Tony's Quick & Easy Cheesy Hashbrown Black Bean Bake

Ready, Set, Cook! Special Edition Contest Entry: I like to create and/or modify recipes so that they are "Quck & Easy" to accomodate a hectic lifestyle without sacrificing on taste and the enjoyment of food. I came up with this particular recipe in the shower, which oddly enough is where I come up with some of my best culinary creations! The first list of ingredients are simply combined well in a food processor and then transferred to a 9x9 baking dish. The second list is just mixed well in a bowl and then layered on top of the black bean mixture in the baking dish. The third list of ingredients only includes the Paprika which is simply used to dust the very top of the bake before placing it in the oven. The final list of ingredients are used to garnish the top once the bake has finished cooking and had a chance to cool. I suggest drizzling the sour cream in parallel lines about a finger's width apart first and then topping with the red pepper/scallion mixture afterwards.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1st List of Ingredients

• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
• 1 (14 1/2ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2  tablespoons  taco seasoning
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  cayenne pepper  hot sauce
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice

• 2nd List of Ingredients

• 2  cups  Simply Potatoes® Shredded Hash Browns
• 1  cup  shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon table salt

• 3rd List of Ingredients

• 1⁄8 teaspoon paprika

• 4th and Final List of Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup  red pepper, diced
• 1⁄4 cup green onion, diced
• 1⁄4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine 1st list of ingredients into a food processor and blend well until mixture is smooth. Transfer bean mixture to a 9x9 baking dish and spread out evenly.
3. Combine 2nd list of ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well. Transfer potato mixture into the baking dish and layer evenly on top of the bean mixture.
4. Lightly dust top of the bake with Paprika using the 3rd list of ingredients.
5. Place baking dish in oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
6. Use the 4th and final list of ingredients for garnish. Drizzle top of bake with parallel lines of sour cream separated by about 1/2 an inch. Then mix the Red Pepper and Green Onions together and sprinkle evenly over top of the sour cream.
7. Serve warm with your favorite brand of tortilla chips and enjoy!