Farmer’s Casserole is a delicious way to start your day! Hash browns, ham, cheese & eggs create a delicious breakfast that’s always a hit!
Farmer’s Casserole is a recipe that I pull out just about every month for a yummy weekend brunch. It’s SO easy to put together! I love that I can make it ahead of time and freeze it for a rainy day.
I’ve been cooking a lot of easy ham and egg breakfast recipes lately, like Eggs Benedict and Ham & Egg Baked Taquitos. They’re delicious, but Farmer’s Casserole is still my number one choice for a quick and easy breakfast dish.
FARMER’S CASSEROLE
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This breakfast egg casserole has three main components – a hash brown crust, a fluffy egg layer, and tasty mix-ins. It doesn’t matter if you prepare this casserole in advance or cook it up in the morning to treat your family. This easy breakfast casserole is sure to become one of your favorites too! It’s seriously the best breakfast casserole around friends.
Ingredients in Farmer’s Casserole
HASH BROWNS: I like to buy country-style hashbrown potatoes so you get some potato in every bite. Sometimes I change out for shredded hash browns because they make a great bottom crust for this egg casserole recipe.
CHEESE: If you want to try a different cheese on top, go right ahead! A cheese that melts easily is ideal for this casserole. Cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, and Colby are all great options for this breakfast bake.
If you want to kick things up you could use pepper jack cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes too!
How to Make Breakfast Casserole
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish generously with cooking spray or butter.
- Next, assemble the casserole. Arrange the frozen hash brown potatoes in an even layer in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the cheese, ham, and green onions over the potato layer.
- Then, you’ll mix the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Once everything is mixed, pour the egg mixture over the rest of the ingredients in the baking dish.
- Bake the casserole for 40-45 minutes, until the eggs are set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Once your breakfast casserole with ham is finished cooking, allow it to stand for 5 minutes before you serve it. If you have any leftover casserole, it should be refrigerated within 2 hours. You can store the leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can you make breakfast casserole ahead of time?
You can absolutely make this breakfast egg casserole ahead of time! In fact, most breakfast casseroles can be prepared a day ahead. It’s a great way to stay organized and stress-free when you need to feed a crowd.
To make an overnight breakfast casserole, here’s what you need to do:
- Prepare any sauteed veggies or cooked meats first and allow them to cool to room temperature. It’s important to make sure that anything you’ve cooked ahead of time is cool before adding it to an egg casserole. That way the eggs don’t scramble from the heat. If you’re using diced ham that has previously been cooked, you can skip this step.
- Assemble the casserole as directed in the rest of the recipe. Then cover it and refrigerate it the night before your breakfast or brunch gathering.
- For the toppings: You can add them to the casserole in advance. Just know that they may sink into the eggs overnight. If you want to stop that from happening, simply store your toppings separately. Then sprinkle them on top of the casserole just before baking.
- When you’re ready to bake your overnight breakfast casserole, uncover it and pop it in the oven. Add 10 minutes to the cooking time to allow for the refrigerated casserole to come to temperature and cook completely.
Can you freeze breakfast casserole?
Breakfast casseroles are perfect for freezing! Keeping a frozen breakfast casserole in your freezer is a fantastic option when you need something effortless for breakfast the next day.
To freeze a breakfast casserole, follow the recipe until you get to the baking instructions. Cover the uncooked casserole first with a layer of plastic wrap and then with a layer of aluminum foil.
You can freeze your uncooked breakfast casserole for up to three months. When you’re ready to use it, just thaw it overnight in the fridge, then pop it in the oven to bake.
Farmer’s Casserole is the perfect hearty breakfast for your next get-together! It’s always a crowd pleaser!!
Make your breakfast amazing with these yummy recipes!
- Ham Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sliders
- Breakfast Ham Casserole
- Overnight Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- 25 Egg-cellent Egg Breakfasts
- More Easy Casserole Recipes…
Tools used to make this Farmer’s Casserole recipe
Whisk: The best fluffy egg dishes start with a good whisk for whipping air into the eggs. This whisk has a strong handle that is comfortable to grip, ensuring that you have complete control while mixing ingredients.
Casserole Dish: This 8-inch x 8-inch glass casserole dish holds 2-quarts of food. Which makes it the perfect size for all your baking needs.
*This post originally posted on 12/03/2013.
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen hash browns
- ¾ cup monterey jack cheese shredded
- 1 cup cooked ham diced
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
- 4 eggs beaten
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- Arrange hash brown potatoes evenly in the bottom of the prepared dish.
- Sprinkle cheese, ham, and green onions over the hash browns.
- In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, evaporated milk, pepper, and salt together.
- Pour the egg mixture over the potato mixture in the dish.
- At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the casserole for several hours or overnight if needed.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (If you made the casserole ahead of time and chilled it, bake for 55 to 60 minutes instead.)
- Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before cutting into 8 portions and serving.
Marcy says
Can you use 2 % milk ?
marie cervantes says
wish i could put a pic of it it was amazing i made it for dinner
Janie says
I use crispy. bacon love it !!!!!
Aubrey Cota says
Yum, great choice!
Rebecca jackson says
My husband and daughter loves this casserole!!! Great for Sunday mornings.
Dianne Cadena says
This sounds easy and good but could I use scramble sausage instead of ham??
Joy says
Delicious! And I like the fact that it didn’t make a HUGE amount. We used tater tots bc we didn’t have hash browns in the freezer and it worked out very well.
Shelley says
Looks delicious , going to keep this one for Xmas morning, thanks!!!
Dorothy Starr says
Printer didn’t work… I may have to get a pen or pencil and write it down. Sounds so good…
Aubrey says
Thanks Dorothy!
Del says
Gotta try this.. It looks great & easy to make
Aubrey says
Thanks Del! I hope you like it.
Lin says
Pinned! I love that it’s a smaller casserole.
Aubrey says
Thanks Lin. 🙂
Cindi Olley Wilder says
Looks wonderful! I just printed out your recipe and plan to make it in a couple weeks when it is my turn to serve brunch for our card party. Thank you Stacy. 🙂
lonnie w says
the only thing that would make this better is the addition of a layer of chopped green chile! i plan to make this for christmas morning dressed up with salsa and sour cream! thanks for the recipe!
Aubrey says
Thanks Lonnie! I hope you liked it. 🙂
Jan Ethridge says
Chrissie Ethridge Drysdale….what about this???
Laurie Wilson says
love this yummmm
Aubrey says
Thanks Laurie
Emily @ It Bakes Me Happy says
This casserole looks delicious, thanks for linking up at Showcase Your Talent!
Stacey says
Thank you Emily! 🙂
Tillie Rutledge says
IT WAS A GREAT BREAKFAST EVERYBODY LOVED IT!
Stacey says
Tillie, YAY! So glad you all loved it! Thanks for letting us know!