Breakfast is Jim’s ultimate comfort food. When we travel, he searches for the best place to enjoy traditional breakfast dishes. Like our breakfast quesadillas and Mexican breakfast skillet, this recipe combines all of his favorites into an easy-to-make casserole that you can make ahead of time. It is a perfect breakfast for the holidays, or freeze slices into single-serve portions for a quick and easy weekday morning breakfast.
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Key Ingredients and Substitutions
This breakfast casserole recipe uses all our favorite breakfast staples.
The complete ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.
- Hash Browns: We made our hash browns from russet potatoes that we washed and shredded but you can substitute frozen shredded hash browns. There is no need to thaw the hash browns before pan-frying them.
- Bacon: Nothing beats crispy bacon, but you can use breakfast sausage, ham, chorizo, or Canadian bacon instead.
- Eggs: We use pasture-raised eggs that can be more expensive, but we love the taste and the beautiful orange-colored yolk. Any eggs will make this delicious casserole, even the liquid egg sold in most supermarkets.
- Cheese: We used shredded cheddar cheese, but you can substitute any shredded cheese you like – Colby jack, Monterey jack, and pepper jack are all great choices. The key is grating the cheese yourself since store-bought shredded cheese contains additives such as potato starch to keep the cheese from clumping. This can prevent the cheese from completely melting, leaving the top of the casserole rubbery.
Variations
This hash brown casserole is easy to customize by adding some of your favorite omelet ingredients. Here are a few suggestions:
- chopped bell peppers or green chiles (check out our guide on how to roast hatch chiles)
- sliced or chopped mushrooms
- diced tomatoes
- fresh chopped spinach
How to Make Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Here are the quick, step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions, including the exact ingredients, in the recipe card below.
Pro-tip: Crack the eggs one at a time into a small bowl before adding them to a larger bowl to beat. If a piece of the shell gets into one or if there is a rotten egg, it won’t ruin the rest.
1. Shredded the Hash Browns: Preheat oven to 350° F. If fresh potatoes are used to make hash browns, start by peeling and grating the potatoes using the large holes on a box grater. Get as much liquid out of the shredded potatoes as possible by wrapping them with a kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth and twisting.
2. Cook the Bacon: In a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until it is mostly cooked but not crisp. Place the cooked bacon on paper towels to drain excess grease. Remove all but approximately 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the skillet, lowering the heat to medium-low.
3. Cook the Hash Browns: Add the grated potatoes to the skillet with the bacon grease. Spread potatoes into a single layer and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 6-7 minutes or until the bottom is brown and crispy, then using a spatula, carefully flip them over. Cook the other side for 6-7 minutes or until brown and crispy. Remove the skillet from heat. Note: If hash browns are too large to flip as one piece, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut them into quarters and flip them into individual pieces.
4. Prepare and Bake Casserole: Cut and place the hash browns in the bottom of a casserole dish, forming one solid layer, then top with most of the bacon pieces and half the cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then pour them evenly into the casserole dish. Bake for 10-15 minutes, then add the remaining cheese and bacon, then bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted.
5. Serve: Let the casserole stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with salsa, green onions, sour cream, or chopped tomatoes as desired.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: The casserole can be assembled and refrigerated a day before. Prepare as directed, but don’t bake. Cover the unbaked casserole well with plastic wrap. Add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time to bake from refrigerated.
How to Store: Store leftovers in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. In a freezer-safe container, it can be frozen for up to 3 months. To make a quick and easy breakfast, freeze single-serving portions by wrapping and freezing individual servings.
How to Reheat: Allow the frozen breakfast casserole to thaw in the refrigerator, then transfer it to an oven-safe dish. Cover with foil and reheat at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until heated. To reheat in a microwave, transfer it to a microwave-safe dish, cover it, and heat it in one-minute increments until thoroughly heated.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Do not rinse your raw hash browns (fresh or frozen). The potatoes will soak up the water and could make your breakfast casserole soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Breakfast Recipes to Try
Looking for more breakfast recipes? Try these other favorites:
- Migas con Huevo – This one-pan, 30-minute breakfast recipe is a quick and tasty breakfast that combines eggs and chorizo with leftover tortilla chips.
- Puff Pastry Breakfast Tart with Bacon and Eggs – This breakfast tart is a complete breakfast made with buttery, flaky puff pastry, a cheesy shallot mushroom spread, crispy bacon, and sunny-side-up eggs.
- Mexican Breakfast Skillet – This one-pan cast-iron breakfast skillet recipe is made with chorizo, potatoes, chiles and onions, sunny side-up eggs, and cheese. It is a tasty breakfast dish that can be made for two or a crowd.
Let’s Connect! If you make this recipe or any other recipe on Casual Epicure, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are considering making our recipes and we love hearing about your cooking experiences. And if you snapped some shots, share them on Instagram, and be sure to tag @casual.epicure so we can feature them in our stories.
Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
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Equipment
- Box Grater
- Large Skillet (10 inches)
- 9×9 Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, cut into pieces
- 1 pound russet potatoes, with or without the skin
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 eggs
- 4-6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Peel and grate potatoes using the large holes on a box grater.
- Using a kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth, wrap grated potatoes and twist out as much liquid as possible.
- In a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until it is mostly cooked but not crisp. Place the cooked bacon on paper towels to drain excess grease. Remove all but approximately 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the skillet and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Add grated potatoes to the skillet with the bacon grease. Spread potatoes into a single layer and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook undisturbed for 6-7 minutes or until the bottom is brown and crispy. Using a spatula carefully flip. Note: if hash browns are too large to flip as one piece use a knife or pizza cutter to cut them into quarters and flip them as individual pieces.
- Cook the second side for 6-7 minutes or until brown and crispy. Remove the skillet from heat. Cut and place in the bottom of a casserole dish forming one solid layer of cooked hash browns.
- Top hash browns with bacon pieces and half the cheese. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then pour evenly into the casserole dish.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes then add the remaining cheese to the top of the casserole. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted.
- Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top as desired.
