Cheese Lover's Paradise: Cheddar & Feta Casserole

For some reason, I'm awful about keeping breakfast ingredients in the house. I almost never have the things I need to make any of the staples that should be enjoyed on the weekends: no pancake mix, nothing to make blueberry muffins, no bacon...heck, I don't even have cereal in my pantry most of the time. That being said, I do usually have eggs (oddly enough) and extra ingredients from dinner recipes I've tried out for the week. I semi-stumbled onto today's recipe by combining a few ingredients that I needed to use, all left over from my weekly experiments. Basically, I found a recipe with a couple of the things I wanted to use (feta cheese being the main one) and then changed it up based on what I had in my pantry and fridge. Obviously, the final outcome was delish - that's why I'm sharing it with you!

Cheddar & Feta Casserole

 Olive oil cooking spray

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking dish lightly with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine next 9 ingredients and stir until mixed well. Spoon into baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove casserole and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Place back in oven for 10 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the casserole comes out clean. Cool at least 5 minutes prior to serving.

The original recipe that I found for this was quite different from the one that I've shared with you. For instance, it called for dill weed, which I voluntarily omitted, and broccoli, which I didn't have. It also called for cottage cheese, which was substituted with ricotta for this recipe. What I'm trying to say is...don't be afraid to change things up every once in awhile. Instead of taking each recipe I give you (or anyone else gives you, for that matter) at face value, think about how you could twist it to best suit your tastes. Of course, you'll always have some recipes that you don't feel you want to tweak, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. But don't be afraid to take some risks every now and then, and don't get discouraged if your experiments don't turn out the way you thought they might. If anything, look at each attempt as a learning experience, and know that by playing with flavors, you're also training your palette and becoming a better chef in the process.

I made this recipe as more of a "crustless quiche," but you could honestly eat it anytime during the day. It has a breakfast feel because eggs are one of the main ingredients, but there's no reason that you couldn't make this for brunch, lunch or even dinner.  

Until next time...

Cheers!