This hash brown egg casserole is full of ham, veggies and cheese, all baked to perfection. The best breakfast option for a special occasion!
The holidays are almost here, which means the entertaining season has begun! I host quite a few gatherings during the holidays, including cookie exchanges, kids holiday parties, and more. One occasion that sometimes gets overlooked is breakfast. I often have guests staying at my house and I want to be able to offer a quick yet satisfying meal in the morning. This hash brown egg casserole is perfect for entertaining. It’s a hearty dish filled with ham, veggies, eggs, hash browns and cheese. Best of all, it’s simple to make and serves a crowd!
How to make hash brown egg casserole
Let’s talk about the eggs first, since they’re the base of this hash brown casserole. I always buy Eggland’s Best eggs, they are much more nutritious than ordinary eggs. Eggland’s Best eggs have six times more Vitamin D, 10 times more Vitamin E, double the omega-3s, and more than double Vitamin B12. I love that I can get more vitamins into my kids this way. Eggland’s Best eggs also have 25% less saturated fat than regular eggs, which is important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These eggs taste great, and they even stay fresh longer than standard eggs, always a bonus! You can learn more about the nutritional benefits of Eggland’s Best eggs on their website.
To make this ham and egg casserole, you’ll also need onions, peppers, cubed ham, cheddar cheese and milk. I cook the peppers and onions, then combine the veggies with ham and hash browns, which all goes into a casserole dish. You can use either fresh or frozen hash browns for this recipe. If you’re using frozen hash browns, you don’t need to thaw them, simply break them up a bit and add to the pan. Fresh hash browns are located in the egg section of most grocery stores.
After you’ve got your ham, veggies and potatoes, a mixture of eggs, milk, cream and cheese gets poured over the top. Place your breakfast casserole in the oven and you’re good to go!
Tips for cooking with Eggland’s Best Eggs
- To get a smooth egg mixture for this casserole, I typically crack my Eggland’s Best eggs into a bowl, and whisk until thoroughly blended. After the eggs have been beaten, I slowly add in the milk and cream, whisking as I go.
- Looking for an egg dish for a smaller group? You can create an egg scramble with the same flavors by cooking up peppers, onions and ham in a skillet, then adding Eggland’s Best eggs (I typically do 2 eggs per person). Cook, stirring continuously, until eggs are scrambled, then add the cheese and serve!
- Love hard boiled eggs but don’t know how to cook them properly? Invest in an egg timer! It’s a little device that goes inside your pan of eggs, and it lets you know when they’re properly cooked. I’ve owned one for years and my hard boiled Eggland’s Best eggs are perfect every time.
After your casserole comes out of the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve. I like to add a sprinkling of fresh chives over the top for added flavor and color. I typically serve this dish with a side of fruit salad, and it makes the perfect protein packed meal that my family and guests all adore.
Eggland’s Best eggs are always in my fridge, I love that they’re full of nutrition and they taste great too. Be sure to check out the Eggland’s Best website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more information about their products, great recipe ideas and more!
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Breakfast Casserole with Bacon
- Breakfast Egg Muffins
- No-Bake Breakfast Cereal Bars
- Healthy Banana Pancakes
- Oatmeal Waffles with Blueberry Pancakes
Hash Brown Egg Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces ham diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and finely diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 20 ounces fresh or frozen hash browns
- 12 Eggland's Best Eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons chives sliced
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and peppers, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened, 3-5 minutes.
- Place the cooked vegetables, ham and hash browns in the baking dish, stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until thoroughly blended. Add the cream, milk and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the cheese.
- Pour the egg mixture over the ham and vegetables in the pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Sprinkle with chives. Cut into squares and serve.
Nutrition
This delightful hash brown egg casserole recipe has been sponsored by Eggland’s Best. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Dinner at the Zoo possible!
Colleen says
Made this for my family’s breakfast this morning. It is something very similar when we camp in the outdoors but we make it in our cast iron Dutch ovens. The recipe was great, easy to prepare, and tasted awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Wendy says
Well I didn’t have any cream so used all milk and it was awesome! I’m a fan of large portions as we eat them 2 days now.
Kelly Faries says
Have you tried this with diced hash brown potatoes? Wondering if they would cook enough.
Sara says
That should be fine!
Megan says
We make this using potatoes O’Brien. Already has the diced peppers and onions! Cooks up perfect
Deb says
We had overnight guests so I was delighted to find this recipe! Served it with cut up fruit. I left it on a warming plate so everyone could help themselves when they came down for breakfast.
judy says
Are the frozen potatoes diced or shredded? Thanks?
Sara says
Shredded!
Laurie says
This was great, thank you!! We’re not big fans of green bell pepper, so substituted mushrooms. Delilah and super easy! Will be making it again!
Rick Dermody says
Any suggestions for dairy free? Non-dairy cheese and plant based milk are available, but not sure about a cream substitute…
Sara says
You could just use 1 cup of plant based milk and omit the cream.
Lorrie says
I messed up and mine was awful. I cannot figure out what could have gone wrong — we had a disappointing Christmas Day breakfast. Is there a way to save the rest of the casserole? The potatoes had a grainy texture and seemed dry, and overall it seemed flavorless.
I want to try again, but don’t know what to change. Could it have overcooked? I turned the oven off but left it in the oven for a few minutes while putting out the rest of the meal. It was possibly 10 minutes, but it hadn’t started to brown on top at all when I turned it off. I made it the night before and refrigerated it over night.
Also, I just now realized that I have an extra bag of cheese in my refrigerator. Might I have missed adding cheese? OMG!
Well, if my mess sounds familiar and you can diagnose my mistake, other than give up cooking, what would you suggest?
Sara says
I’m sorry you had trouble with this recipe! Did you use fresh or frozen hash browns? And leaving out the cheese would for sure affect the dish and would definitely account for the lack of flavor.
Lila says
Does it take longer to cook with real potatoes not frozen
Sara says
It should take the same amount of time!
The Coltons Mom says
Made this without meat IN the casserole. Instead I served it with Country Sausage Gravy it was fabulous! We also LOVE breakfast for dinner and this is going into the dinner rotation YUM! Thanks!
Kristen Ramos says
Can this be made in a cast iron skillet?
Sara says
That should be fine, just be sure to coat it will with cooking spray so nothing sticks!
Alie says
Can I use muffin pan for this – so it will be individual serving?
Sara says
Yes that should work fine, make sure to coat the pan well with cooking spray so that they don’t stick and you’ll want to reduce the baking time.
J.S. says
I’ve made this a few times. I also add soft bacon bits . My family likes breakfast for dinner but it takes a long time to cook each breakfast food in enough quantity. This combines all the flavors easily. I just add pancakes on thr side. I never have leftovers and its part of our meal rotation.
Sara says
So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Tucker says
Recipe says cheese gets stirred into the egg mixture but the description above says cheese goes on top of everything. Which is it?
Sara says
Cheese gets stirred in!
Lin says
Does the hash brown have to be cooked first ir can i leave out the hash brouwns
Sara says
The hash browns go in frozen, you don’t have to cook them first!
Laura says
Can you omit the ham for t5he meat free people?
Sara says
Yes that will work just fine! You could even add more veggies in its place!
Geege says
It was unbelievable !
Sara says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
susan says
How about freezing it for a few days?
Sara says
Yes that should work fine!
Gloria says
Can it be made the night before an baked the next day?
Sara says
Yes that should work fine!
Joni says
Can I make this the day before and bake it the next morning?
Sara says
Yes that will work!