Some recipes go into the meal rotation immediately when I try them and this is one of those. It uses common ingredients, is hearty and tasty, and take only a few minutes to put together. I make it frequently when we have company for brunch, but also often for dinner when I'm out of ideas and short on time.
I made hash brown casserole for my parents when they visited a few months ago, and of all the dishes I made during their trip, this was the one my mother loved the most. The casserole holds well in the fridge and can be cut into rectangles and warmed in the microwave- making it a good meal prep breakfast.
I've standardized the recipe for the 9x13 rectangular baking dish. It fits 7 patties perfectly. Hash brown patties are sold in packs of 10 in the frozen section of the grocery store (the potatoes section). I often buy them in packs of 20 from Aldi but they are sold in many stores. The other perfect use for these hash brown patties is for aloo tikki chana chaat. Most of my cooking is from scratch, but these patties are one convenience product that I am happy to buy.
In the recipe below, I do steps 1-4 and let the frozen hash browns thaw out as the oven preheats.
Hash Brown Casserole
Makes 8 hearty servings
- 7 frozen hash brown patties
- 1 cup loosely packed shredded cheese (Cheddar, pepper jack, mozzarella or a mix)
- 8 large eggs, room temp
- Splash of cream
- Salt and pepper
- Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Beat together eggs with cream, salt and pepper and set aside.
- Scatter 1/2 cup of shredded cheese in the greased baking dish.
- Arrange 7 frozen hash brown patties in a single layer- 4 vertically and 3 horizontally
- Pour the egg mixture evenly on the patties.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or so, until the eggs are cooked and the cheese is golden.
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| Patties in a 9x13 dish |
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| Before baking |
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| After baking |
That's the most basic recipe, and here are some variations:
1. Indian omelet style: Scatter minced onion, cilantro and green chillies on the patties before pouring on the egg mixture.
2. Creamy: Instead or in addition to the cheese on top, add dollops of cream cheese.
3. Pesto it up: Use mozzarella and parmesan cheese and add dollops of pesto on the patties before pouring on the egg mixture.
4. Add vegetables- singly or any combination- on the patties before pouring on the egg mixture. I frequently use leftover veggies from other dishes. Some ideas- chopped steamed broccoli, frozen chopped spinach (thaw it and press out excess water first), sautéed mushrooms, onions, peppers.
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| Duncan- 9.5 years old in summer 2022 Sweet as ever! |
So delighted to see dear Duncan looking as handsome as ever! Your hash brown casserole looks yum. I make something similar using frozen corn. I mix together the corn, eggs (4 - 5 eggs for one packet of corn), milk, breadcrumbs/flour, cheese (cheddar/pepper jack are great), a bit of melted butter or oil, chopped jalapenos/bell peppers, chopped tomatoes, chives/spring onions, some chopped herbs. Sorry, I don't have exact measurements but I just eyeball everything, and it is quite forgiving and flexible; dump it into a baking dish and bake (at 350F) until set. If I am feeling super lazy I mix it all together right in the baking dish in the right order. It is really yummy.
ReplyDeleteDuncan says, thanks, dear Kamini :) I love your easy peasy frozen corn casserole and will have to try it with fresh corn while that's in season!
DeleteThe Indian omelet style looks delicious, will definitely try this for an easy weekday breakfast. I always enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteLooks lovely Nupur, I'm sure it tastes equally lovely! Quinoa khichadi ( sabudana style) with green chillies, diced potatoes and home made danyache koot, topped with coriander leaves. And yoghurt to go with it!
ReplyDeleteI've heard of quinoa khichadi but haven't tried making it yet- will do soon and report back!
DeleteI am so glad you shared this as I saw this recipe in your recipe spreadsheet and it sounded really good. I might try this as Sylvia loved hash browns at the moment. I love making soups when I have no ideas but also am a big fan of baked beans on toast when low on energy and ingredients.
ReplyDeleteBeans on toast- yum. Yes, soups and toast with toppings are both great options for last minute meals.
DeleteHi Nupur, I love this recipe and would love to know if this could be made without eggs and if so- how would one do so please? Thank you. Ps: love your blog and a long time viewer and first time commenter. Kind regards - Lav x
ReplyDeleteHi Lav- Thanks for commenting! Eggs are the main ingredient here, and I've never made it without eggs.
DeleteBut I do have three ideas for you- the first is to search the internet for "vegan hash brown breakfast casserole" and I am sure you will find some ideas there for egg subs.
The second is to seek out egg substitutes like "Just Egg" if you live in the US where such things are available. I've never used this product but I've seen it featured on other blogs. These can be used exactly like eggs.
The final idea, if you are an experimental cook, is to try a "besan omelet" trick here and use a besan batter on the potatoes. But I haven't tried this so like I said, it will be an experiment :) Good luck!