Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

It’s around $4 to prepare this casserole, and it serves four to six people. That’s the entire sales pitch. The hash browns transform into a delicious, crispy crust. The ham and cheese go on top and the egg custard is poured over all it all so the custard sets into something that slices nice and tastes better than it really is. We have been doing this for years. It comes out when guests sleep over, at weekend breakfasts when we want something affordable on the table, and anytime we want to save money on our grocery budget.

Before you start, one thing to keep in mind is that the hashbrowns have to be completely thawed. This means that you’ll want to put them in the fridge the night before you begin. If you press frozen hashbrowns into a pie plate, they will steam instead of bake, leaving you with a soft, waterlogged base instead of a crust. This step is absolutely the most important, and literally requires zero effort, just eight hours of planning.

Why the Hashbrown Crust Works

Before adding any fillings, pressing thawed hashbrowns into a buttered pie plate and baking them makes sure the crust hardens and browns around the edges. While the butter-drenched tops are spuds aimed potato are starting to cook real nice. The steam quickly evaporates at this heat and about 25 minutes in, the edges are not and crispy and golden. The base is set to hold a full custard layer without snapping.

If you do not do this pre-bake, the crust will not hold, the egg mixture will seep into the soft, underbaked potato, and you will end up with a casserole that has no real structure. It’s the type of meal that is fine to serve straight from the pan, but then doesn’t cut into neat portions and just makes the potato taste steamed instead of baked. The two step-bake is not optional and it’s what makes this a casserole for the books.

Ingredients and Price Breakdown

• 3 cups frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed overnight (~$1.00)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted (~$0.50)
• 1 cup diced ham (~$1.00)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (~$1.00)
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped (~$0.50)
• 2 large eggs (~$0.20)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Most ingredients for this recipe go on sale pretty regularly. Our examples include frozen hashbrowns, cheese, and diced ham. It would make the cost dip even lower than five dollars. If you purchase frozen hashbrowns and diced ham when they are on sale, you can keep all the ingredients for this casserole in your freezer and pantry to make it at any time.

A 9-inch pie plate will be needed. Glass is the best option as it heats evenly and you get to see the bottom crust as it browns so you can visually check to see if it’s done instead of pulling it which gets rid of most of the guesswork. Ceramic pie dishes work the same way. Metal pans work as well but you lose the visual check and the bottom can overbrown before the top manages to catch up.

Ingredient Notes

Hashbrowns

Use frozen shredded hash browns, not frozen diced hash browns. The shredded kind packs into a cohesive crust. Diced hash browns are too chunky to stick together and tend to fall apart when you slice the casserole. Both Ore-Ida and the store-brand equivalent work fine. Just thaw in the fridge overnight, then blot dry with paper towels before pressing into the pie plate. The biggest problem with the hash brown crusts is excess moisture. If you forgot to thaw them overnight, you can do a quick-thaw in the microwave, then squeeze the hash browns in paper towels to remove excess moisture before using.

Firmly and evenly press them into the pie plate — across the bottom and all the way up the sides. This is similar to pressing a pie crust. If the layer is thicker and more even, then the sturdiness of the crust will be greater. As long as there aren’t any major thin spots or bare patches, you’ll be fine.

Ham

You can find diced ham for sale beside the deli meats. These are the right size for this type of recipe and are packaged for convenience, usually containing just under or right at a cup. Holiday hams that are cut into leftovers also work great. Dice the ham into small cubes, 1/2 inch or smaller, for even distribution through the egg custard. Otherwise, you will end up with uneven bites, some overloaded with ham and some without.

Casseroles under 5 dollars are also possible because of the use of ham. If you have cooked crumbled bacon or cooked breakfast sausage, feel free to use those instead, but they are definitely more expensive in relation to how much you are getting. Sausage will likely make the casserole richer while ham will make the casserole smokier but make sure you are using cooked meat, you will not be able to fully cook raw meat during the last bake at 350.

Cheddar Cheese

Medium or sharp cheddar both work. Sharp has more flavor against the mild ham and egg, which I prefer in this one. Pre-shredded is fine here, the anti-caking coating isn’t going to affect this recipe the way it might in something more delicate. Colby jack is a reasonable swap if that’s what you have; it melts a little more smoothly but has a milder flavor. A Mexican blend works and adds a little color variation when it melts in the custard layer.

Green Pepper

Chop it into small pieces, about 1/4 inch. If the pieces are larger than that, they may not soften completely after 25 minutes of baking at 350°F, and can taste a little underdone in the final casserole. If someone at the table doesn’t love the taste of green peppers, red and yellow bell peppers are sweeter and are usually more universally accepted. You can also leave out the peppers; the casserole holds together perfectly fine without it, and the ham and cheese provide enough flavor on their own.

How to Make It

The frozen hashbrowns should be moved to the refrigerator the night before. This should be done 6-8 hours before cooking and can be \**start done**/ to be ascertained for `cooking` for the `final` crust` \*complete done**/ in the 6 to 8 hours before cooking.

Step 1: Create and cook the crust. Set the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously spread butter on the pie plate, including the sides. With paper towels, dry the thawed hashbrowns, and then evenly and firmly press them into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Pour the melted butter on top. Cook for 25 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the edges are golden and the tips are beginning to become crispy. The surface shouldn’t be pale and wet; it should be dry and set.

Step 2: Add your Empanada Filling. Take the Empanada Crust out of the oven. In one of your other containers, combine the diced ham, shredded cheddar, and finely chopped green pepper. Evenly distribute this mixture into the baked hashbrown Empanada Crust. When you spread the mixture, be careful not to pack it down. This allows the custard to flow down and fill the gaps when you pour the custard on top of the mixture.

Step 3: Prepare and pour the egg custard. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and add a touch of salt and pepper. Whisk until everything is fully incorporated, and you can no longer see streaks of egg yolk. Evenly pour it over the ham and cheese layer. It will settle on its own, but if you need to, you can carefully tilt and rotate the pie plate to help it reach the edges.

Step 4: Bake the filling. Now, let’s prep the oven. Set it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (350°F). Once it is ready, place the casserole back in for another 25 minutes. To check if the egg is set in the casserole, stick a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, it is ready. The top should be lightly golden and you should be able to hear the casserole, no jiggles. When you gently move the rack, it should be still. If the edges are set but the center still moves after 25 minutes, give it another 5 minutes and check again.

Step 5: Rest and slice. Allow 5 minutes before slicing. During this period, the custard thickens, allowing for tidier cuts. If you cut too early, the eggs may still be loose enough to pour out. Trust us and wait the full five minutes.

Practical Tips

• Dry the hashbrowns before pressing. This is the most important step. Wet hashbrowns steam instead of bake and the crust stays soft and waterlogged. A thorough blot with paper towels before pressing them into the pan goes a long way.
• Butter the sides of the pie plate too. The hashbrowns climb up the sides and will stick if the sides aren’t greased. This also helps the crust release cleanly when you’re serving.
• Don’t skip the crust pre-bake. That first 25 minutes at 425°F is structural work. The filling won’t set properly into an underbaked crust and the whole thing will be soggy at the bottom.
• Finely chop the pepper. Bigger pieces won’t soften in the bake time and can taste underdone against the fully-set egg custard.
• Check the center, not the edges. The edges of the casserole will look done well before the middle is set. A toothpick test in the center is the most reliable indicator of doneness.

Variations

Add Onion

Adding a quarter cup of finely diced yellow onion to the ham and pepper layer adds a lot of flavor for very little cost or work. The onion will soften during the second bake and will become a little sweeter as it cooks with the egg custard. It makes the casserole taste more savory and developed without changing the texture or the structure at all. If you are serving onion skeptics, the pieces are small enough that they will mostly disappear into the filling.

Swap the Meat

You can use the same amount of cooked breakfast sausage or crumbled bacon instead of ham. Bacon is more smoky and adds more flavor, and crumbled bacon is also easier to mix in and incorporate throughout the filling. Sausage, especially Jimmy Dean regular pork, makes the casserole richer and more filling. The seasoning in the sausage adds more depth to the egg custard than ham does. While both options are a little more expensive than the diced ham option, they are great options for a weekend when you’re not trying to hit a budget target.

Swap the Cheese

You can replace cheddar with Colby jack, Monterey jack, and Mexican blend. However, the flavor will be milder with any of those substitutions. For adults who prefer spicier breakfasts, the addition of pepper jack will be a good option as it adds some heat which will compliment the ham. No matter what cheese you choose, you should go with shredded cheese. Sliced cheese doesn’t disperse as evenly as shredded cheese does throughout the filling, and it tends to clump rather than melt.

Double the Recipe

Instead of a pie plate, you can double this recipe and use a 9×13 baking dish. Just use the same crust pre-bake step at 425°F, but because you have a larger surface area, extend it to 30 minutes. For the second bake at 350°F you’ll need to set it for another 30 to 35 minutes because there is a larger volume of egg custard to set through. A doubled version serves 8 to 10 people, so it’s worth making if you’re hosting a weekend brunch and costs under $10 for the entire dish.

Serving Suggestions

This casserole is so rich and filling it can be served solo for breakfast. Keep it easy with some fruit, toast, and simple juice and coffee. Want to beef up your brunch spread? Put a bowl of berries with some orange juice on the table and it will look full without more cooking.

It naturally goes with salsa on the side – spooning some over each slice adds acidity that cuts the richness of the egg and cheese and brightens the whole thing up. The same goes for hot sauce. They’re not required, but having them makes the casserole taste better.

When hosting, it’s helpful to have everything prepared and ready to go into the oven for the baking in the morning. You can bake the crust, put in the filling, pour the egg mixture, and cover the pie plate with foil to refrigerate it until the morning. After storing it in the fridge, set it out for the oven to preheat, and add an additional 5 to 10 minutes to the recipe for the second bake time. The crust could be a little softer, but they won’t know the difference. All in all, you get to enjoy time with guests instead of being stuck in the kitchen.

Storage and Reheating

You can cover leftover pieces and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can microwave individual slices to reheat them for 60 to 90 seconds. The hashbrown crust gets a little softer after refrigeration, and it won’t be as crispy as it was right out of the oven, but the flavor is just as great, and it still tastes like a good slice. If the texture of the crust is important to you, instead of using the microwave, reheat it in the oven at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. This gets pretty close to the original texture and the edges firm up a little.

I would not recommend freezing this one. Once thawed, the potato crust will lose its texture and the custard will become watery. It’s best made fresh or can be refrigerated for a few days. The good news is it reheats well so leftovers on day two or three don’t feel like a compromise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hashbrowns?

To begin with, you want to shred two to three medium russet potatoes. Using the larger holes of a box grater works best. Once you’ve done this, soak the shreds in cold water. This helps to get rid of some of the surface starch. Then, using a clean kitchen towel, get the shreds as dry as you can. After this, you can press the shreds into the pie plate. Although preparing fresh potatoes involves more time than using frozen potatoes, the end result will give you similar crust texture. You need to ensure you get as much moisture out as you can. Potatoes that are frozen hold less moisture than fresh potatoes. If you skip the wringing step, you will find that the crust will steam rather than bake.

How do I know when the egg is fully set?

A toothpick inserted into the casserole should come out clean with no batter clinging to it. Additionally, the casserole is done if it doesn’t jiggle when you shake the pan. The surface should be lightly golden, and not shiny or wet in the center. If the edges of the casserole are done and the center is still jiggly, give it another 5 minutes. Different pie plates can change the cooking time due to their depth. Shallow plates will bake faster than deeper plates.

Can I make this ahead of time?

As early as step 3, you can wrap it in foil and refrigerate it. It can even sit in there overnight after you’ve done the crust, added the filling, and poured the egg mixture. Once you’re ready to bake the next day, take it out of the fridge while you preheat your oven to 350°F. It will need 5 to 10 extra minutes in the oven before it’s done, because it’ll be starting off cold. The crust will be a bit softer and less crispy than if it were baked freshly, but the taste and the overall structure will still be the same. This is especially good for holiday mornings, or when you are entertaining overnight guests because you can avoid doing all of the casserole prep at 7 a.m.

Why did my crust come out soggy?

It’s almost always one of two things: the hashbrowns weren’t dry enough before pressing them, or the crust pre-bake was not long enough. Moisture is the enemy here. If the hashbrowns go into the pie plate wet, they will actually steam in the oven instead of browning and crisping. And if the crust doesn’t get a full 25 minutes at 425°F to set before the egg mixture goes in, it won’t have the structure to hold the custard without getting waterlogged. Both are easy fixes for next time, drying thoroughly and the full pre-bake time.

Can I scale this up for a crowd?

Yes, go ahead and double the recipe for the 9×13 baking dish. For pre-baking the crust, extend the time to 30 minutes at 425°F and for filling baking, it extends to 30 to 35 minutes at 350°F. Because you have a larger volume of the egg custard, you’ll need to check the center to make sure it is completely set in all areas. A doubled recipe is going to cost just about $8 to $9 total and serves eight to ten people — still ridiculously cheap for a group breakfast.

More Breakfast Recipes

• Sausage Croissant Breakfast Casserole — crescent roll base, Jimmy Dean sausage, make-ahead egg custard that feeds eight from one pan
• Biscuits and Gravy Casserole — Pillsbury biscuits layered with from-scratch sausage gravy, baked in one pan
• Breakfast Sausage Casserole — another budget-friendly sausage breakfast bake with a hash brown base
• Easy Breakfast Sandwich — Jimmy Dean premade patties on toasted English muffins, seven minutes start to finish