Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

This inexpensive Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole is perfect for weekend breakfasts and for overnight guests. This recipe has been in our family for years.

When you’re looking to impress with a home-cooked breakfast, you’d be surprised how well you can impress with this Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole recipe that’s been passed down in our family for years.

Not only does it look great, it’s simple to make, and it’s dirt-cheap. This casserole will feed four-to-six people and it’s going to cost you about $4 to prepare.

We use this recipe often when we have overnight guests. It’s a favorite here in our family.

It’s one of those recipes we make to keep our grocery bill in-check, too.

It’s amazing how such humble ingredients come together and create such a rich-tasting casserole that will impress your friends and family. You’d be surprised how well this recipe slices.

Try making it for breakfast this weekend. I think you’ll be pleased with the results.

Why the Hashbrown Crust Works

You can’t skip the crust for this recipe and still achieve the same results. There are two important points to consider when making the crust:

• First, you must thaw the potatoes overnight (8 hrs.). If you bake the hashbrowns while they’re still frozen, the hashbrowns will steam and become waterlogged instead of crisp.
• The pre-baked hashbrown crust helps support the egg custard filling. Skipping the pre-bake results in a casserole that will be a bit too wet and therefore not as easily cut into slices. Pre-baking allows the crust to set up and form a sturdier edge. Moisture from the raw eggs works its way into the hashbrowns and keeps them from cooking all the way through. I find that pre-baking also helps drive off some of the moisture in the potatoes and leads to the best possible texture.

Ingredients and Price Breakdown

• 3 cups shredded hashbrowns (thawed), $1.00

Use frozen shredded hashbrowns and allow to thaw overnight. Do not skip the thawing process.

• 1/3 cup butter, melted, $0.50
• 1 cup diced ham, $1.00
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, $1.00
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper, $0.50
• 2 large eggs, $0.20
• 1/2 cup milk

Ingredient Notes

• I used 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper in this recipe.
• This recipe uses some ingredients that are frequently on sale: frozen hashbrowns, cheese, diced ham. Check your grocery store’s sales ads and stock up on sale items to get the cost of this recipe down even more, and it is pretty easy to get this recipe’s ingredients for less than five dollars. They’ll hang around in your freezer/pantry waiting patiently for you to make this recipe whenever you please.
• You’ll need a 9″ pie plate to make this recipe. If you’re wondering which pie plate you should buy, a glass one is best. It bakes evenly and you’ll be able to look down into the pie plate and see if/when the hashbrown crust is nicely browned, leaving no more guessing. Ceramic pie dishes are a close second. Metal pans work as well. You won’t be able to peek in to check doneness and they’re notorious for over-browning the bottom of the pie before the top is done baking.
• You’ll be using frozen, shredded hashbrowns in this recipe, not the diced ones. The shredded variety is necessary for forming a hashbrown crust because diced hashbrowns are too large/chunky and will fall apart when you try to slice the casserole. You can use Ore-Ida brand hashbrowns or store-brand hashbrowns, as both work equally well.
• It’s best to plan ahead and leave the hashbrowns to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. In a pinch, you can thaw them in the microwave. Be sure to pat/squeeze the hashbrowns really well with paper towels to remove as much of the moisture as possible. Too much moisture is the hashbrown crust’s #1 enemy.
• Use your hands to form the hashbrown crust by pressing the hashbrowns firmly, evenly, into a consistent thickness against the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. A thicker, even, hashbrown crust is crucial to prevent bare spots and ensure success.
• I’ve made this recipe using leftover, cubed ham as well as pre-cubed ham you can buy in the deli section of your grocery store, which I think is about 1 cup in the clear plastic packaging. Be sure to cut/cube your ham to no larger than 1/2″ pieces, or else some of the egg custard slices will have lots of ham and some will have little or no ham.

You can also use cooked breakfast sausage in place of the ham. Sausage would make a very rich casserole but it’s more expensive by volume than the ham.

Bacon works too, cooked, of course, and crumbled. Again, bacon is going to be more expensive but it’s a viable option.

Cheddar Cheese

Use whichever you like, medium or sharp. Personally, I like the flavor of the sharp against the mildness of the egg and the ham.

Pre-shredded cheese contains additives to keep them from clumping. They won’t melt as well as cheese that you shred yourself, but they’re fine to use in this recipe.

Colby Jack would work well here, actually, it’s a better melting cheese than cheddar but it’s a milder flavor. A Mexican blend would be ok as well.

You’d end up with some fun colors where the cheese melts into the egg mixture.

Green Pepper

You can opt for red or yellow pepper which are sweeter or you can leave the pepper out all together. It’s not integral to the dish.

How to Make It

Step 1: Create and cook the crust.

Thaw hash browns by transferring from freezer to refrigerator for 6-8 hrs.

Generously butter a pie plate on the bottom and sides. Remove hashbrowns to a large bowl and use a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible.

Press hashbrowns to cover pie plate bottom and sides. Drizzle with butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

At the end of the 25 minutes, the hashbrowns will be golden around the tips/edges, crispy, dry, set. If they’re pale and look wet, cook a little longer.

Remove from oven.

Why do I insist on cooked meats?

The final cooking time and temp aren’t sufficient to cook meats. This casserole finishes its cook at 350.

Why small chopped pepper?

Anything larger than 1/4” chunks may not have time to cook down in the final bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes and can taste raw.

Step 2: Add your Empanada Filling.

The ham keeps this recipe under $5. It’s one of the most versatile and economical meats that can be used for breakfast.

You can always substitute other cooked meat to fit your needs.

The hashbrown crust makes all of the difference, it is the star of the show.

Add the diced ham, shredded cheddar and finely chopped green pepper to the same bowl and stir to combine. Loosely pile the mixture into the baked hashbrown Empanada Crust.

We recommend that you don’t pat it down, because you want the custard to settle into the mixture as it cooks. Leaving spaces helps the egg and milk to trickle down and fill any gaps.

Step 3: Prepare and pour the egg custard.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, salt and pepper until no streaks of egg yolk remain. Pour over the cheese and meat mixture and allow it to settle into the filling.

If necessary, tilt the pie plate to coax it to the edges.

Step 4: Bake the filling.

If the middle is still jiggle-y, pop it back in the oven for 5 more minutes. Bake at 350°F (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the middle of the casserole clean.

Gently nudge the rack and make sure it’s not jiggle-y – it’s possible that the edges look completely cooked, but the egg isn’t completely cooked through in the middle, which is why you might need that extra 5 minutes in the oven.

Step 5: Rest and slice.

Please trust us and let the casserole sit for 5 minutes to settle and thicken so you get pretty, clean slices. If you cut it as soon as it comes out of the oven you may find some run-away eggs.

Practical Tips

I highly recommend pre-baking the Hashbrown Empanada Crust for about 25 minutes at 425°F so that it has enough sturdiness to hold everything together. This will allow your casserole to have the best Hashbrown Empanada Crust ever, as there is nothing soggy here.

Make sure you blot the hashbrowns as dry as you can with paper towels. If they are too wet they’ll steam instead of cooking into a cohesive and tasty crust.

Then, firmly and evenly press the hashbrowns into a pie plate.

We can’t overstate how important resting time is before slicing. We know that’s not always easy, but we promise it’s worth it.

The eggs will be thickened up and slice beautifully.

Grease the sides of the pie plate with butter. The hashbrowns may rise as they bake and will be less likely to stick to the sides of the pan if buttered.

It will help with getting it out of the pan, too.

Finely chop peppers. It’s important to chop them fine, as peppers will soften up quite a bit when baked.

If left in larger pieces, the peppers will end up being very strong tasting and a bit raw, as the egg will be ready before they are done.

If doubling recipe and cooking in a 9×13, pre-bake time will be closer to 30 min in a 425*oven, as there’s more crust exposed.

Then bake a second time at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, as there is quite a bit of egg mixture so it does take a little longer to bake.

Variations

Add Onion

Some people don’t like onions or the idea of onions in food. For them, this casserole is fine as-is.

But if you like onions and think that’s why restaurants’ versions are so good, try adding 1/4 cup of finely diced yellow onion along with the peppers and ham. They’ll caramelize/sweeten a bit in the 2nd bake, and really complement the savory flavors.

Since they’re diced, they’ll melt into the casserole inconspicuously, adding flavor, not texture.

• This casserole is a classic for a reason because it’s easy, versatile, inexpensive, and tasty. If you’re looking for a way to jazz it up, try one or all of these suggestions:
• Try using crumbled bacon in place of the same amount of ham. Bacon will incorporate throughout the casserole better than ham, adding a nice smoky flavor. It’s much stronger than ham, so be prepared for a bolder casserole.
• Substitute cooked breakfast sausage for ham. Like bacon, sausage will add a lot of flavor to the casserole, which translates to flavorful custard, as opposed to plain-ish egg when ham is used. Also, as with bacon, I think sausage combined with casserole is a weekend-type of meal, while egg and ham and pepper is a budget-friendly everyday dish. For sausage, I’d definitely go for something flavorful, like Jimmy Dean regular pork.
• You can use different kinds of cheese besides cheddar – Colby or Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Mexican Cheese… These cheeses are a little milder in flavor, which is ok. If you’re looking for a little zip, pepper jack and ham is a tasty combination. Use shredded cheese – sliced cheese tends to melt into clumps instead of incorporating well.

Serving Suggestions

When doubled, this recipe will serve about 8-10 people. It’s super budget-friendly at less than $10 to make, super delicious and is PERFECT to make when you’re entertaining for brunch.

It’s very hearty so I’d serve it as-is for breakfast with nothing else, maybe some fruit and toast on the side. Juice and coffee and you’ve got a lovely spread for brunch.

If you wanted to dress the table up a bit, a bowl of berries and some OJ would make for a nice addition without actually having to make/cook anything else.

Everyone loves it.

Storage and Reheating

You CAN make this casserole ahead of time. You can actually go so far as to bake the crust and add the filling and egg mixture, cover tightly in foil, refrigerate and leave it till the morning.

Then you’d just add the cooking time since the casserole would be going in the oven chilled, allowing for preheating time AND adding another 5-10 minutes to the recipe’s cook time. The hashbrown crust WILL lose a bit of its snappy texture with refrigeration, but I’m sure your brunch guests would still rave about this dish.

If you have any leftovers, refrigerate covered tightly and they will last about 4 days in the fridge. To reheat individual servings, simply nuke for 60-90 seconds or until heated through.

Once again, the crust will not be as crunchy, but it’s still mighty tasty. Another option would be to heat leftovers in the oven.

Set your oven to 350°F and heat leftovers about 10-12 minutes or until warmed through. This way the edges will be nice and crunchy again.

I have NOT tried to freeze leftovers of this dish, as egg dishes in general don’t freeze well. When thawed, the texture is a little watery and limp.

Since this recipe DOES contain a crust of potatoes, I’m sure they’d turn out a bit limp and sad when thawed as well. So skip freezing.

Additional Note: We LOVE salsa with eggs and potatoes. Even hot sauce goes great with eggs too.

Something about the acidity of salsa or hot sauce helps cut through the richness of the eggs and cheese. Try it, and you’ll be surprised how much it enhances the flavors of this casserole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hashbrowns?

You can! It will require more work and preparation.

Use two to three medium russet potatoes and shred using the large holes of a box grater. Put the potatoes into a bowl and fill with cold water.

The water removes some of the starch on the potatoes. Remove the potato from the water and squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible.

Then, spread out on a clean kitchen towel and squeeze again. It needs to be as dry as possible.

If the potatoes are too wet they will steam instead of bake. Frozen potatoes are drier than fresh potatoes so you’ll want to make sure to squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can.

The end result should be about the same.

How do I know when the egg is fully set?

The casserole is ready when it is completely set. Insert a toothpick in the center of the casserole and it should come out clean.

When you shake the pan there should not be any jiggle in the casserole and the top should not look shiny or wet and will be lightly golden. If the edges look done, but the middle is a little jiggly, bake for 5 more minutes.

Can I make this ahead of time?

This dish tastes just as good refrigerated for a couple of days as it does made and enjoyed right away. It reheats well.

You can make the dish and enjoy two or three days in a row and the dish will hold up really well.

The entire casserole, not just the hashbrown crust, can be made ahead of time. After step 3, cover tightly in foil and store in the refrigerator.

Remove from refrigerator while pre-heating oven to 350°F. Bake as directed.

Add an extra 5-10 minutes of baking time since the casserole is coming out of the refrigerator.

Note about pie plates: The recipe will work in any size or shape pie plates. Shallow pie plates will cook faster than deep pie plates.

The depth of the pie plate changes the overall cook time.

More Breakfast Recipes

• Sausage Croissant Breakfast Casserole: this casserole uses crescent rolls as the base instead of biscuits. Uses Jimmy Dean Sausage and has a make-ahead custard so you’re not scrambling at 7 am. Feeds 8.
• Biscuits and Gravy Casserole – Made with Pillsbury biscuits and homemade sausage gravy. All in one pan and perfect for entertaining or holiday mornings.
• Breakfast Sausage Casserole – another budget-friendly casserole option
• Easy Breakfast Sandwich – Uses English muffins and Jimmy Dean premade sausage patties and comes together in 7 minutes.