On a winter weekend morning, few foods satisfy me more than an oven-fresh casserole. My approach for many meals (especially here in Addis with limited top produce) is the following: 1. Buy whatever looks best from the veggie stand then 2. Find a recipe that combines those ingredients. With a bag of fresh spinach and some oyster mushrooms in hand, I decided that they could be part of a healthier casserole. As healthy as you can get with nine eggs and a half cup of cheese.
I modified the original recipe for this casserole by increasing the spinach and reducing the butter and cheese. Also, as tasty, exotic cheese such as “sharp cheddar” is not readily available in Ethiopia, I used Gouda. It worked, but some shredded parmesan would have added more bite.
One of the best aspects of this casserole is that it keeps for a few days. Breakfast, or an additional appetizer, only requires a couple minutes of re-heating in the oven. If you are serving the casserole at brunch, sliced tomatoes or some lightly sautéed zucchini would be an ideal plate companion.
Spinach and Mushroom Casserole
Inspired by and adapted from this recipe from add a pinch.
Prep to plate: 1 hour (plus five minutes cooling)
Ingredients
9 eggs, beaten
Enough spinach for 3-4 chopped cups
Several slices of bacon
1/2 cup of thinly sliced Gouda cheese
1/2 pound of oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/3 cup of melted butter
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
2. Grease a casserole dish – this recipe works with most sizes.
3. Fry the bacon until lightly crisp and set aside.
4. Chop the spinach and the oyster mushrooms
5. Lightly sauté the oyster mushrooms, 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool.
6. Chop the bacon slices.
7. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add all other ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.
8. Pour mix into casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
9. Let cool for five minutes then serve with a veggie side, like ripe, sliced tomatoes.
