Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

I can not even count how many times I have made this Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole. Just about for every gathering that involves breakfast, this is my go-to recipe for breakfast.

I have perfected the technique now and am able to make it days in advance, freeze it and gently warm it back up the day I am serving it. Makes my life so much easier!

Probably the biggest reason I make this Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole recipe so much is because I can easily make a vegetarian version for my grown children. You can see in this image that I almost always make two. The one on the left is the vegetarian and the one on the right has meat in it.

See my most common vegetarian breakfast combinations below.

• 6 cups hashbrown potatoes, thawed (I use Ore Ida brand, the shredded variety)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the crust. Turn into a
9 x 13-inch greased pan. Use your fingers to press hashbrowns onto the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan to form a crust.

Bake about 25 minutes. You want the crust to be very crispy so cook it longer if it needs it but watch it so it does not burn. Take out then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

• 2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups half and half
• 1-1/2 cups meat or veggies (try any combo)
• 6 green onion tops (discard most of the white. It is too strong.)
• 1/2 tsp pepper or hot sauce
• Salt to taste, depending on ingredients

Mix together and pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Great served with fruit and muffins.

This recipe is easily altered for any kind of party you are hosting or attending.

Cut the recipe in half and cook it in a pie plate for smaller occasions. For large gatherings, I have a huge casserole dish that I make it in (double the recipe).

The combination of ingredients you can use is endless. Just use 2 cups of any cheese, 1-1/2 cups of meat or veggies and something to replace the green onions, like 1/4 cup of shallots. When I made it in the pictures above for Thanksgiving, I doubled the recipe. One was ham, green onion and Monterey Jack cheese. The other, for my vegetarian kids, was broccoli, sharp cheddar and shallots.

Here are a few other combinations for you to consider

• Swiss cheese, bacon and green onions
• Monterey Jack cheese, broccoli and white onion
• Gruyere cheese, roasted red peppers, shallots
• Feta cheese, fresh spinach leaves, vidalia onion

See what I mean? It's easy to get creative and put your own stamp on this one. It is hard to mess it up.

NOTE: You can make this a day ahead but keep the baked crust separate from the filling. When ready to bake, just pour in the filling and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. This will keep the crust from getting soggy.

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