Story and photos by Lori Leigh
The name breakfast casserole is misleading, don’t you think?
I think it’s safe to say that as chicken keepers, we have all tried different kinds of breakfast casserole recipes. After all, it’s a great way to showcase those beautiful farm fresh eggs. Many breakfast casserole recipes use a few eggs at a time, which is something chicken keepers also need to do, when we are swimming in eggs. And, I don’t know about you, but I don’t regard eggs as only a breakfast food; I love eating eggs for dinner too. Hence, why I think the name breakfast casserole is misleading.
This breakfast casserole recipe calls for cottage cheese, which made me curl my nose a little. Don’t get me wrong, I like cottage cheese, but combined with eggs…I wasn’t convinced. I tried the recipe (with a few tweaks) anyway. Not only was I pleasantly surprised, but my family loved this dinner also. We’ve had it two ways, once with bacon and once with ham.
Using the same base recipe, it is easy to change out the meat to what your prefer or what your refrigerator dictates.
Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
1 pound bacon or ham
1 medium onion
6 eggs
4 cups shredded hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a skillet, cook bacon until crispy (or cook diced ham through). Drain meat on paper towel.
Using the grease already in the skillet, sautee the onions until translucent. Drain onions on paper towel.
In a large bowl whisk the eggs, then stir in the remaining ingredients.
Crumble the bacon (or add the diced ham), folding it in, along with the onion.
Transfer the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.
Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Let stand for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
Makes about 12 servings.
You can also experiment with other cheeses, but sharp cheddar and monterey jack are two of my personal favorites.
Let me know how you make it!
