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!
can i use half and half?
That will work fine!
Loved this casserole. To serve I added a little salsa and sour cream to give it a little kick.
Hello,
Can you make this a day ahead and bake later?
Thanks
that should be fine!
Awesome recipe! One change is 8 oz. ham. Usual amount in store packages and is plenty. It also takes more than 10 minutes prep time if you use all fresh veggies and have to dice each one. Another change is using 3 peppers (medium size — red, green, yellow) since we love peppers!
I made it for a shower brunch and everyone loved it! So nice when people comment on your food and ask for the recipe.
I don’t have cream. Can I use the same amount of milk?
Yes that’s fine!
I love it. Make it all the tim
I usually do not submit a commit, this is an exception. I was looking for something different from my well over used breakfast casserole recipes that I had in my binder. I chose this one for two reasons. 1. I always have great success with other recipes that I have used from “Dinner at the Zoo” 2. I had all the ingredients available (a real plus). The only change that I made was to cut the recipe in half as 10 servings is way too much, and to add seven(7) eggs. Also I was using pre-diced ham and experience told that if I put the ham in as is, there would be a chance that the ham would water down the casserole as most pre-cooked hams have water added. I put the diced ham in a fry pan to cook to remove some of the added water, while I sliced the peppers and onions. I also added thawed diced hash browns (I like diced instead of shredded, personal choice) to the same fry pan after the ham was done, as frozen/thawed potatoes can also add unneeded moisture. This may sound like extra work in prep, it was not all that inconvenient to do, as I was not exactly cooking as much as removing some moisture. This is all of the changes to the recipe that I made. I also mixed all of the ingredients as the recipe directed , put in a 8×8 baking dish and come morning only had to POP it into the oven…a PERFECT breakfast, to start the New Year…..thank you”DInner at the Zoo”
This looks like a great recipe that I will be making this evening. That’s a great tip! About drawing out the moisture. I’m going to bake it in my cast iron skillet only cause it makes for a great pic. 🤣 Anyway, thank you for sharing! ✌
I have really enjoyed this recipe. I modify it based on what ingredients I have available. Meat is optional, whether chorizo, steak, corned beef hash (in place of ham) – but always diced jalapenos – this is a hearty and tasty meal. And it is one that reheats well. Stewed tomatoes accent well. Yum!
Can I make this without meat? Do I need to alter the liquids if I omit the meat?
You can reduce the milk to 1/2 cup!
Can I make ahead and freeze?
Yes that’s fine!