Hash Brown Egg Bake

I was looking for a breakfast recipe because I had a bag of frozen hash browns in the freezer.   I came up with this easy looking casserole on Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 1 (32 ounce) package frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 dash paprika

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine hash browns, bacon, 1/2 cup cheese and salt. Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk until smooth; pour over hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until golden. Top with the remaining cheese.

Footnotes

Editor's Note: This dish may be prepared in advance, covered and refrigerated overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Allrecipes

I made this up last night before going to bed, and I left it in the fridge overnight.  That made for a really quick and easy morning.  I added one cup of cottage cheese to the recipe, and I did not add the second half cup of cheddar on top.  I think the cheese on top would have been a good addition, but I wouldn't take away the cottage cheese, or at least I'd add more cheese mixed into the casserole to make up the difference.  I also added onions and peppers to the bacon while I was cooking it down.

How did it turn out?

It was very good.  It turned out better than other breakfast casseroles that I've tried before that have bread in them.  I definately recommend the hash browns!  I especially love how easy this was to make.

What about the kids?

They both ate a decent sized serving and cleaned the plate.  It wasn't anything they were overly excited about, but they ate it fine with no complaints.

Rating: 4 out of 5