Cabin Cleaver: Casseroles

I love my veggies and I love this side dish!

I also love bread. And breadcrumbs would be perfect on top of this casserole. But I felt that breadcrumbs would take away from the healthiness of this dish by adding carbs.

So I eyed that bag of pork rinds in the cupboard, bit my bottom lip, and went hmmmm...

And you, smart readers, can figure out the rest of the story!

Psst! The leftovers are just as yummy.

As always, the printable recipe will be at the bottom.

I crushed up enough pork rinds to make one cup by using a zip lock bag and my rolling pin.

I sprinkled half of them into a greased 2.75 quart casserole dish.

Then I arranged a layer of zucchini,

onion,

(I used a red onion this time, but you can use whatever onion you want.)

tomatoes,

fresh spinach leaves to end this section,

and I meant to sprinkle the spinach with salt and pepper, but I forgot.

So now we repeat the layers, starting with the zucchini again, and I added the forgotten salt and pepper here as you can see.

Still with me?

Another layer of onions...

I'm doing a switch-a-roo here on purpose. A layer of spinach,

ending with the tomatoes because I think it looks prettier.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Dust the top with grated parmesan cheese.

Shake the rest of those crushed pork rinds over the top.

Sprinkle the basil and oregano over all.

Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 1 hour, uncovered.

Aren't those tomatoes purty?

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup Pork Rinds, Crushed And Divided
1 Medium Zucchini, Sliced
1 Large Onion, Thinly Sliced
2 Medium Tomatoes, Sliced
2 cups Fresh Spinach Leaves
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, Grated
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Pepper
½ teaspoons Basil
½ teaspoons Oregano

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Put half of the crushed Pork Rinds into the bottom of a well greased 2.75 quart casserole dish. Arrange your layers accordingly: zucchini, onions, tomatoes, spinach. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Now repeat the process accordingly: zucchini, onions, spinach, tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. I switched the second layer around a bit ending with the tomatoes. Sprinkle top with the Parmesan Cheese, the rest of the crushed pork rinds, basil and oregano.
Baked, uncovered, for one hour.

This easy dish brings the taste of the southwest to the table. Packed full of whole green chiles stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese chunks, and then covered with hominy and a cup of shredded cheddar cheese are sure to please those that like a bit of bite with their cheese. Serve this "quiche/casserole" as a side dish or as the main course.

Note: Hominy is fancy corn with a coarser, thicker, drier lining than regular whole kernel corn. If you prefer whole kernel corn, go ahead and substitute that.

Ingredient List:

1 - 27 oz. can Whole Green Chiles, Mild or Medium or Hot (I use mild.)

1 - 15 oz. can Hominy

1 - 8 oz. hunk of Monterey Jack cheese, cut into chunks the short way of the brick

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 eggs

1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

2-4 drops hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh cilantro

sour creme (optional)

salsa (optional)

tortilla chips (optional)

Start with a 27 oz. can of Whole Green Chiles. I bought the mild kind, but if you want more kick, go a little hotter! Drain, then spread the chiles on paper towel, and blot the tops with more paper towel to get the dampness off. Don't worry about the seeds unless you are using the hot chiles and you don't want to set fire to your mouth.

Count your blessings, and then your chiles, and then cut the Monterey Jack cheese into hunks cutting the short way of the cheese brick. I had to put two chiles aside to use at a later date as I didn't have enough cheese to go around.