Three Cheese Hashbrown Quiche

This is a great dish when you are serving breakfast or brunch to a crowd. We have made it a few times for my husbands coworkers when he is in charge of friday breakfast for his team. This is an easy and yummy recipe that I think you will really enjoy. You will need:

5 cups, shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained
1/2 stick butter, melted
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup  cream, half-and-half, or milk
6 oz package of softened cream cheese
1 cup diced cooked ham (or bacon)
1/4 cup thinly chopped green onions for filling
1/2 small yellow onion for crust shredded
1 cup mushrooms chopped
1-2 cups sharp shredded Cheddar cheese
1-2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 dash of freshly ground black pepper

First preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible. I even like to roll them up like a newspaper in a spiral style while firmly pressing down. You can also use a ricer to try to get out some of the liquid. In a 13x9 pyrex pan that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray, toss the hash browns with the melted butter (and white onion optional) into the pan. Press them firmly into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Bake at 450 for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, blend together cream cheese and eggs until well mixed. Its best to start beating the cream cheese and add one egg at a time. Add in the remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown on top and puffed. Enjoy!