Cooking with Care

Making an awesome breakfast for people on the weekends always starts the day off right. This morning my husband was sleeping in a bit so I took advantage of the quiet am to make up this recipe using stuff in the fridge and freezer that needed to be eaten. Does it get better than sipping a cup of coffee in silence as a casserole bakes away in the oven? With a baby due any day these moments may be few and far between for awhile.

This recipe can be customized so many ways depending on what you have on hand. You could stick with the basics listed below and have a hearty satisfying casserole that kids and adults would love. Add in a few veggies and some meat and its got a whole new taste.

Ingredients

The basics

• 4-5 cups frozen hashbrowns (depending on other ingredients you want to add)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I did a mix of cheddar and parmesan, but pepper jack would be great)
• 12 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk (I used 1% but any kind including cream would be great)
• Salt
• Pepper

The add ins

• Seasonings (think chipotle powder, garlic powder, paprika, dried herbs, hot sauce)
• Meat (chopped bacon, crumbled sausage, sliced salami)
• Sauteed veggies (onions, peppers, zucchini, spinach, kale, mushrooms)

For this morning’s creation I did the basics and added in chipotle powder to the hashbrowns, sriracha with the eggs and added sauteed onions, bell peppers, jalapeno, spinach and salami.

Here’s the steps I took to whip this together:

1. Preheat oven at 375
2. Grease a long baking dish (9×13 is ideal)
3. Remove frozen hash browns from freezer and make sure they are broken up well (husband with a meat mallet helps break up if needed)
4. Cook any meat you’d like to add (bacon, sausage, etc.) and transfer to paper towel lined plate to cool
5. In the same skillet, add any chopped veggies you want to add and saute them until slightly tender
6. In a large mixing bowl mix your hashbrowns, 1.5 cups of the cheese, pinch of salt and pepper (add any other seasonings like powders, dried herbs at this time)
7. Add any veggies or meat you selected to the hashbrown mixture and toss to mix
8. In another mixing bowl crack and beat 12 eggs and the 3/4 cup milk, season the eggs with salt and pepper (add in hot sauce at this point if desired)
9. Add your hashbrown mixture to the baking dish – use a spatula to even out and gently pat down
10. Pour your egg mixture evenly over top over all hashbrowns (will soak into the mixture)
11. Top with remaining cheese
12. Bake for about 1 hour until cheese has melted and started to bubble
13. Remove from oven and cool for about 10-15 minutes before cutting

I’d love to hear about your creations using this recipe! Add in the comments below how you made this special for your family. Enjoy!