Recipe of the Week: Southwestern Potato Breakfast Bake

I hadn't tried any breakfast recipes yet, so a couple of weeks ago (I'm a little behind with spring break and an unexpected funeral) I made this breakfast casserole for a function at our church. Who doesn't like salsa, eggs, and potatoes?

Southwestern Potato Breakfast Bake

Nonstick cooking spray
5 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (half of a 30-ounce package)
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes and green chile peppers, undrained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (4 ounces)

1. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking pan or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange potatoes evenly in prepared pan or dish; sprinkle with the 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet cook onion in hot oil until tender. Stir in undrained tomatoes, chili powder, the 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt, and the black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon over potatoes in pan or dish.

3. In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk; pour evenly over mixture in pan or dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

4. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes clean (170 degrees). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings. Recipe found in 9x13 The Pan That Can.

From my experience: This recipe was really easy to make and it tasted like a southwestern breakfast bake...good! I used half egg whites, and half whole eggs to make it a little lighter. The only difference was cook time, it took a while longer to finish cooking, in the center especially. When it was cut into, there was some remaining liquid which appeared to be from the rotel tomatoes. This suggests draining some of the liquid from the tomatoes or letting it simmer longer to reduce. You could also simply use salsa instead of the cans of rotel tomatoes. This recipe has a lot of potential, so I can definitely see myself making it again. Enjoy!