Funeral Potatoes Supreme or Nancy's Spamillicious Casserole

Mom was the queen of using what was on hand so I learned to be creative with cooking early. Having gone to Costco last weekend and giving in to my hankering for fresh veggies and fruit, we had a boat load of bell peppers and baby Portabella mushrooms that needed to be used. I got to thinking that moms spam casserole, which resembles the ever popular among members of the Church of Jesus Christ "Funeral Potatoes", might be mighty tasty with an modern twist. So here's a dish that's comfort food, and cheesy wonderfulness that will surely be a hit with the family.

You take 2 cups of chopped bell peppers, I used red, orange and yellow combined, 1 cup chopped baby Portabella mushrooms, 1 cup chopped onion and saute them in 1/4 cup of butter. The recipe I found calls for 1/2 cup, but this really didn't need that much and you might even be able to cut the butter in half again to 2 tablespoons.

I boiled 8 smaller potatoes in their scrubbed jackets, and cubed them to get 8 cups of cooked diced potatoes. To that I added the sauteed veggies and 1/2 a can of Spam, grated. You will need a rather large casserole dish or small roasting pan for this. I really wouldn't use the whole can as the dish would be too hammy and salty. You can take the rest, grate it up and add mayo, chopped onion, celery and pickle relish to make a delicious sandwich spread. I'm just sayin....

Stir together 2 cups grated real sharp cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup each sour cream and plain yogurt. ( my attempt to lessen the fat) and one can of cream of mushroom soup. Stir into the meat, veggie and potato mixture. Add and stir in 1/2 teaspoon each seasoning salt and pepper. Spread out in the pan and top with a bit more grated cheese sprinkled all over. I then took some Chicken in a Biskit crackers, (look! no trans fat!) and crushed them while in the bag with a rolling pin. Many folks will use corn flakes or bread crumbs and butter but I don't keep corn flakes  around so I used the crackers left over from the holidays sans the butter.

Well in my haste to get dinner to the masses, I didn't get a photo of the finished dish, but here it is prior to baking. I cooked it 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Everyone loved and we have enough for tonight as well, which is good because I just found out I have an ear infection. :-(

FUNERAL POTATOES SUPREME

1/2 can spam, grated ( you can grate all the spam, and use half. With the rest add a dollop of mayonnaise, some relish, minced onion and celery, and a dab of mustard to make a delicious sandwich spread. You're welcome. )
1 c. diced onion
1 c. chopped baby portabella mushrooms
2 c. diced bell peppers, any color
8 c. cooked, diced potatoes, or frozen shredded potatoes
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. each plain yogurt and sour cream
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 teaspoon each seasoning salt and pepper


I hope you give this a try and let me know what you think!