Cheesy Southwest Breakfast Casserole is an easy-to-make breakfast win! The secret ingredient packs a punch of protein to start your day!
Easy Cheesy Southwest Breakfast Casserole is a family favorite that is the perfect entree for your next holiday breakfast or brunch. Plus, it happens to be gluten-free so if you have family members eating gluten-free diets, everyone can dig in! This casserole is unbelievably tasty when paired with a classic Bloody Mary.
Ingredients
- Frozen hash browns
- Cottage cheese
- Fully cooked breakfast sausage (chopped small)
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese (reserve some for topping)
- Shredded pepper-jack cheese
- Chopped onion (finely diced)
- Eggs
- Salt & pepper to taste
The best hash browns for this recipe are Potatoes O’Brien. They’re cut into bite-sized cubes and they come with diced bell peppers and onions. Would doesn’t love those little flavor bombs?!
If you’re ever in a pinch, you could use tater tots instead of hash browns. I’ve totally been there.
While the pepper jack cheese brings some heat to this food party, cottage cheese is really the “secret” ingredient in this recipe. It adds a creamy and decadent texture that also packs a punch of protein in your breakfast casserole!
How to Make Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set the dish aside for later.
- While the oven is preheating, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breakfast sausage and cook it until the sausage is no longer pink and there are crispy brown bits. While the sausage cooks, use your spoon or spatula to break the sausage up into small pieces. No big hunks here, please.
- After that, mix the potatoes, cottage cheese, cooked sausage, onions, eggs, and cheese together in a large bowl. Don’t forget to save some of the shredded cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top of the casserole!
- Pour the casserole ingredients into the baking sheet you greased, and spread it all out into an even layer.
- Next, sprinkle the cheese you set aside all over the casserole. Pop your baking dish into the oven and bake the casserole for 40-45 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, carefully take the baking dish out of the oven. Let your breakfast bake sit on the stovetop (or a wire rack on the counter) for about 10-15 minutes to cool down a little.
- Cut the casserole into six squares and serve up on plates. We like to top this casserole with a dollop of sour cream and some green onions. So good!
How can I lighten up this sausage breakfast casserole?
There are lots of ingredient substitutions that can lighten up this casserole! Here are some ideas:
- Use low-fat cheeses instead
- Substitute Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs
- Switch out for Turkey breakfast sausage
- Add more of your favorite veggies!
How to Serve Cheesy Southwest Breakfast Casserole to Feed a Crowd
It’s simple! All you have to do to make this breakfast casserole potluck-friendly is double the ingredients and use a larger baking dish. By baking a double batch in a 9-inch x 13-inch pan, you can easily feed 12 people!
Whether you choose to use full-fat ingredients or lighten up the recipe, this Southwest breakfast casserole is sure to please a crowd – no matter how big or small!
MORE DELICIOUS BREAKFAST CASSEROLES TO TRY!
So simple to make and perfect for a busy school morning, brunch with friends, or holidays like Christmas or Easter! Here are more of my favorites for you to try:
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast Casserole with Bacon
- Breakfast Casserole with Hash Browns
- Breakfast Casserole with Ham
Delicious ways to start your day!
- Overnight Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
- Huevos Rancheros
- Breakfast Sausage Muffin Cups
- Simple Spinach Tomato Breakfast Casserole
- Home Fries
- More Breakfast recipes…
Tools used to make this recipe
Baking Dish: This 8×8 glass baking dish is my go-to bakeware for hearty breakfast casseroles.
Silicone Spatulas: These durable silicone spatulas should be in the kitchen of every home cook! Use them to fold Ingredients together and to spread food evenly in a dish or pan.
*This post originally posted on 11/13/2014.
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen O'Brien Style with peppers and onions Hash Brown Potatoes, thawed
- 1 cup small curd cottage cheese
- 8 ounces fully cooked turkey breakfast sausage chopped into small pieces
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- ½ cup shredded Pepper-jack cheese
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 6 large eggs beaten
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sour cream for garnish
- Sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8" x 8" baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
- Top the casserole with the reserved cheddar cheese.
- Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes or until set and golden brown on top.
- Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting in squares.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like:
Leslie Ross says
Hello!
I don’t believe small curd cottage cheese is available where I live. Would regular cottage cheese or ricotta be an OK substitute?
Thanks!
Debbie says
What do you recomd using instead of cottage cheese? Would like to make it this weekend! Thank you
luella spry says
Some of those recipe s look good