Slow Cooker Mexican Breakfast Casserole


We went to a museum opening last weekend, and my brother's mother-in-law, Shari (hi Shari!) 

told me that she had a breakfast casserole with green chiles that I should really make. 

She said she'd email me the recipe.

This isn't her recipe. 

She hasn't had the opportunity to email hers, and I didn't have the patience to wait, or the perseverance to bug her.
so I made this up.

I think she'd like it.

The Ingredients.
serves 8, easily.


corn tortillas (I didn't count them. Maybe I used 8? 7?)
8 eggs
2 cups fat free milk
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (7-ounce) can green chiles, drained
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tiny onion, diced
1 cup corn (I had leftover fresh corn from the weekend, but frozen would totally work)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart round slow cooker

Butter or Pam the inside of your stoneware. 

Put a layer of corn tortillas on the bottom---you may have to tear some to make them fit nicely.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine all of the other ingredients, and whisk together. 

Pour about 1/2 of the mixture into the slow cooker, on top of the tortillas. 

Put in another layer of tortillas, and top with the remaining egg/milk/cheese/other stuff mixture. 

Top with another layer of corn tortillas.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. 

If your cooker seals well (my 4-quart has a plastic lid, and a lot of condensation builds up), uncover 15-20 minutes before serving and cook on high to release condensation and to firm up the top a bit. 

You know your breakfast is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges have begun to brown and the cheese gets a bit crispy on the sides.


Adam really likes crispy cheese---the kids do not.


The Verdict.

I loved this. LOVED it. 

The chiles were not spicy in the slightest, and Adam added salsa to his bowl. 

The kids picked out the "green stuff" but ate the rest just fine. 

I served this for dinner a few days ago, and have been eating leftovers for breakfast and lunch the past 2 days.

If you don't have corn tortillas in the house, or would prefer to go another way, you can pour the egg mixture on top of a bag of frozen hashbrowns, just like I did in this recipe.

If you have sausage or other meat you'd like to add, go for it, but take out the salt, and season to taste at the table.

other great slow cooked breakfasts:

hashbrown casserole

granola




Do you love this recipe?

Please share it with your friends!


Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at May 06, 2019

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What they say about this recipe

  1. This looks really yummy! I've tried one of the hashbrown breakfast casseroles you posted & it was fabulous - now I can't wait to try this!

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  2. Anonymous3/25/2009

    looks heavenly!

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  3. Every single part of that sounds delicious. The only hard part would be getting my peeps to NOT eat breakfast for 4 hours! LOL.

    I'm wondering if this would also work in the oven or if the flavors wouldn't meld as well.

    It certainly sounds hearty, healthy and delicious!

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  4. yum, I will be trying this one!

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  5. Great recipe! I love a little spice in the morning. :)

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  6. This looks great!
    I am planning on making the hashbrown version you supplied the link to, but was wondering how many people it feeds. I will be making it for 10 ladies....with fruit on the side. Is the recipe big enough, or should we double it??
    Thank you!!

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  7. Anonymous3/25/2009

    Just surfed in from some obscure area of the ethernet.
    Being a one pot meal guy your recipes look inviting. I have you in my favorites for later perusal.

    Thanks.

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  8. Kelly, that casserole will be enough food for your friends---no problem.

    xox
    steph

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  9. Oh that looks so yummy! I will have to try that for moving day next week!

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  10. Thank you for responding so quickly!! Yummm!

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  11. Hi Steph! Sorry that I totally forgot to send you that recipe. BUT, I think what you made looks even better! Here's the recipe I mentioned:

    1 cup onion, chopped
    2 garlic cloves, pressed
    1 tbsp butter/margarine
    1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, drained
    6 6" corn tortillas
    3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
    12 eggs
    3/4 cups milk
    1/2 tsp salt
    salsa (optional)
    sour cream (optional)
    Saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in chilies, set aside. Cut tortillas into 1/2" wide strips. Place half of the tortilla strips in bottom of 9"x13" baking pan. Top with half the onion mixture and 1 1/2 cups cheese. Repeat layers. Whisk eggs, milk and salt. Pour egg mixture over tortilla layers. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 until center is set. I'd have to let you crockpotticize the baking instructions!

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  12. Anonymous3/26/2009

    Delicious! I'll make this for dinner sometime. I'll probably use broccoli instead of the mushrooms which no longer makes it as mexican but I love broccoli in eggs. Thanks!!

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  13. Anonymous3/26/2009

    would this work with flour tortillas? my hubby doesn't like corn tortillas? looks great though!

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  14. Hi Leah,

    I don't know about flour----they might just disintigrate and create a gooky mess. The egg and veggies will cook just fine without any added starch.
    The frozen hashbrowns might be a good choice for you.
    xoxo
    steph

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  15. Sounds wonderful!!

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  16. Anonymous3/26/2009

    Stephanie,

    I haven't tried any of your recipes yet, but I just think you're so brilliant! I look forward to trying out the Mexican Breakfast casserole! I lived in Arizona for most of my life, and Mexican is by far my favorite cuisine. I also told my mom about your recipes, because my dad is gluten intolerant. I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog, and can't wait to break out the crock pot!

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  17. This comment relates to your Corned Beef recipe. It had occurred to me that, not being able to find the time to fix it traditionally (husband just out of hospital after open-heart surgery) & this is one of his fave meals...that the crockpot would be the way to go. Only with cabbage, too. Thanks for putting it on your site. And we also love the corned beef hash from leftovers. Hubby IS Irish, BTW.

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  18. we just finished eating this and it was GREAT! Me and the kid smothered sour cream on it, which is the condiment of choice around here LOL

    we made homemade hashbrowns and bacon and man this was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!

    Steph you rock!

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  19. Yummy. Can't wait to try it!

    Thanks, Steph,
    Shirley

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  20. I just have to say that I have that same plate--go Dollar Tree!

    Also looking forward to Maple Ham on Easter...

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  21. Could you cook this overnight? I usually set my appliance timer if I'll be out later than the cooking time and so it sits not cooking for about an hour or 2 before it kicks on... Can I do this with the eggs in it? I don't want to get sick but I'd love to wake up to a hot breakfast I didn't have to make!

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  22. Hi Alisha,

    It can cook on low for 6 hours, probably a bit more. I'd put it on before you go to bed, then let it stay on warm after 6 hours until you get up.
    and if you get much more than 6 hours in a row, I need to learn your secrets! ;-)

    xoxo
    steph

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  23. Thanks! I might be giving this a try tonight! I don't have one of those fancy automatic flip to warm crockpots so I'll just set the timer to turn off after 6 hours or so. Believe it or not I get about8 hours a night... every night. but then again I don't have kids yet. I enjoy my sleep too much!

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  24. Wow you have an amazing blog! A friend told me about it and I'm so glad she did! I can't wait to start trying some of these recipes in our own crock pot.

    Thanks for sharing your great tips!
    Sarah
    www.seedstosew.blogspot.com

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  25. i like this idea! i love it because i could use my mini crockpot and reduce the recipe.

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  26. This is delicious. My crock pot is cracked so I made this in the oven, 350 for 50 min. I layered it exactly the same in a casserole dish similar to the size of my cracked crock pot and sprinkled a tiny bit of cheese on the top! Very YUMMY! But I will also try this in the crock pot eventually :).

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  27. Anonymous3/29/2009

    So I have a recipe for you. I've been making your meatloaf in the crockpot. I use ground turkey so there is less grease. I saw Rachael Ray make a turkey meatloaf where she made 2 and used the other the next day for an enchilasagna. http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/enchil-lasagna/

    So I made two in two different crockpots. I used corn tortillas instead of flour, and it was wonderful.

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  28. Wow this looks amazing . . . I am definitely going to give it a try.

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  29. Hey, y'all who have made this - how essential is the cheese?

    I do like the taste of cheese but it does icky things to my stomach. So just omitting it - does it remain very yummy or is there definitely something miss?

    Thanks!

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  30. I was watching CBS news Saturday and they were making a recipe in a Dutch Oven. I don't have one so I used my crockpot insert. The results were delicious! The sauce has such flavor. If you are interested in the recipe you can find it by going to www.CBSnew.com/Saturday. Click on the recipes. Its for a braised chicken. It is sooo yummy!

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  31. Made this this morning! Fantastic! I didn't have any red pepper on hand, so I used fresh salsa sauce. Great recipe!

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  32. This was really good...but I didn't include the chiles because I didn't have any...so I just went without...IT DEFINETELY NEEDS THAT! Without it was very blah, and needed something. I'll have to try it again with them!!

    Thanks for a yummy recipe...I LOVE my crockpot now thanks to you!

    MoneySavinDiva

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  33. I made this for our weekly after church brunch today. It was DELICIOUS!! I left out the peppers (my husband doesn't like them) and added sausage. I served it with olives, salsa, and oven potatoes. We will definitely be having it again. It's great to have a dish that's a little different to add to our brunch menu. And it doesn't hurt that it was super easy to make! Thanks!!

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  34. Mark Garso4/21/2009

    What a fun and unique meal! I enjoy reading your blog and appreciate the pictures you put of the ingredients with the recipes. Can't wait to try this one!

    Mark Garso

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  35. I am visiting from A Heart for Home... I think this Mexican Breakfast Casserole would be an awesome recipe to try...
    thanks for your site.. it is very helpful!
    Elizabeth

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  36. I've just come across your website and I am printing off recipes like crazy. Thank you so much for undertaking the challenge and for sharing the verdicts with us!!

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  37. Jessica10/04/2010

    I am very excited to try this! I am new to using a crock pot, though, and I was wondering if it was necessary to use the fat free milk or if any fat level of milk would work? Thank you!

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  38. Hi Jessica,
    you can certainly use any fat content you'd like.
    soy or rice is good, too.

    --steph

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  39. We have a house full of family this weekend. I made this last night before I went to bed and we enjoyed it this morning. It's a huge hit! We l.o.v.e. it!

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  40. Made this for work and it was just fabulous; everyone raved. Made a couple changes: Used 10 eggs, did four total layers of tortillas, and add a heaping teaspoon of cumin. Many requests for the recipe!

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  41. Thank you! I am absolutely in love with this blog. I made this for my work's breakfast club and everyone raved about it. I also included hot sauce, sour cream and ketchup on the side as well as extra tortillas. Can't wait to try out more of your recipes.

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  42. So bummed, we had the makings of a perfect breakfest but we overslept and as a result our delicious breakfest was woefully overcooked. I woke up after it had been cooking 8hrs and switched it to warm but that just dried it out. Next time I will stick to 6 hrs, set an alarm and turn it off. Then, I can warm it up when we wake up.

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