Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
casseroles
Updated. Originally 14th December 2022
This Decadent hash brown breakfast casserole is the perfect make ahead breakfast. A delicious savory breakfast with shredded potatoes/hashbrowns and egg base loaded with sausage, bacon, cheese and veggies of course. Feel free to make ahead 2 hours or overnight and bake in the morning - a no fuss breakfast casserole that is perfect for feeding a bunch. I love breakfast casseroles both sweet and savoury flavor for the very reason that I can prep everything the night before and pop it in the oven first thing in the morning as I prepare the rest of food or enjoy my cup of coffee before the rest of the family is up. It is also a great breakfast casserole you can bake and bring to family brunch - everyone will love you for it!!
Ingredients for This Breakfast Casserole Recipe:
- SAUSAGE: I use pork, or chicken or turkey sausage or any other protein as long as you can break it up and brown it - it will work . You can use breakfast sausage like Jimmy Deans but you can also use plain sausage out of its casing - or flavoured - Italian, spicy sausage, chorizo or honey garlic
- EGGS: You will need a whole dozen - yup you are feeding at least 8-10 people so that is a reasonable amount
- CREAM: I love the rich flavour and creaminess the half and half gives this breakfast casserole - a good substitute is evaporated milk. Regular milk lacks the richness and you will lose a lot of flavour and it could potentially affect the texture too
- BACON: Cooked cooled and chopped or crumbled or you can use leftover smoked diced ham as well
- FROZEN HASHBROWNS: I have recently updated and retested this casserole several times using shredded hashbrowns and diced hashbrowns and both work beautifully. Do not thaw them - use from frozen. I think the shredded works just a little bit better because the cheese and eggs seem to melt down between the layers of the shredded hash browns.
- BELL PEPPERS: You will need two in your favorite colors - red, orange, yellow, or green.
- RED ONION: Or yellow onion is fine too
- GARLIC: Use as little or as much as you would like here - or feel free to use garlic powder if you prefer - but add it when you add the rest of the seasoning and the same goes for onion powder if you chose to use that as well
- BABY SPINACH: I love to add some green into this casserole but feel free to leave out if you prefer. Other veggies you could add are sautéed mushrooms or asparagus or cooked broccoli.
- SHREDDED CHEESE: We like to use sharp cheddar cheese but you can use your favorite cheese or cheese blend like Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Gouda, Muenster, Provolone, Mozzarella, or Pepper Jack cheese.
- SPICES: We use paprika, dried sage, salt, and pepper and feel free to use as much or a little of each as you prefer and to switch out the dried herbs with other ones like thyme and Italian seasoning if you prefer
How to Make this Easy Hash brown Casserole:
- Cook Meats: Cook bacon cool and crumble, set aside. Cook sausage in the same pan removing all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease and cook crumbling with wooden spoken until browned
- Sauté Veggies: Add the onions, garlic and peppers to pan and continue to cook until veggies are soften. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and allow to cool. This can be made ahead and cooled and stored in the fridge until ready to assemble - same goes for the bacon.
- Prepare Custard: In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, half and half, seasoning, cheese, then the cooled crispy bacon, sausage and veggies
- Assemble Casserole: Add frozen shredded hashbowns to the bottom of prepared pan (do not thaw hash browns) followed but the egg mixture.
- Chill Overnight: Cover casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or best overnight for all the flavours to meld. (This is optional and this can be baked off straight ahead - read on or see recipe notes below for what to do if baking straight away)
- Bake: When ready to bake remove the casserole from fridge (allow to come to room temperature 15-30 min), remove the plastic wrap and while it’s coming to room temperature preheat the oven. Bake until golden, set and cooked through.
- Alternate methods same result: If you would like you can mix everything together: the hash browns with the bacon, sausage veggies, egg mixture all in one bowl then place it all in the greased casserole - I like to have the hash browns on the bottom because I love how they almost provide a base. Or you can do layers - hash brown veggies bacon sausage and then the egg cheese cream mixture poured over top. Either way works. **Also upon further testing this casserole baked up really well even without chilling overnight. if you are going to bake it off straight away I recommend giving everything a really good toss so all the veggies meat and hashbrowns are all combined well before baking. The layering only works well if the hash browns have time to soak up all the custard overnight.
What to Serve With This Breakfast Casserole Dish:
This casserole is such a great Brunch item and can be served with just about anything - toast, bagels, baked sweet fresh toast, side salad, fruit salad, sliced or chopped avocado and fresh fruit. I love it garnished with fresh herbs and chopped green onions or chives and even with a dollop of sour cream or hot sauce.
Can I Make This Breakfast Casserole Ahead?
MAKE AHEAD: Prepare the casserole as directed, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or as required (do not exceed 24 hours) and allow it to come to room temperature for 20 minutes before baking. If you’re making this for a later brunch, you could prep in the morning, but make sure it rests for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before baking.
I like that you can also do a lot of the work ahead of time before assembling. The sausage can be cooked, cooled, and stored in the refrigerator a day ahead. So can the bacon - I actually cook the sausage with the veggies and allow them all to cool and store the whole mix in an airtight container until I’m ready to put the casserole together - same day or following day.
How Do You Store and Reheat Breakfast Casserole?
STORAGE: You can easily store cooked and cooled breakfast casserole or leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or oven as needed.
Can I Freeze Breakfast Casserole?
FREEZING: Yes. If you plan on doing this it easier to bake it first in a disposable aluminum baking pan. Make sure its cooled after baking it and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil. Baked casserole may be stored in the freezer, up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake at 325 until fully heated through (30-60 mins)
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes You Will Love:
- Savoury Baked French Toast Casserole (Strata recipe)
- Puff Pastry Smoked Salmon Quiche With Goat Cheese
- Bakery Style Ham and Cheddar Scones
- Ham and Cheese Croissant Casserole
- Easy Biscuits and Gravy
- Baked Blueberry French Toast
- Croissant Baked French Toast With Strawberries and Cream Cheese
- French Toast Casserole
- Easy Crustless Quiche - Greekstyle
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-6 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 lb of ground breakfast pork sausage, cooked and cooled
- 4 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
- 1 small red or white onion, diced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 20-24 ounces frozen shredded hash brown potatoes or diced hash browns (do not thaw)
- 12 large eggs
- 2 cups half and half
- ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs like Thyme sage or Italian seasoning.
- 2 cups shredded cheese
Directions
Cook Bacon, Sausage & Veggies (can be made ahead 1-2 days)
- In a large skillet cook bacon until golden, remove onto plate lined with paper towels. Allow to cool then chop or crumble and set aside. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from pan if needed.
- In the same skillet over medium heat add the breakfast sausage and sauté until about halfway browned then add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic, and keep cooking until the sausage is browned and the onions are soft. Stir in the spinach and sauté until wilted. Remove from the heat and let it cool. (feel free to make this a day ahead and keep refrigerated until you want to assemble casserole)
Prepare Custard & Assemble Casserole
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs together. Then add half and half, spices, shredded cheese and the cooled bacon, sausage and veggies
- Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish/pan with a little melted butter or cooking spray
- Add the frozen and shredded potatoes to the bottom of the pan in an even layer*
- Pour egg mixture over top of the frozen potatoes then use a fork to toss or stir egg mixture evenly with the hash browns through the pan.
Chill Overnight
- Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Remove casserole dish from fridge, remove covering and preheat oven to 350 degrees F while casserole comes to room temperature
Bake
- Transfer casserole to oven and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for approx 60-90 minutes or until top is golden and eggs are set in the center. Feel free to tent with foil if top is getting brown too quickly.
- Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing with a knife serving.
- Garnish and sprinkle with fresh herbs, and sliced green onions and serve warm with sliced avocado, toast or even a side salad and fruit for a full breakfast or brunch.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven at a reduced heat level until warmed through
Recipe Notes
- Alternate methods same result: If you would like you can mix everything together: the hash browns with the bacon, sausage veggies, egg mixture all in one bowl then pour it all into prepared pan or mix everything together in the pan itself you totally can.I like to have the hash browns on the bottom because I love how they almost provide a base. Or you can do layers - hash brown veggies bacon sausage and then the egg cheese cream mixture poured over top. Either way works. **Also upon further testing recently this casserole baked up really well even without chilling overnight. If you are going to bake it off straight away I recommend giving everything a really good toss so all the veggies meat and hashbrowns are all combined really well before baking. The layering only works well if the hash browns have time to soak up all the custard overnight.
- If the casserole is refrigerated overnight, remove it from the fridge 20-30 minutes before baking while the oven is preheating to take the chill off and It may require an extra 10-15 minutes of cooking time.
- Your baking dish/vessel matters - when baking in a ceramic casserole dish you will need the full baking time but if using a cast iron baking dish or even a metal pan it - they all conduct heat differently and at times much more efficiently and quicker so please keep that in mind and do check on your breakfast casserole at the 60 minute mark for doneness
- The size of your pan matters as well. Baking this breakfast casserole in a larger pan will create a thinner casserole and less cooking time - the reverse is true if you are using a smaller pan = thicker casserole and longer cooking time
- Baking times vary between 60-90 minutes depending on how cold the casserole is going in the oven, what type of pan you are using and size. It typically takes 75-80 minutes when I bake it and I usually tent with aluminum foil close to the 1 hour mark so the top of the casserole doesn’t brown too much or burn.
