Beautiful Brunch Egg Bake

Came across some wonderful fresh vegetable produce at the store this week, so was looking for a recipe to incorporate all the spring colors.  Yes, it might sound strange, but I love it when my food is bright and colorful.  It's simply so much more visually appealing.  Now...I do get the occasional "What's this stuff" from my kids.  However, I've come to the conclusion after 12 years of being a Mom and household cook that I'm going to cook meals the way I like and they can either pick things out or adapt! :)  Okay...okay...maybe that sounded harsh.  I do cater to them at times. For the most part though, I've learned that if you put new types of food in front of them - eventually they're going to try it.  Just recently (after years of not using mushrooms), my boys decided they actually really like them now!  Score one for the fungus :)  I credit Tastefully Simple's Portobello Mushroom Dip for that one.

This recipe I 'Tastefully Simplified' from an Allrecipes.com post.  It called for basil, parsley, pepper, garlic, etc.  Since these all all seasonings within our Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto, I found it a fantastic alternative!  This is a terrific egg bake base, so you can play around with whatever veggies/meats/cheeses you enjoy.

Beautiful Brunch Egg Bake

• 3 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of colby jack and cheddar)
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (could easily substitute canned)
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions (could use Onion Onion instead)
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1/2 cup asparagus, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 cups diced fully cooked ham
• 8 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto
• 1 tsp Seasoned Salt

Combine cheeses; place in an ungreased 8-in. x 11-in. baking dish and set aside. In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms, onions and red pepper in butter and Sesoned Salt until tender; drain. Place over cheese; top with ham. In a bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, flour and Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto; mix well. Slowly pour over the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!  Contact me if you need to restock your Tastefully Simple products - or order online at www.tastefullysimple.com/web/kkeninger