EASY CHEESY BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
We host. A lot. When we had kids it honestly became easier to all get together at someone’s house where the kids can play and run wild instead of trying to make them be quiet and still at a restaurant. We used to have late afternoon parties. Maybe it’s because I love an ice cold glass of champagne before lunchtime or maybe it’s because the food is pretty simple, but as of late our new thing has been to have people for brunch. We’ve had brunch birthday parties and baby showers and holiday parties. At every brunch event I have made a version of this casserole. This is the base recipe… good ol’ sausage egg and cheese. You can vary this however you want. I’ve done sautéed zucchini and bell pepper and spinach, pancetta, goat cheese and ricotta, bacon… I’ve branched out and tried other casserole recipes and they just don’t do it for me like this one does. It comes together easily and feeds a crowd. And the hashbrown crust gives the perfect crunchy texture to the fluffy cheesy eggs.
First you preheat the oven to 425 and spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray. I’d say 8×12 or 9×13. I love my oval ceramic casserole dish (you’ll see this in a lot of my pics) which is the equivalent to a 9×13. Combine a stick of melted butter with a bag of shredded hashbrowns and press into bottom of casserole dish so they make a relatively flat layer; this will be your crust. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and salt. 
Then pop the crust in the oven for 30-35 minutes until light brown (probably more golden around the edges). Don’t worry there’s no science to the browning, if yours is a little more or less done it won’t make a lick of difference at the end.
While the crust bakes, brown a pound of sausage and a medium diced yellow onion in a medium sized sauté pan over medium high heat. We use maple sausage because that’s what my kids prefer but in a casserole with a ton of veggies I tend to use Italian or even sage. When the meat is almost cooked through and crumbling, add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Sauté until meat is no longer pink and garlic is fragrant, mixing garlic throughout meat mixture.
In a large bowl combine a dozen large eggs, a cup of half n half (milk is fine too), 3 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper. I whisk this vigorously so the eggs are well beaten and have plenty of air whipped through, making the final cooked result nice and fluffy and not ridiculously dense.
Mix in the sausage/onion/garlic. Pour over the hashbrowns, top with the last cup of cheddar cheese, and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and center is set. If you are cooking for a smaller group, the only things you would half would be eggs, half n half, and cheese. I’d also decrease the final bake time by 10 mins. The rest of the steps stay the same.
Slice and enjoy. You can serve with salsa and sour cream or Dijon mustard if that’s your style. 
INGREDIENTS
20 oz package of shredded hashbrowns
1 stick of butter, melted
1 pound of sausage
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 dozen large eggs
4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup half n half
salt and pepper to taste (I use 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper in the eggs)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425. Spray 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick spray. Combine stick of melted butter with shredded hashbrowns. Press into bottom of casserole dish and sprinkle over salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes until crust is light-golden brown.
- Meanwhile brown sausage and onion over medium high heat, stirring intermittently. Add garlic when meat is almost cooked through and crumbly.
- In a large bowl combine eggs, half n half, 3 cups of sharp cheddar, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk vigorously so eggs are well beaten, resulting in a fluffier casserole after baking.
- Add sausage mixture to egg mixture and mix until well combined. Pour over crust and top with last cup of cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until center is set and toothpick in center comes out clean. If the top is browned and the dish doesn’t seem quite cooked through, you can loosely cover with foil to prevent further crust browning and aid in finishing cooking.
- Ready to serve! It’s delicious on its own or can be served with salsa and sour cream or Dijon mustard. If you make this and love it please post on instagram and tag @thehungriesthousewife #thehungriesthousewife
