Let's talk about SPAM (it's always spelled "SPAM", not "Spam" -- I looked it up. :)).

It's not a glamorous food by any account. The famous pork luncheon meat in a blue rectangular can was introduced by Hormel Foods in 1937 during the Great Depression as a simple, shelf-stable, and low-cost source of protein more affordable for struggling families. A million pounds of it was supplied to Allied troops during World War II, and due to its portability it became a household staple worldwide. In Hawaii, where more SPAM is consumed per year than anywhere else in the world, it's achieved almost cult status, with an entire cuisine created around it and restaurants featuring it on their menus. Today SPAM is available in multiple flavors and packages, but it still uses the same basic ingredients as it did when it first hit the market.

I've posted a recipe for Hotdish before (you'll find it here), where you can read the story about how it came into being. Given its purpose and humble roots a hotdish is an ideal use of SPAM, making it very quick and simple to prepare and keeping costs down. And that's not always a bad thing.

The original version of this recipe has some irregularities in how it's written, which became very obvious while I was preparing it. I've made adjustments on the recipe card that should help with those.

Adapted from Mollyshomeguide