Wednesday Kitchen - Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

On this week's Wednesday Kitchen, JET Team leader Lynn of UrbanPearlStudio shares a terrific Breakfast Casserole recipe she created, using Trader Joe's hash browns!

Trader Joe's makes the most fun hash brown patties and I was hoping to find a recipe to incorporate the delicious oval delights combined with the standard breakfast foods, eggs, bacon and cheese.

After searching for nearly an hour, I finally found several recipes to use as a basis for a new one. I took the basic ingredients and methods and created a new, easy dish which is perfect for a Sunday morning or weeknight supper.

Photo credit: www.thechiclife.com

This baked dish is somewhat quiche-like on steroids, having the generous hash brown patties deep under the bacon and cheese. You can tweak this recipe to add or replace your own favorite ingredients, like sausage and red peppers, but this is what I had to hand and the flavor profile my brain was craving at the time!

Ingredients

• 1 x Pack of Trader Joe's Frozen Hash Brown Patties
• 1 x Package of Lean Bacon
• 1 x 8 oz Package of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 x Onion, Chopped and Lightly Sautéed
• 3 x Raw Green Onions, Chopped
• 8 x Extra Large or Jumbo Eggs
• 2 x Cups of Milk

To Make

1. Spray a casserole dish lightly with cooking oil. Ideally, the dish will measure 7"x9" to hold 4 hash brown patties as a base, and will be deep enough to double stack them with other ingredients (if you use too large a pan, you will end up with a "Flat Stanley" - far too thin!)
2. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
3. Place 8 frozen hash browns on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, turning them carefully after 10 minutes





4. Roughly chop and brown the bacon, then drain on paper towel
5. Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then add the milk and green onions





6. Season to taste with pepper, herbs and just a small dash of salt (bacon is salty)
7. When the hash browns are browned, lay 4 on the bottom of your casserole dish.
8. Top with ½ of the sautéed onions, then top with ⅓ of the cooked bacon, then top with ⅓ of the cheese
9. Place the other 4 hash browns on top, and top with the rest of the sautéed onions
10. Top with ⅓ of the cooked bacon, then top with ⅓ of the cheese. Reserve the remaining ⅓ of bacon and ⅓ of cheese)
11. Pour the beaten egg mixture over the top of the casserole
12. Cover the dish with foil and place on a foil lined baking sheet, to mop up any spills
13. Bake at 350 degrees. Check the center after 1 hour. If it is still very wet, recover the dish and bake for another 20 min. Keep checking it every 20 mins until the casserole is starting to firm up. Then add the last of the bacon and cheddar cheese, and return the uncovered dish to the oven until done





14. The casserole is ready when you poke a knife in the center and it comes out clean. Each oven is different and the dish may take a shorter or longer time to cook, so you need to watch it carefully to ensure it's not underdone or overdone
15. Stand for 5 minutes to set, then cut into generous servings. Serve with fresh fruit and/or a mini muffin.

Enjoy!
Lynn