While some people go out for fancy dinners on Valentine’s Day night, or cook fancy meals like steak and lobster tails, I made truck stop food humble food.
However, my husband loves eggs, love potatoes, and since he surprised me, I wanted to surprise him and to him, this is a lobster tail. Well, almost, but you know what I mean.
I’m frequently asked why I don’t photograph our dinners more often or feature more savory or dinnertime food on my site and the reason is that frequently, dinner is a simple entree, paired with a salad.
Not “bad” but I don’t know if the world cares about eggs and potato casseroles, so I typically refrain.
And then there’s the issue of lighting…
At 4pm (and with the help of Lightroom 3 editing), the lighting is acceptable, and this is what the casserole looked like before I baked it. However, by the time dinner is actually served, the lighting is usually sub-par making it hard to take pictures that are useable, even after massive editing and color tweaking.
The spinach added a nice pop, both in flavor and in color to otherwise neutral food. It doesn’t get more white-colored and neutral-tasting than potatoes and eggs, and I like to incorporate veggies as often as possible. For once, I do live up to my blog’s name.
And I tossed in some kick and heat, too. Cayenne or hot pepper jelly is great for the sinuses and as a way to jazz up those hum-drum eggs ‘n taters before baking.
This is humble and honest food; this is not fancy. This is dinner on Tuesday; this is not the French Laundry.
But sometimes the basics are just what the doctor ordered truck driver ordered.
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Spicy Baked Eggs and Hash Brown Casserole (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
3 eggs
3 cups hash browns (I used Simply Potatoes that I had in the freezer)
1 1/2 cups spinach (I did not thaw it first, just tossed in the frozen flakes)
3 tablespoons olive oil, drizzled (or melted butter or margarine, drizzled)
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic, onion powder, Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blend, Tabasco Sauce droplets, hot pepper jelly, optional and to taste
1/2 cup carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, onions, corn, or any vegetable that needs to be used or your have on hand, optional
1/2 cup shredded cheese, optional
ketchup drizzle, optional
Preheat oven to 375F and spray a medium-sized baking dish with cooking spray. Crack eggs into the baking dish and lightly beat them with a fork. Add all remaining ingredients and any optional ingredients and swirl them into the eggs, dispersing them evenly. Place baking dish on top of a cookie sheet if needed for stability, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, covered. If your baking dish does not have a lid, you may wish to cover it with foil so the top doesn’t burn before the rest is cooked through. I removed the lid and baked for 20 additional minutes, uncovered, to brown the top very slightly (25 minutes covered + 20 minutes uncovered = 45 minutes total baking time) Optionally, top with cheese in the last 5 minutes of baking. Cooking times will vary based on size of baking dish and amount of vegetables used. Remove from oven when edges are just beginning to brown and pull away slightly from the sides of the dish. Slice and serve immediately, with ketchup drizzled over the top if desired. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator and serve them either cold or reheated, for up to two days, using common sense.
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After three years of not showcasing a savory egg dish on my site, I’ve done it twice in one week by kicking off the week with a Spinach and Red Pepper Frittata.
I can promise that three times in one week will not be a charm.
You’re safe if you’re not as big of an egg fan as my husband is because I’m fresh out of eggs. I blame it on all the baking I did yesterday.
And I’m also fresh out of the Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars with Pink Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting now, too.
They were our Valentine’s Day dessert and I’d like to think they look a little fancier than the casserole, but truthfully, I make bars whenever possible instead of cookies because they’re easier and faster.
Do you have any weeknight staple dinners or favorites?
In general, do you prefer fancy food or more basic food?
I can appreciate fancy food and I love going out for fancy dinners when the time is right. But at 6:37pm on a weeknight with hungry mouths to feed, that’s not the time for fancy. That’s a time for have a gameplan, get it done and on the table quickly, and the basics are where it’s at.
Thanks for the Peanut Butter Cheerios Giveaway entries
Yum! I love egg bakes! My family isn’t keen on them, but I love them! Yours looks tasty!
Sometimes humble food is the best and this truly looks wonderful. Warm and comforting – it just doesn’t get any better.
Your pizza with eggplant looked amazing. That’s my idea of warm and comforting!
yummm i love egg dishes and savory meals so much. I keep my eating super simple. most of my ‘meals’ are 2-3 ingredient stir fries or omelets. simple is perfect in my world!
This looks like a great Sunday brunch item, though I’m so not against breakfast for dinner. :-)
The Mr’s favorite is my bbq chicken pizza so we usually have that and fish with quinoa at least once a week on average. I guess I prefer basic food but fancy is always good to shake things up!
There’s nothing wrong with simple food, this looks great! We definitely have a dinner rotation that consists mostly of quick and easy meals, though I’ll occasionally throw in something more time consuming or complicated when I’m feeling extra motivated :)
Comfort food at its best! Yum!
Jason would be all over that! We used to live on casseroles. I guess I like to do more elaborate when I have time. But lately, simplicity is winning out, like chili or veggie burgers and “fries.”
You are to funny. My husband would feel extra love if he came home to potatoes, eggs and cheese! Triple score!!! I made this Asian Noodle Pasta Salad once a week. My family can’t get enough of it, plus it is SUPER easy and healthy. You would love it! https://kellird.com/asian-noodle-pasta-salad/
And I didnt even use any cheese in this version, but added it as an opt-in..it would be stellar. I just didn’t have any on hand or I would have tossed it in to really! make his night.
You know, I make all kinds of omelets for my boys, and all kinds of hash browns- but it never occurred to me to combine the two! This would be their dream food.
And it’s actually easier than making omelets…just crack the eggs in the baking dish and swirl it all together…no egg-flipping required.
Eggs and potatoes (and cheese!) are what we’re having tonight. Made the quiche last night. This sounds just perfect Averie, love the kick of heat + spinach in there too.
And I am all for simple meals :)
I love to make most everything from scratch so simple is best for my tastes and lifestyle. Simple can still be very well executed and taste as good or better than complicated recipes! Love the idea of hash browns with the eggs and can’t remember the last time I used them together in a casserole–so thanks for sharing because now I have some new egg-spiration!!
egg-spiration!! <-- love it It's eggcellent that you have more eggspiration now :)
Oh yes, we are all for more basic food. I love the taste of food made out of one or two ingredients. Can you ever have enough baked potatoes, right from the oven, drizzled with a good quality olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt?!
It’s the simple things that are the best, really! Agreed!
Love the savoury recipes!!!! I prefer foods that are more basic. Usually the simplest things taste the best!
Glad you’re liking savory week around here :)
Girl, that’s my kind of meal, RIGHT DIDDLY THERE.
I was thinking of you the *entire time* I was making this, taking the pics, and posting it. I was like this is Bev’s food, Bev’s photography with the dinnertime food photography (but you have better results than me) :)
Simple food like this is my favorite– so comforting!!! Looks perfect! This would be a great dish for a brunch, too!
You better eat your last few brunches here, my friend. Brunch means leisurely, relaxed, chill and easy, on a weekend morning. You will have none of that coming up here shortly :) So go have brunch for the next 10 weeks or however long you have left! xo
I saw this and immediately started to drool! I love the vibrancy that the spinach gives this dish….hash browns and eggs — the perfect combo!
It’s so funny what makes people get excited. To me, this is not one of those things, but glad it did it for you (and my hubs)..ha!