CrockPot Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Originally posted in 2008 as part of my A Year of Slow Cooking challenge, this overnight breakfast casserole uses frozen hashbrowns, eggs, cheese, and can be made with or without sausage. We love it and make it often!!
Day 228.
In the past few weeks I've gotten a few different emails from fantastic people sharing their hash brown layered casserole breakfast concoctions. This is a combo of Melba, Mikell, and Alison's recipes.
We were ecstatic with the results. This is a keeper, and something you should definitely file away for a brunch or potluck get-together.
The Ingredients.
serves 10 or so
30 ounce package of plain frozen hash brown (shredded) potatoes
4 already-been cooked sausage, or leftover diced ham (I used chicken and apple sausage)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 cup skim or fat free milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
The Directions.
I used a 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe.
Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray.
Dump in the whole package of hash browns. Spread them out with your fingers, and break up any clumps.
In a mixing bowl, mix the dozen eggs with the milk, salt and pepper, cheese, cut up sausage, and diced vegetables. Pour everything on top of the hash browns.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. This is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges start to brown a bit. If you want the cheese to brown and get a bit crispy on the sides, cook it longer.
The Verdict.
Delicious. Yummy. We've eaten this for breakfast everyday for the past three days.
Vegetarian Version:
30 ounces frozen hashbrown potatoes
12 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup diced onion
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms, chopped.
2 cups shredded cheese
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Pour the hashbrowns into a prepared slow cooker insert. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vegetables, salt, and pepper.
Pour evenly over the top of the hashbrowns.
Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours, then remove the lid and continue cooking on high for another 30 minutes, or until residual moisture has dissipated and the eggs are fully set.
ENJOY!!!
more breakfasty goodness in the slow cooker
Day 228.
In the past few weeks I've gotten a few different emails from fantastic people sharing their hash brown layered casserole breakfast concoctions. This is a combo of Melba, Mikell, and Alison's recipes.
We were ecstatic with the results. This is a keeper, and something you should definitely file away for a brunch or potluck get-together.
The Ingredients.
serves 10 or so
30 ounce package of plain frozen hash brown (shredded) potatoes
4 already-been cooked sausage, or leftover diced ham (I used chicken and apple sausage)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 cup skim or fat free milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
The Directions.
I used a 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe.
Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray.
Dump in the whole package of hash browns. Spread them out with your fingers, and break up any clumps.
In a mixing bowl, mix the dozen eggs with the milk, salt and pepper, cheese, cut up sausage, and diced vegetables. Pour everything on top of the hash browns.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. This is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges start to brown a bit. If you want the cheese to brown and get a bit crispy on the sides, cook it longer.
The Verdict.
Delicious. Yummy. We've eaten this for breakfast everyday for the past three days.
Vegetarian Version:
30 ounces frozen hashbrown potatoes
12 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup diced onion
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms, chopped.
2 cups shredded cheese
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Pour the hashbrowns into a prepared slow cooker insert. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vegetables, salt, and pepper.
Pour evenly over the top of the hashbrowns.
Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours, then remove the lid and continue cooking on high for another 30 minutes, or until residual moisture has dissipated and the eggs are fully set.
ENJOY!!!
more breakfasty goodness in the slow cooker
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Wait, when do you add the sausage?
ReplyDeleteDoes the onion get really soft and cooked in this, or would I want to pre-cook it in order to get it like that?
ReplyDeleteThat shounds so good. I will have to try that on a weekend when my husband is home to try it.
ReplyDeleteI am missing where you add the sausage. This looks very good!
ReplyDeleteDo the sausages get added with the potatoes?
ReplyDeleteShirlene
Hi Steph. I'm curious. Why do you use already-cooked sausage when you are going to cook it for 8 hours? That seems like an extra step to me.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so good I cant wait to try it. Do you think 2% milk would work okay?
ReplyDeletewhen do you put the sausage in?
ReplyDeleteYummy! You have had a really great menu this month. You guys are eatin' good! I especially want to try the dip in the little dipper.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried using "real" potatoes vs the frozen hash browns? Would it work about the same? Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteDo you mix the meat with the eggs & milk?
ReplyDeleteWhen did you add the sausage? Or did I just misread it? :D
ReplyDeletemmm that does sound good. I'm curious...when you're not crockin' it, what kind of meals do you make? you know, for lunches, etc. I just know if I ate this food, I would gain weight, (my body's dumb that way) and you obviously are not, so I wondered what other kinds of food you eat. =) I'm nosy like that.
ReplyDeleteOh I am going to try this during the fall before football games. If I put it in the night before it will be ready in the a.m. Nummy!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy cooking breakfast. Maybe a B & B is in my future! This will be a great addition to my repertoire.
ReplyDeleteBeing gluten free, I miss the Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole. Will have to try this one. Looks awesomeAt what point do you add the sausage(or ham)?
ReplyDeleteStacey in NC
I will be trying this next week for dinner. My family loves breakfast foods for dinner. Thanks for so many great ideas. I have tried several of your recipes and I am very pleased with them.
ReplyDeleteOh YUM... I'll definitely be trying this one!! Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteMmm...this sounds so good! I will definitely have to fix this for my family.
ReplyDeleteyummy i love reading your blog and i love your sense of humor!! The world certainly needs more of you.
ReplyDelete:-)
YUM!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am soo going to try this! Thank you for your great blog!
Amy
How do you make it for breakfast? I would think the smell would keep me awake and hungry all night long, lol.
ReplyDeleteBreakfast foods are my favorites! This looks really yummy!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you've answered this before, but how do you have these things ready for breakfast? Do they overcook if everybody's not right at the table 8 hours after you start them? I have a crockpot that switches to warm when its time is done (8 or 10 hours are the options on low) but I'm still nervous about trying something like this for fear it will be completely overcooked if breakfast is delayed.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to have to try this one! It looks very yummy!
ReplyDeleteOh that looks heavenly!!! Totally trying that one! thanks :-)
ReplyDeleteI fixed it! sorry, sausage goes in with the eggies.
ReplyDeleteEmily, the onion was cooked, and every now and then I got a piece with a bit of a crunch, but mostly they disappeared with the egg. I used a Pampered Chef chopper thingy, so they were really small pieces.
Becca, we use Aidells chicken and apple sausage that come cooked--I'm sure you could use raw pork sausage and it will cook nicely, but I haven't personally tested that theory out. If you do, let me know!
Tara, I think 2% is the highest fat content I'd feel comfortable going to--milk will curdle when slow cooked if the fat content is too high. It will taste fine, but look gross.
Jennifer, earlier in the year I did a sausage and potatoes breakfast casserole . The potatoes cooked wonderfully.
xxo
steph
Hi
ReplyDeleteI am so lovin your recipes!
I made this yesterday. It took about 6 hours on high for my eggs to be done, it looked watery after 4 hours..I think maybe from the hashbrowms being frozen?! It needed more cheese..I think next time I will put it on top for the last half hour, it kinda dissapeared. We will be eating this for bfast all week!!!
Thanks!!!!
That looks delicious!
ReplyDeletemade this last nite, slept surprisingly good (even though I knew my crock-pot was on :P) I used eggbeaters instead of eggs and some turkey kielbasa and it came out pretty good. I skimmed a little of the extra liquid off the top in the morning, and then set it on warm while I got the coffee, I mean, the family ready. Thumbs up from them.. took 6 hours on low
ReplyDeleteI made this - but after 4 hours it was still really liquid-y. I think it would have been better to do it over a longer period of time... So I scooped it out, and sauted it real quick. Hubby ate it for 5 days straight!
ReplyDeleteThe whole family loved this one! My teenagers even used the leftovers to make breakfast burritos the next day.
ReplyDeleteMade it. Loved it. Decided it was even BETTER in a burrito with salsa. Bought the postcard...
ReplyDeleteMaking the Pizza Soup tonight. I cannot wait!
This was so good! We served it with Ketchup and buttered toast. My husband is so picky but he really enjoyed this
ReplyDeleteI use this same recipe and cook it in the oven for an hour (except that it also uses a stick of butter). Love this recipe without all the fat! I have used 2 cups of sausage, Italian sausage, ham or bacon and just pour it in with the eggs. Would spread it out a little so that each of the servings gets some of the meat.
ReplyDeleteI made it! It was great and oh-so-easy!
ReplyDeleteI've been drooling over this blog for quite some time now but not really trying the recipes. (?) This week I am making one each night. We had the hash brown breakfast for supper with some GF pancakes and bacon. (Didn't put meat in the eggs.) It was fabulosa! We will happily do it again, as even the little folk had seconds.
Thank you Stephanie!
Kelley
PS I'll let you know how the margarita chix goes tomorrow...
I cut this recipe down for my 1.5 Q crockpot, dividing each ingredient by 4. Cooked for a little over 2 hours and it was done, with the edges crispy and browned. It was a big hit with my spouse--I don't eat meat, but I'm planning to make it when the in-laws come to stay with us for the holidays.
ReplyDeleteMade this for guests after church this Sunday. I made a few changes - I used redskin potatoes cubed (skin on) and par-boiled about 3 min. I also used red and green sweet peppers -very pretty. If you are serving people worried about cholesterol as I did - use egg beaters (the new ones with some yoke) I used 2 cartons 7 eggs each, also weight watchers mixed Italian shredded cheese helps the cholesterol cause too and mild Italian turkey sausage - EXCELLENT and beautiful. I got rave reviews.
ReplyDeleteGot mine in the crock as I type...can't wait to try it! (Going to clean it up in morning, and turn right around and use it again for baked potatoes)I will also have to pick up some tortillas to have the leftovers in. Like one of the other posters asked, do you think it can be "overcooked"? Also, I have a teeny tiny half-inch or less "surface" crack in my crock. Will it be alright to continue to use it? (please say yes, please say yes, please say yes--I can't afford a new one right now) lol.....guess I could borrow mil's every other night, that would ensure me one for Christmas! Thanks so much for the great blog!!!
ReplyDeletewow! i *heart* you, crockpotlady! i have been using my crockpot at least 2-3 times a week since finding your blog. thanks so much!
ReplyDeletethis was great! i did it overnight and had a little family breakfast the next morning. it turned out fabulous...thanks for all the ideas and inspiration.
--a SAHM who just opened her crockpot from last christmas 3 weeks ago :)
I just put this in the crockpot for Christmas morning!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter asked me to do more crock pot cooking so I ran across your blog and tried this one first, simply because I wanted to try something with hashbrowns....it made a GREAT dinner. Thanks for the great idea!!
ReplyDeleteHow many people does this recipe serve?
ReplyDeleteHi vegimama,
ReplyDeleteI'd say about 10. There were 10 of us at breakfast last week, and there were some leftovers---not much though, and 2 of the 10 were children.
xoxo
steph
Did you leave the eggs out of the vegetarian version? (This may be a dumb question, but I'm not sure exactly what constitutes vegetarian vs. vegan, etc.) The reason I ask is because my spouse hates eggs, so I am always on the lookout for an alternative to pancakes all the time.
ReplyDeleteHi SpeakDog,
ReplyDeleteI used eggs. Vegans don't eat anything that comes from an animal, whereas a vegetarian just doesn't eat meat/flesh. Eggs, milk, cheese are not okay for vegans, but are ok for vegetarians.
if you're looking for vegan recipes, I'd recommend Susan Jackson's Fat Free Vegan Kitchen blog.
xoxo
steph
Rats. I was hoping there were no eggs. We aren't vegetarians or vegans (far from it!), my spouse just doesn't like eggs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your quick reply, though. (I've made several of your recipes, they've been great!)
This may sound like an odd question but I live in the UK where you can only buy hash browns ready formed in little patties to bake in the oven. Will they work the same way in this kind of recipe as "hash brown potatoes"? If not, I guess I could just grate some potatoes and onion in the food processor, right?
ReplyDeleteLove the blog and your enthusiasm for my own favourite kitchen utensil. We've done tons of recipes from it and they've all worked well. However, we have some over-enthusiastic chickens and an egg surplus issue so I'm trying some of the brunchy type things for dinners.
Steph, this looks awesome! We are also Gluten free! We also don't eat dairy. Could I omit the cheese and use almond milk? How do you think it would turn out?
ReplyDeleteP.S. I am doing the pizza soup now. My daughter is gonna love it!!!!!!!!
Thanks, Sandy
I couldn't find hashbrowns at my NYC supermarket, so I used tater tots and it worked great! You can't even tell that they were originally hash browns. I used half the bag and only eight eggs and about one cup cheese because my crockpot is on the small size. ALso added in some fresh mushrooms. There was about half an inch of water on the top when we got home (put this in before a trip to the pool) and by the time we went back for seconds (the lid had been off) the water had already been absorbed by the casserole.
ReplyDeleteAny idea how many potatoes to use to substitute for the hash browns? We live in S. Africa and don't have frozen hash browns here. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeletehmm. The bag is 30 oz---so I'd imagine a similar weight in peeled potatoes would work quite well. You can slice thinly, or shred with a cheese grater.
xoxo steph
I must have done something wrong... The only thing I did different is layer some spinach and mushrooms and used Eggbeaters..... It was a grey glob of icky. Do you think this small change was the problem? It sounds so delicious and everyone else seems to like it. I want to try again but I am scared. Help!
ReplyDeleteI am going to try this recipe this weekend! Can't wait! It sounds sooooo YUMMY!!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful blog! We tried this a few weeks ago and it turned out great. I think the next time we try it we will add more meat and veggies and mix all the ingredients (including the potatoes)so we don't end up with a clump of potatoes on the bottom with the eggs, meat and veggies mostly on top.
ReplyDeleteMy little sister (only 13 and already a great cook!) gave me this recipe just a week ago and I tried it - it's almost exact. Here's how I make it - just a bit different. Layer everything but the eggs and milk. So I first spray the pot then a layer of hashbrowns, then meat, then I used FROZEN onions and peppers (and they came out perfect) and the cheese - I made two or three layers like that. Then mixed up eggs, milk and a tsp each of salt and pepper and some garlic powder. Poured that over the whole thing. It was good - my whole fam liked it, especially with a bit of ranch on top. I put it in at 11pm and it was perfect at 6, a little overdone at 8, but still good. My suggestion for next time - skip the onions and peppers and layer salsa in there instead. It would give it a bit more flavor. Awesome, easy basic recipe though...
ReplyDeleteI just found this recipe, and I'm so excited! I don't know why I never thought of cooking breakfast in a slow cooker! My kids are older (young adults actually), so this would be perfect just to have ready when everyone makes their way to the kitchen at various times in the morning.
ReplyDeletethis looks so good! I planned to make it for Christmas morning. I got all the ingredients and late Christmas eve I started to make it, I searched the freezer for the hash browns. They were mysteriously GONE! Finally my daughter said she had used them to make Latkes for the first night of Chanukah. It was midnight on Christmas even so I had to figure out what to do! We set the egg mixture in the fridge and we are planning to skillet it up and have it with some potatoes. Bummer!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy Chanukah!
Sharon
Another way to make this vegetarian is to use soyrizo - a soy-based, just as tasty version of chorizo. I had it for breakfast this morning. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteI'll admit, this one made me nervous. I made the vegetarian version, and when I mixed all the ingredients together, it didn't seem to have enough liquid. I lost a little sleep over it, but didn't need to worry... after 7 hours on low, it was PERFECT. I carted my crock to a bridal shower this morning, and this dish got rave reviews. Thanks for a great recipe, Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteDo you think you could freeze the leftovers and reheat in microwave?
ReplyDeleteHi Tgmee,
ReplyDeleteyes! absolutely --- that's what I do.
Sounds great. I'll be making this for breakfast tomorrow. If it comes out good, I'll make it for the gals at work.
ReplyDeleteIn the second paragraph it tells u to add the cut up sausage to the bowl with the eggs and everything but the potatoes that are already in the pot.
ReplyDeleteTrying this right now.. excited to wake up tomorrow for breakfast :-)
ReplyDeleteThis has become our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. I have been using this recipe and making it every Christmas Eve/Morning ever since you posted it back in 2008. Thank you for helping me to create memories! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and God bless you and your family!!
ReplyDeleteI love using my crock pot and love the idea of waking up to breakfast being done. I'm planning on making this Thanksgiving morning. Just one question however, can I use soy milk in place of the milk?
ReplyDeleteHi LadySpirit, yes you can absolutely use soy milk. You might want to add just a smidge more salt and pepper since soy can sometimes have a sweeter taste in savory dishes. But that's a nitpicky thing and totally not necessary. ;-)
ReplyDeleteenjoy!!
Years of following your blog I have to say - love this recipe! So so good! So simple my husband can make it (not a dis on all men, he's just not a fab cook himself) but so tasty we both love it. Today I used chopped red peppers and chopped green onions instead of regular onion and it was so pretty! Tasted just the same (yummy) just well... even prettier! Thank you so much forthis and all your recipes!
ReplyDeleteI have made it with leftover Aidell's sausage, leftover turkey bacon, leftover Jennie-O turkey sausage - and it's been great each way!