I personally prefer an egg casserole that has potatoes as opposed to bread. In my family, they call a bread-based egg casserole an "egg bake". Let's just say I'm not a fan and so I sought out something that better suited my palate.
I wanted an egg casserole (sans bread) that would be easy to make ahead, cook well in a foil pan, be consistent in multiple batches, and keep warm well. I tried a few iterations and flavors and here is where I landed with excellent results:
The technique and recipe:
The technique and recipe:
Egg Casserole for a Crowd
-This is less of a recipe as it is a technique. There are several ways to adjust the recipe for different flavors. Also, this is incredibly easy to make gluten-free. If you don't want to think about it, scroll below to some example recipes and just follow it.
Tools: Big bowl for mixing ingredients, large wire whisk, cheese shredder, cheese bowl, spatula, egg bowl, measuring cup, 1 jelly roll pan/cookie sheet, and 1 large foil pan measuring approximately 12"x9"x3". And any pans and spatulas needed to cook your optional fillings.
Tool Notes: How big is a Big Bowl? If you cannot fit two bags of popped microwave popcorn in that bowl, then it is NOT big enough. Mixing everything together evenly requires some space, so don't try to improvise or you will drive yourself crazy. The cookie sheet is for the storing and baking process, so essentially this needs to be a pan into which the foil pan can sit comfortably. On the foil plan, I prefer pans that are designed for BBQ in that the bottoms are reinforced. Your pan may be like 11.75" or something and that is fine. As of the date of this post, I've not tested this recipe in a standard metal cake pan, ceramic dish, or glass dish.
Required Ingredients: 1 dozen eggs, 1 bag (~1lb) of frozen shredded potatoes/hash browns, 1 cup of whole milk, and 1 - 1.5 cups of shredded cheese, salt, pepper, and non-stick spray.
Required Ingredient Notes: Some hash browns come in bags the weigh in over 1 lb. I advise you to stick close to the 1 lb mark, so that may mean some weighing or simply judging what percentage of the bag is suitable. Splurge for whole milk here - and at least do not go lower than 2%. The eggs and milk bind the ingredients with the cheese into a kind of custard - we don't want to water this down so it is runny or fails to set. If you are worried about calories, then (1) don't serve this or (2) serve other sides of fresh fruit and whole grains and encourage smaller portions.
Cheese Notes: First - no bagged cheese. Just don't. It normally contains dried out cheese and uses various disgusting powders to keep the cheese from sticking together. Take the extra 4 minutes to shred a brick of cheese. This is cheaper and will always taste better. Here's a tip, put that brick in the freezer for about 1/2 hour and it will shred beautifully. Second, stick to soft cheeses such as Colby, Monterrey jack, Swiss, Havarti, Munster, and provolone. Oh, hey, where is the cheddar!? Mild, Medium and Sharp Cheddars are considered just one step above the soft cheeses. If you are making only one batch of this, do NOT use cheddar because the cheese will not melt well and you won't be satisfied. However, mixing some cheddar into the cheese is perfectly fine, and recommended because the flavor will be great. Even better, top it with cheddar.
Fillings - Optional Ingredients: Go ahead and get creative. Just pre-cook your ingredients (except for something like chives or green onions)! Here are some suggestions: crumbled pan-fried breakfast sausage, chopped bacon, Canadian bacon or ham (yes, fry this up a bit to add some caramelization), mushrooms, peppers, onions, or shallots. Obviously any combination of this will be just fine. Add any seasonings you prefer tot he ingredient cooking stage. You are looking for something between 1 1/2 lbs -2lbs of ingredients total so you have even distribution. I'll give some examples below.
Step 0 - Grab those hash browns from the freezer and let them set out for about 30-40 minutes. We aren't looking to de-frost them, just take the chill off to more easily break it all apart so there aren't enormous potato chunks when you go to mix. Toss your brick of cheese in the freezer now for about 30 minutes.
Step 1, Make: If you are cooking this right away, set your oven at 350 degrees. Pam your pan really well and set it on a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan.
Step 2, Pre Cook Ingredients: Pre-cook your ingredients and set aside. Here's a tip, if you are doing meat and some veg, cook the meat first then the vegs in the meat fat drippings.
Step 3, Shred your cheese(s) and set aside.
Step 4, Crack your eggs into a small bowl one at a time to check for bad eggs and shells. Then dump the 'approved' egg into the BIG BOWL. Don't skip this step because you'll be really annoyed fishing out one tiny shell in an ocean of cracked eggs. Add the milk and liberally apply salt and pepper. Whisk Whisk Whisk. Everything should look golden yellow and frothy.
Step 5, Combine: Dump in the cheese, hash browns and optional ingredients. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to slowly incorporate all the ingredients together. You want to make sure everything gets eggy/wet. Put the mixture into the pan.
Step 6 - Bake. At this point, you can either bake the casserole now or bake it later. If you are going to bake it later, keep it on that pan and cover the foil pain with more foil. Do not take it off the bottom pan because you need the stability so the heavy mixture doesn't collapse. Refrigerate.
Step 6.a . . . Bake Later: The trick to baking it later from a refrigerated version is to take the chill off before baking. Pull it out of the fridge and let it set for 30 minutes or so before baking.
Step 6 . . . Bake: Be adventurous and add more cheese to the top before baking. Toss the pan (on the cookie sheet) on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. It will take between 40 - 60 minutes to bake. Check it for doneness by jiggling the pan - if it doesn't look set, keep going. When it looks set, stick in a knife and it if comes out clean you are good to go.
Warming & Serving: The casseroles will keep warm and not dried out in a warm oven (approx 150 degrees) for an hour or so. Cut the casserole ONLY just before serving to keep it from drying out. If you don't have a serving station set up - like chafing or serving dishes to keep it warm, a trick we use is to get an electric griddle out and turn it to a 200 setting and place the foil pans directly on it. Works great.
Recipes:
Easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole for a Crowd
12 generous portions.
Step 5, Combine: Dump in the cheese, hash browns and optional ingredients. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to slowly incorporate all the ingredients together. You want to make sure everything gets eggy/wet. Put the mixture into the pan.
Step 6 - Bake. At this point, you can either bake the casserole now or bake it later. If you are going to bake it later, keep it on that pan and cover the foil pain with more foil. Do not take it off the bottom pan because you need the stability so the heavy mixture doesn't collapse. Refrigerate.
Step 6.a . . . Bake Later: The trick to baking it later from a refrigerated version is to take the chill off before baking. Pull it out of the fridge and let it set for 30 minutes or so before baking.
Step 6 . . . Bake: Be adventurous and add more cheese to the top before baking. Toss the pan (on the cookie sheet) on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. It will take between 40 - 60 minutes to bake. Check it for doneness by jiggling the pan - if it doesn't look set, keep going. When it looks set, stick in a knife and it if comes out clean you are good to go.
Warming & Serving: The casseroles will keep warm and not dried out in a warm oven (approx 150 degrees) for an hour or so. Cut the casserole ONLY just before serving to keep it from drying out. If you don't have a serving station set up - like chafing or serving dishes to keep it warm, a trick we use is to get an electric griddle out and turn it to a 200 setting and place the foil pans directly on it. Works great.
Recipes:
Easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole for a Crowd
12 generous portions.
1 lb breakfast sausage, cooked, crumbled, and drained
1/2 small shallot, minced or diced
1 doz eggs
1 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb frozen hash browns
3/4 cup Colby Jack (marble) cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
1/2 cup Mild Cheddar cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
Follow Steps 0-6 above. Bake in a 12x9x3 reinforced foil pan.
1/2 small shallot, minced or diced
1 doz eggs
1 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb frozen hash browns
3/4 cup Colby Jack (marble) cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
1/2 cup Mild Cheddar cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
Follow Steps 0-6 above. Bake in a 12x9x3 reinforced foil pan.
Meat Lovers Casserole
Serves 16
1 lb breakfast sausage, cooked, crumbled, and drained
1 medium onion, minced and cooked with sausage
1/2 lb bacon, sliced into bit sizes and fried
1/2 lb ham, diced and fried
13 eggs
1 1/4 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/4 lb frozen hash browns
1/2 cup Munster or Monterrey Jack Cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
1/4 cup Swiss cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
Follow Steps 0-6 above. Bake in a 12x9x3 reinforced foil pan. The reason this has slightly more wet ingredients is to compensate for the increased meat and cheese.
Serves 16
1 lb breakfast sausage, cooked, crumbled, and drained
1 medium onion, minced and cooked with sausage
1/2 lb bacon, sliced into bit sizes and fried
1/2 lb ham, diced and fried
13 eggs
1 1/4 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/4 lb frozen hash browns
1/2 cup Munster or Monterrey Jack Cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
1/4 cup Swiss cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese (shred by hand or food processor)
Follow Steps 0-6 above. Bake in a 12x9x3 reinforced foil pan. The reason this has slightly more wet ingredients is to compensate for the increased meat and cheese.
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