After the first few weeks of this blog, I realized I’ve done a lot of complicated and time consuming recipes. So, I went looking for something super duper easy, and relatively quick.
Thankfully, there’s always a variation of breakfast casseroles.
I’ve made breakfast casseroles in a sheet pan and in a Dutch oven, and went with the traditional Denver omelet in my little skillet. But the fun thing is, they’re all a little different, and you can’t go wrong with breakfast foods.
The one slight twist on this Taste of Home recipe is my sweetie accidentally didn’t get enough bacon but did mercifully come across wonderful spicy smokies (Li’l Bites) from Beeler’s for an extra breakfast treat, so I just used some of those.
I can’t really take credit for it, considering I didn’t pick the smokies, nor did I make them, but man, they really made the meal. It would’ve been a delight with just bacon, but the smokies accidentally made this an extra special treat. All without extra effort.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
- 1 package (32 oz) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
- 8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 8 oz smokies (we used the jalapeno and cheese Li’l Bites from Beeler’s that are highly recommended if you can find them), thickly sliced and cooked in bacon fat to brown if desired (they’re fully cooked so it’s not necessary!)
- 1 to 1 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 8 large eggs
- 2 c. whole milk
- Paprika, to taste (I used hot paprika to build on the spice)
- Pepper, to taste
- Butter for greasing the casserole dish
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 in. casserole dish.
In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, bacon, smokies, and ½ to 1 c. cheese. Spoon into the prepared casserole dish. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs and milk until blended. Pour the egg mixture over the hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and pepper.
Bake uncovered, until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining about ½ c. cheese, and enjoy!