Potato Cheese Breakfast Bake is what you’ll want to bring to the table when guests visit, when it’s a special occasion, or when you want a centerpiece for a buffet. It’s hearty but feels light, creamy, cheesy, and almost soufflé-like. There is a potato, egg, and cheese situation inside, then it is topped with more cheese – along with your choice of diced ham or bacon.

Potato Cheese Breakfast Bake

I’ve never made this when people haven’t raved, and it’s been a go-to for decades. It’s stood the test of time and is super easy, as well as a big “can I get the recipe?” hit at my house.

About Potato Cheese Breakfast Bake:

It gets bonus points for being able to make ahead or the same morning. Imagine yourself pulling this cheesy goodness (there’s a mountain of cheese in this!) from the oven, plopping it on the table, and looking like a hero! Everyone will flock to the table.

I adapted the recipe from a big Bed and Breakfast cookbook; the contributor for this recipe was Arsenic & Old Lace in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Arsenic and Old Lace B & B

Making Potato Cheese Breakfast Bake:

Plan ahead when making this recipe. The hash brown potatoes go in a low oven for an hour to dry. It’s a game-changer, and the casserole is too wet if that step is skipped. Ask me how I know, lol!

There’s a weird amount of canned soup (it helps the creaminess factor), but it’s the perfect amount. It’s such a small amount, I’ve balked at the idea of replacing it with white sauce, and I didn’t care for it when made with sour cream. I did LOVE it when I replaced the milk with whipping cream, though!

Use chopped ham (a great use of leftover ham) or bacon, but don’t overcook the bacon – stop while it’s still bendy. I haven’t tried sausage, but it will probably be good, too.

Let your Potato Cheese Breakfast Bake rest for a few minutes when it comes out of the oven so it can firm up before serving. If scooped out immediately, it will literally spill across the plate. Still delish but not quite as presentable.

Bake the hashbrown egg mixture; top with ham or bacon.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake a few minutes more to melt the cheese.

Make Ahead:

• To prepare the night before, mix and place in a casserole, cover, and refrigerate. Have the topping of ham or bacon and cheese ready. In the am, bring the casserole out for about an hour before baking, if possible, then proceed as directed.
• Check at the hour point. If not nearly done, a little more time may need to be added.

Serve With:

Add a little fruit, maybe some orange juice, to round out the meal. Muffins or croissants would never be wrong, though!

In the spring, I’ll use berries of some sort, usually strawberries. In the summer, blueberries, honeydew, or cantaloupe. In the winter, bananas, mandarin oranges, or a small salad with oranges in it.

Leftover Breakfast Casserole:

• Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for three to four days. For best results, reheat servings, lightly covered, in the microwave.
• I assume this casserole would not fare well through the freeze/thaw process.

Other Breakfast Casseroles You Might Like:

• Biscuit and Gravy Casserole – the classic turned into a casserole, and canned biscuits make it easy.

Biscuit and Gravy Casserole

• Overnight Breakfast Sausage Casserole – super easy, more of a family breakfast meal.

Overnight Breakfast Sausage Casserole

Saving Money on Groceries:

What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.

• The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
• If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.

The best way to save money on this or any recipe is to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer full of sale-priced items.

Bacon, Breakfast Sausage, and Ham:

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

• 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. If baked and served, leftovers can be portioned for the freezer. A six to eight-pound ham portion can be picked up on a holiday sale for less than the price of a ham “steak” from the grocery store any other time of the year.
• Breakfast Sausage – it pays to watch the sales and freeze. Take it out of the freezer a day or two before. If not an option, saw off the metal at the ends of the tube and use the defrost setting on the microwave. When partially thawed, remove, pull off the wrapper, and any thawed portion before placing it 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.

Grocery Cheese:

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

Potato Cheese Breakfast Bake

Potato Cheese Breakfast Bake with Bacon or Ham

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This easy toss together casserole is one of the best you’ll ever make.

• Author: adapted from Arsenic and Old Lace
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 76 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup chopped green onions, four to five, white part only (reserve green tops, sliced at an angle) for garnish if desired.)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 pounds hash brown potatoes, thawed, O’Brien are great
• 1/2 can (not cup) of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 soup can milk or cream
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 5 cups shredded cheese (20 ounces), divided 4 cups + 1 cup
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped ham cubes or 1/2 lb bacon, cooked until chewy, crumbled (may use more, if desired.)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Spread the potatoes on a large baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, saute green onions in butter till tender. (Note: I’ve recently melted the butter in the microwave in a small dish, added the green onions, covered the dish, and microwaved for about 1 1/2 minutes. Timing may vary with your microwave.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, the sauteed green onion, 4 cups shredded cheese, 1/2 can of soup, milk or cream, sour cream, eggs, hot sauce & salt. Mix well. Spoon into a three-quart (9×13″) glass or ceramic baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 60 to 65 minutes until puffed and slightly golden. (This is best if pulled before the sides of the dish brown.) Sprinkle with bacon or ham and the final cup of cheese. Bake five minutes more. Let stand five minutes to set up and cut into squares.

May be prepared the night before and refrigerated, covered. If time allows, place on the counter for an hour, but it can be placed in oven directly from fridge. Cover and bake about 75 minutes, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Garnish with green onion tops.

Nutrition:

Per Serving: 460 Calories; 33g Fat (64.4% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 217mg Cholesterol; 748mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 5 Fat.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.