No-Stress Breakfast Hash Brown Casserole

 My hash brown casserole is the perfect dish for those that want an amazing homecooked breakfast in the morning but want to skip the hassle of the morning hustle and bustle. This dish is great for prepping ahead of time and freezes pretty well! Having friends and family coming to town?  Make this the night before, pop it in the fridge, and then bake in the morning. Want to prep breakfast for the week? Bake and divide into 5 containers for an easy, heat at work breakfast. Great options, right?!

This is a relatively simple recipe but does require a bit of prep time. Allot 10-15 minutes for dicing veggies and cooking your breakfast meats. I used turkey bacon and pork sausage but feel free to substitute for your preferred meat options. The type of sausage you use is also up to you. In the past, I have used sausage links then chopped, as well as ground sausage for more of a sausage crumble type appearance. They both taste great, I typically just use whichever of the two is on sale.

Once all ingredients are assembled and mixed in a large bowl, place in a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees. This dish has a bake time of 50 minutes but trust me, it will definitely be worth the wait! Besides, I have found that the extended bake time gives me the perfect amount of time to shower, get dressed, wake everyone up, and still make mimosas before the kitchen timer goes off. Talk about a WIN-WIN.

If you are making this for a smaller crowd, I recommend making the whole recipe as below then separating into two smaller size casserole dishes (like an 8x8). You can bake one now, then freeze the other dish for a make-ahead breakfast in the future. When freezing, there is no need to bake first. Just assemble all ingredients, place in a greased pan, cover, and freeze. This dish will freeze for roughly 3 months. When ready to serve, simply place in the fridge overnight to thaw then pop in the oven the morning that you intend to serve. I have tried baking the casserole directly from frozen, but it took forever to cook completely, like forever. When possible, the thaw first option is your best bet.

                This breakfast casserole is delicious by itself, but I typically serve with a side of grits, toast, and a sunny side up egg. Enjoy!
Servings: 8 yield(s)
Cook Time: 50 mins
Ingredients
    Main Ingredients
  • 20 oz frozen hash browns (thawed )
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced )
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 lb breakfast sausage (cooked, chopped )
  • 6 bacon slices (cooked, chopped )
  • 1 bell pepper (diced )
  • 1/2 onion (diced )
  • 6 eggs
    • Seasonings
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp seasoning salt
  • 1- 2 dash cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (optional )
Instructions
  1. Grease casserole dish then set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk.
  3. Add vegetables, seasonings, and chopped breakfast meat. Stir.
  4. While stirring, gradually add hash browns and 1 cup of cheese.
  5. Transfer hash brown mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
  6. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Try tenting foil slightly to prevent foil from touching cheese.
  7. Place the covered dish in the oven for 50 minutes.
  8. Remove foil and allow to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is browned to your preference,
  9. Serve hot and enjoy. Serves apprx. 8.
Recipe Notes

Essential Tools:

 1 casserole dish  

1 large mixing bowl

1 whisk

1 large spoon

Knife

Chopping board

Measuring cup: 1 cup

Measuring spoon:  ½ tsp, 1 tsp