides of the plate to form a crust.

Bake the hash-brown crust for 20 minutes or so, until it starts turning brown and begins to crisp. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, cut the Canadian bacon into small pieces and sauté in a nonstick skillet for a couple of minutes, just until they start to brown.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, half and half, and mayo.

Stir in the Canadian bacon, onions, mushrooms, red pepper and hot sauce.

Fold in 1½ cup of the cheese and blend well. Pour the mixture onto the hash-brown crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Remove the quiche from the oven and sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese.

Place the quiche back in the oven and bake for another 5-8 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the middle of it comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with a tossed salad, fresh fruit or sliced tomatoes.

Love quiche like I do? Check out Kel’s Cafe Artichoke, Potato and Red Pepper Quiche or my Classic Quiche Lorraine.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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