Chile Cheese Pie

Perfect as a snack or a side dish, this pie is usually served topped with salsa. Dedicated chileheads can also add some hot sauce to the mixture.

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon, fat trimmed, diced

• 1 medium red onion, diced (about 1 cup)

• 1 small green bell pepper, diced (about 3/4 cup)

• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning

• 1 9-inch deep-dish pie shell

• 2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeños

• 1 cup milk

• 2 eggs

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups prepared salsa

Instructions

Place a cookie sheet in the oven and preheat to 375°F. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet about 7 minutes or until it begins to crisp. Drain off the fat, leaving a thin film to coat the skillet. Add onion and pepper; cook and stir over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until softened.

Remove from the heat, stir in the taco seasoning, and let cook slightly.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over bottom of the pie shell. Beat the milk, eggs, and flour in large bowl until well blended. Stir in the remaining 11/2 cups of cheese and the vegetable mixture and mix well. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and smooth the top of the pie.

Place the pie on the hot cookie sheet in the oven. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until pie is firm and knife inserted in center comes out clean. (Pie will puff up and then sink when removed from oven.) Cover loosely with foil if the crust is browning too quickly. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with the salsa on the side.