I don’t do casseroles. Have you noticed?
Don’t ask me why…I do like to eat them. I just don’t MAKE them.
Why?
Beats me. I’m a strange bird.
For Christmas, Jon got a wild hair about him that he was going to make a turkey for lunch and a breakfast casserole for, um, breakfast. So, I decided to let him. Sharing my shiny KitchenAid range Gilda is a struggle, but, well, if a man wants to cook, who am I to stand in his way?
I stepped aside, and it was worth it.
His Breakfast Casserole was a hit at my family Christmas Breakfast, and with good reason. It was cheesy, full of potatoes and tasty sausage, just enough egg, and buttery, peppery goodness.
It would be ideal for New Year’s Day, when you are looking for something easy yet comforting after that night of celebration. There’s a reason the Waffle House is packed at 2am, folks, and it’s not the stellar wait staff.
This casserole is like the epitome of hashbrowns that are smothered and covered and everything in between. Cut up a few ripe tomatoes and toss them on top? Oh my heavens.
You’ll never go back to Waffle House.
Today, anyway.
Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole
serves 12-15
- 1 pound Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage, cooked
- 1 yellow onion, chopped, sauteed in sausage grease
- 7 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 20 ounce bag frozen Ore-Ida Diced Hash Browns
- 8 ounce brick of Mild Cheddar Cheese, grated
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray medium casserole dish (we used 9 x 13) with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Prepare sausage and onions.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, including sausage and onions. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Reserve roughly one cup of the cheese for topping.
- Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and top with reserved cheese. Return to oven for 8 minutes.
- Allow casserole to rest for 15-20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Another reason this casserole is way better than Waffle House? Our casserole contained no cigarette ashes.
Kidding!
We used Safest Choice Eggs. That means our casserole was prepared with truly SAFE eggs.
I have recently become an ambassador for Safest Choice™, as a member of their Darling Dozen. Their eggs are pasteurized in the shell, before you ever get them! They taste the same (they’re eggs, after all), no weird chemicals were added, and they are already SAFE to consume, even before cooking! So…love cookie dough? Love Caesar Salad? These both include uncooked eggs. With Safest Choice, you’re good to go!
What is pasteurization?
Pasteurization is a century-old process that destroys pathogens through simple heat, and is well-
known for its role in making milk and juices safe to enjoy. To pasteurize a food means to destroy
harmful microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and viruses) by applying a precise amount of heat for a
specified period of time. This straightforward food safety technique was invented by French
chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur in 1864.
Pasteurization is an all natural process, in that it involves only heat (not chemicals or irradiation). Safest Choice eggs go through a series of warm water baths to eliminate bacteria. It’s that simple!
Visit www.SafeEggs.com/recipes/safest-choice-darling-dozen for more information on the Safest Choice Darling Dozen, or follow Safest Choice on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
About Davidson’s Safest Choice Eggs:
Founded in 2001, in Lansing, IL, National Pasteurized Eggs is a privately held company that launched the Davidson’s Safest Choice® brand pasteurized shell eggs in 2003. Safest Choice eggs can be found in over 5,000 grocery stores, in thousands of restaurants and through major foodservice distributors in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Safest Choice eggs provide consumers the highest combined standard for quality and safety in shell eggs and the Safest Choice patented, all natural, award-winning egg pasteurization process allows everyone to enjoy all recipes without the risk of Salmonella. For more information or to find a retailer, visit www.SafeEggs.com.
Disclaimer: I am an ambassador for Safest Choice Eggs, as part of the Darling Dozen. This post is sponsored, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I would be so happy having this all by itself or as a side! Good call in sharing the kitchen
I’m tucking myself inside that dish and eating my way out.
That’s not even right! I have a breakfast bake that I heart heart heart, but it doesn’t have potatoes, so I feel like I need to try this one and bring it into the rotation. Looks SOOOO tasty!
Looks delish but did I miss the part about the potato?!?! how many are needed for this?
oops! never mind! hahhaha
Looks and reads tasty, but I am addicted to Cabot’s sharpest cheddar, so I would have to use that.
It says 8oz of cheese but then it says to hold back 1 cup for the top after baking. I would buy pre-shredded cheese myself. Would it be a total of 2 cups??
8 ounces of cheese is 2 cups, it’s by weight.
DO you scramble the eggs before adding the mixture together?
Made this recipe this morning for a breakfast pot luck at our church. I did modify a bit by sautéing 1 diced onion and 1 8oz. Package of mushrooms in 1/2 stick butter, then adding 1 pound od diced ham and 1 can cream of mushroom soup to all of the original ingredients. I put the casserole together the day before and baked it up this morning. It DID require an additional 20 minutes, but let me just say, it was AMAZING! Can’t wait to make this with applewood bacon! Thanks for a great recipe and an enjoyable blog.
What should I do if I don’t want to use a frozen bag of potatoes?