Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole – Frugal Hausfrau

I pulled out an old family favorite for this post, our Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole. After all, who doesn’t love hash browns, eggs, and two kinds of cheesy goodness punctuated by your choice of sausage, ham, or bacon? Perfect for lazy weekend mornings or impressing brunch guests without breaking a sweat.

 

I think you’ll love this Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole for the same reasons we do! It’s a crunchy on the edges, flavorful, creamy, cheesy crowd pleaser. It’s easy to customize, and it can be tossed together in a few minutes with simple, everyday ingredients.

About Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole:

Imagine waking up to the smell of this cheesy goodness being pulled from the oven. It’s a breakfast lover’s dream come true. Picture tender shredded hash browns, tangy sour cream, and a generous helping of milk blending seamlessly with a mountain of cheese, both melted inside and sprinkled on top.

But the magic doesn’t stop there. This casserole isn’t all about the cheese – don’t forget your choice of breakfast sausage, crispy bacon, or tender ham, adding layers of flavor. A touch of ranch mix and seasoning salt gives it just the right amount of zest without stealing the show. Even if ranch isn’t usually your thing, trust me, it plays a subtle supporting role that you’d miss if it were left out.

Making Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole

What I adore most about this dish is its simplicity. It’s a breeze to whip up—just mix everything togethe and pop it into the greased casserole dish. No need for tedious chopping or precooking, except maybe for crisping up that bacon or sausage if that’s your pick. Opt for ham, and you’ve got the easiest prep ever!

For best results, use shredded hashbrowns and thaw overnight. It prevents the casserole from becoming watery. If no time to thaw, place the hashbrowns as is into the casserole and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, then cool. Full directions are in the recipe, if needed.

Bake it, covered, for about an hour, remove it from the oven, and give it a bit of a stir. Basically pull from the outside edges towards the center (but if you’re all about the crunchy edges like me, don’t be too thorough when you do that, leaving the very outside edges intact) top with the remaining cheese and pop back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so, until the cheese is on top is melty and gooey.

Make Ahead:

• To prepare the night before, mix and place in casserole. Bring the casserole out for about an hour before baking, then proceed as directed.
• Check at the hour point. If not nearly done, a little more time may need to be added.

The Flavorings:

Opting for a few shortcuts makes sure you have plenty of flavor throughout with no chopping and sauteeing of veggies. That makes this casserole super fast and easy!

If you’re on a budget, you can’t go wrong with mixing up your own Ranch Seasoning Mix, and if you’re looking for some serious flavor, consider my Homemade Seasoned Salt, both pictured below.

Serve With:

For an elegant touch, serve your casserole with a simply dressed spring green salad, a simple fruit salad, or an assortment of fresh fruit.

Of course, you can’t go wrong with more sausage or bacon! Since the casserole already calls for sausage, bacon, or ham, maybe you’ll want to choose a side that’s not already in the casserole itself.

Leftover Breakfast Casserole:

Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for three to four days. This works best if cooled before covering.

• For best results, reheat servings, lightly covered, in the microwave.
• Larger amounts may do better in the oven. Reheat in a preheated oven (350 degrees F.), covered, for 15 to 20 minutes. If it appears dry, drizzle with just a little milk or water, recover and heat for a few more minutes until absorbed.

Leftovers can be frozen; while I don’t consider this optimal, they are certainly no worse than any commercial variety. For best results, freeze in smaller portions and bake, covered, from frozen in a preheated 350 degree F. oven. Check after 15 to 20 minutes, adding more time if needed.

Saving Money on Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole:

Let’s talk budget tips: You are likely to find great prices on all kinds of breakfast items in the week prior to almost any holiday, but particularly prior to those holidays famous for brunch, Easter and Mother’s Day.

Use holidays as opportunities to stock up (in as much as you can) on many items, buying enough to last for weeks or months. To see what might be on sale during any holiday, check out my post Win at the Grocery and follow the clickable photos at the bottom of the page.

Bacon, Breakfast Sausage, and Ham:

There’s no sense in ever paying full price for any of these items.

• Ham: If using ham, your best bet is to buy a portion when it is on a holiday sale. It will keep in the fridge for several weeks, can be frozen, or can be prepared and served, and leftovers portioned for the freezer. Seriously, a six to eight pound ham portion can be picked up on a holiday sale for less then the price of a ham “steak” from the grocery store almost any time of the year.
• Breakfast Sausage used to be incredibly cheap; these days, it pays to watch the sales and freeze. Take it out of the freezer a day or two before; it’s a struggle to work with frozen. If not an option, try sawing off the metal at the ends of a tube and using the defrost setting on the microwave. When partially thawed, remove and pull off the wrapper and any thawed portion before placing back in the microwave to thaw the rest.
• Bacon goes on sale often, but the best pricing is pre-holiday sales, often half off or more. You’ll likely find great pricing on different qualities. Stock up and freeze.

Sour Cream:

On sale often at the regular grocery store, especially before holidays. You’ll find great prices at the discount groceries.

• Unopened, it has a long shelf life and keeps for weeks.
• Once opened, store it upside down. If it separates, stir it back together.
• To make sure it lasts as long as possible, keep it clean, using clean utensils and cover between dips.

Eggs:

• Both Aldi & Lidl, as well as buyer’s clubs, have great everyday prices but usually do not approach a great pre-holiday grocery store sales price.
• If you have room, stock up at a low. Eggs keep for several weeks after the “buy by” date. They are best stored in the original container on the bottom shelf, not the door.
• The American Egg Board (the people behind the Incredible Edible Egg Commercials) is a great resource for any egg questions!

Grocery Cheese:

• Grocery Store Cheese is a great item to pick up at rock bottom prices and keep on hand. The best pricing is a discount store’s sales, but if not an option, know the lows at your grocery.
• Cheese keeps for weeks, unopened, and can be frozen. After freezing, it will be a little crumbly but still great for casseroles and cooking.

Hash Browns:

• Prepared frozen hash browns aren’t a normal item I keep on hand; the mark up from plain old potatoes is just too high. Admittedly, as cheap as I am, when tossing together a breakfast casserole I’m not going to make them from scratch!
• Watch the holiday sales if you use them often and freeze; be aware that the shelf life in the freezer is limited, and they are bulky, so don’t count on more than a month or two in a fridge freezer or six months in a deep freeze.

Hi! I hope you guys all enjoy this easy Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole as much as we have over the years! Forgive me for posting this so late; I’m still on my road to recovery and learning how to pull things together! Hope you all had a Happy Mother’s Day!

Mollie

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