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This is truly the BEST Breakfast Casserole! It has a thick and creamy egg base loaded with shredded potatoes, chunks of ham, and flavorful cheese blends that bake up in no time. Make this to enjoy Christmas morning or brunch any time of year.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: This is so easy to throw together. It only takes about 5 minutes to get everything together. The hard part is waiting for it to be done cooking!
- Make Ahead: Make this ahead of time, and when ready to bake, simply take it out of the refrigerator and bake.
- Family Favorite: Your family will love this easy breakfast casserole this holiday season. I have our traditional Sticky buns on the menu for Christmas, along with this amazing casserole.
Family Tradition
Breakfast casserole reminds me of Christmas morning. The smells, the ooey gooey cheese, and the smokey chunks of ham are just so good! I always loved waking up to it on Christmas morning! It is perfect the way it is, but if you want to switch up the cheese, meat, or potatoes, you totally can! You can also add some veggies! Get creative and make this part of your family traditions!
Ingredients Needed
How to Make a Breakfast Casserole
This breakfast casserole recipe is the BEST because of how simple it comes together and is in the oven in just minutes. This tried and true breakfast casserole tastes amazing, and I know your whole family will love it!
- Prepare Frozen Hash Browns: Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add the frozen shredded hash browns to the bottom of the prepared pan. Season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk Eggs/ Add Remaining Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half and half and seasoned salt, then whisk to combine. Stir in the shredded cheese and chopped ham.
- Pour Into Pan and Refrigerate: Pour over the top of the frozen hash browns, then cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Bake: Bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60-75 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Mix It Up!
Try some of these fun variations in this breakfast casserole and find what you enjoy best!
- Can I add vegetables? Add in some veggies like bell peppers, spinach or kale, tomato (fresh or canned), broccoli, mushrooms, or onions are great.
- Do I have to use ham? You can use bacon, variations of sausage, shredded chicken, ground beef, or leftover turkey.
- Do I have to use Half & Half? If you’re not a fan of half and half, you can use whipping cream for a thicker, richer breakfast, or you can simply use milk.
- Can I use any kind of cheese? Switch up which cheese you use. Try Swiss cheese, Colby jack, or mozzarella, which all work well and melt perfectly when baked.
- How can I make this spicy? Adding red pepper flakes, green chilies, or green onions is a fun way to add a little heat.
- Can I use different potatoes? Diced or flavorful frozen potatoes will work great in place of shredded potatoes.
Tips for Making Breakfast Casserole
Here are some tips for making this breakfast casserole even better and easier on you. These tips will help you better understand how to bake this breakfast for you to enjoy with your family.
- Do I Need to Thaw the Frozen Hash Browns? There is no need to thaw the potatoes because they will thaw as they sit in the refrigerator. However, they would cook up perfectly if they were to cook from frozen!
- How Do I Know When the Casserole is Done? Once the outside edges become golden brown and the egg mixture in the middle is firm. You can check by slightly shaking the pan to see if it jiggles. Use a toothpick or knife to check if it is completely cooked through the middle. You can also use a thermometer to see if the breakfast casserole has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Short on Time? Allowing your casserole to refrigerate ahead of time creates the best results, and I highly recommend it! But if you’re short on time, you can assemble the casserole and bake it right away without refrigerating.
- Drain Grease: If you use any other meat in the breakfast casserole, drain the meat before adding it to the dish.
Storing Breakfast Casserole
There are so many options and plans for this breakfast casserole to make your holiday mornings even easier and better.
- In the Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- To Reheat: To reheat the breakfast casserole, microwave individual servings until warmed through.
- In the Freezer: Yes, this is perfect for freezing. Make and bake your breakfast casserole. Once it has completely cooled down, place it in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Lay flat in your freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw from frozen in the refrigerator over night. Warm individual servings in the microwave until warmed through.
- Make Ahead Instructions: Simply follow the instructions until you are ready to bake. Cover it with aluminum foil or a lid and place it in your fridge. When you are ready to bake, simply take it out and bake it according to the instructions. This can sit in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
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The Best Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 24 ounces frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 large eggs
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 2 cups chopped ham sausage, bacon, or preferred meat
Instructions
- Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add 24 ounces frozen shredded hash brown potatoes to the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 12 large eggs. Add 2 cups half and half and 1 teaspoon seasoned salt then whisk to combine. Stir in 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese, and 2 cups chopped ham.
- Pour the egg mixture over the frozen hash browns. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60-75 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onions, if desired!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How can I cook 2 of these at the same time, same oven? How long?
How long would I have to cook this if I tripled the recipe?
I made it this morning but when it came out it was a bit soupy in middle so I put it in for quite a bit longer. It still looked a bit soupy but we cut around the edges. In the meantime it appears the soupiness was re absorbed and was fine to eat. My question is, when you take it out of oven is it normal to be a bit soupy in middle or did I do something wrong?
It shouldn’t be soupy but it is sometimes soft. I would put it back into the oven and cook it an additional 5 or so minutes without the foil on top.
Do you cook the near first or not?
With so much cheese and cream how can it taste bad? But it’s extremely fattening, too much for my preferences.
Can I prepare this the night before and pop it into the oven in the morning?
It is actually recommended to do it that way! We always make it Christmas eve and bake it Christmas Morning. 🙂
I just made this last night/this morning for a breakfast meeting at my office. Everyone likes it, but I think it is just OK. It’s kind of bland, and the potatoes were wet in the middle of the pan. I will try this again in the future, but I might go ahead and thaw/drain the potatoes beforehand, and use bacon and sausage (instead of ham) to give it more flavor.
I made this today and it was a hit with the family. I made some substitutions to make it vegetarian and lighter. I used milk instead of cream and part-skim cheese. I also substituted half the potatoes with a broccoli/carrot/red cabbage slaw mix. I used sauteed 2 portabella mushrooms with scallions to substitute for the meat. I took the foil off for the last 10 minutes to brown the top. Delish!! This recipe is a keeper.
I love this casserole!!! Thank you so much for sharing it! I have made it a handful of times and have been asked to share your recipe every time! I am about to have a baby and would love to have this waiting for me in the freezer. Do you or does anyone think there’s any chance I could freeze this after or before baking?
I think that you could freeze it before baking. Just take it out the night before to thaw. 🙂 This is a favorite of ours as well!
yikes ! want to make for superbowl sunday breakfast; wont print !!! any help?
thank you
I halved this recipe for Christmas brunch. I still cooked it for the recommended time. It turned out great!
What temperature do you use in a Convection oven and for how long. Would it be the same?
If you use a convection oven it would cook faster but I am not sure on the time.
Would it work in a slow cooker? Thinking I could do it overnight.
I actually have a slow cooker breakfast casserole on my site. https://therecipecritic.com/overnight-breakfast-casserole/
Thank you for answering this question Alyssa, I was wondering the same thing! 🙂
We loved it! So easy! We used Canadian bacon and turkey sausage and diced peppers.
I too need to cut this in half. What size pan should I use? Was thinking possibly a 9×9 square pan. Thanks.
I used an 8 inch pan and it worked great!
I too need to cut the recie in half. What size pan should I use? Thinking maybe a 9×9 square pan. Thanks
Hey! I’m going to try to make this tomorrow. Thank you for sharing.
One thing I will say, I have to give bloggers like you credit for posting recipes. People are so snappy in their comments/questions. You have been very patient. 🙂
I agree. I have scrolled through all the comments and you are very patient. Foil on when baking. 1/2 recipe full time. 2 hours at least for setting time in refrigerator. Cook meats before putting in casserole.
I like the fact you actually give amounts for the recipe. This will help in cutting in half or multiplying for 2.
Thanks Alyssa.
I have seen her repeat the same thing, cook meats before adding, cook in the oven with FOIL ON, she’s very patient with her followers. She’s great, I’ve always wanted to try a egg casserole like this. So I’m going to try this on my hubby. I do believe I’m going add the red, yellow and green peppers, mushrooms, ham, bacon, sausage, and loads of cheese, I’ll cut the recipe in half since there’s only 2 of us and put the veggies only on one end. My hubby doesn’t like veggies meats and potatoes man