South Of The Border Brunch

by Two Chums on December 8, 2017

The holidays are upon us and opportunities for get togethers to celebrate with family and friends are abundant. Though our holiday parties usually happen in the evenings, who says they have to be night time events. Why not have a brunch gathering instead? Should you opt to celebrate earlier in the day, we have a yummy breakfast/brunch dish you can make ahead and be ready to enjoy and celebrate with your guests. This egg dish is good anytime, but the holidays are the perfect time to try it out. You might even want to make it for your Christmas morning brunch. And the plus of this casserole is that it is gluten free, so everyone can eat and be merry:-)

Southwestern Brunch Casserole

12 corn tortillas
12 eggs
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 lb. pepper jack cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups salsa
2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons Lawrys Seasoning Salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup lime or lemon juice

Butter a 9 x 13′ baking dish. Cut tortillas in half and use 12 halves spread across the bottom of the baking dish. Add half of the grated cheese and drizzle 1/2 cup of the salsa over the cheese. Repeat this layering of tortillas, cheese and 1/2 cup of salsa.

In the blender, mix well the eggs, 1/2 and 1/2, cream and seasoning salt. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and tortillas. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on the top. Let the casserole cool and settle (it will be slightly puffed when it first comes out of the oven) for about 5 minutes. At this point, if you are making the dish ahead of time, you can completely cool the casserole and reheat it in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes when you are ready to serve it. If it has been refrigerated over night increase the reheat time to 20 minutes. There will be no need to let the casserole cool if you are reheating it. When you are ready to serve it, mix together the sour cream and lime juice to make the sour cream a thinned consistency.

Drizzle the top of the casserole with the sour cream mixture and then add dollops of the remains 1/2 cup of salsa. Cut into squares. Serve with Mexican hot chocolate or mochas, cinnamon toast, (on gluten free bread for those guests who need it), fresh fruit, and olé…Let the celebrating begin!