This Gluten Free Hasb Brown Casserole is perfectly seasoned, smells beautiful, and is loaded with savory goodness! It has ham, hash browns, bell peppers, cheese, and plenty of aromatics which makes this Farmer's Casserole a truly wonderful one-dish meal.
It can be whipped up in minutes and a breakfast that will keep you full until your next meal. Want an easy solution for a busy morning? Make this overnight breakfast casserole!
We like to mix all the farmer's casserole ingredients and then chill the dish in the fridge overnight until the next morning.
It does help to achieve the delicious fluffy egg layer and the overall flavor and helps the hash browns to soak up all the liquid before baking.
Use this gluten free hash brown casserole recipe as your base, all the veggies and meats can be swapped for whatever is in your fridge and cheese is totally optional. But we just love cheese and like to add it in and on top of this casserole.
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This hashbrown breakfast casserole along with our popular Breakfast Strata have been our favorite recipes to make when the family is visiting, on easter, thanksgiving, and other special celebrations.
Ingredients
- Ham - your favorite ham diced into cubes. Or use breakfast sausage (in this case be careful with the seasonings, as the sausage usually already has plenty of salt, spices, and herbs), ground pork, chicken, or beef. In addition, you can also add cooked bacon to this breakfast casserole.
- Bacon tip: To save time, make bacon in the oven while you prep other veggies. Cook the bacon at 400 degrees F for about 18-20 minutes until it’s perfectly golden and crispy. Let it cool down and crumble into the casserole along with other ingredients. Reserve some for garnish on top.
- For Vegetarian breakfast casserole substitute meat with cooked lentils, quinoa, cous cous (not gluten free!), mushrooms, or beans even.
- Hashbrown - adds texture and bottom crust to this farmer's casserole. Frozen shredded hashbrowns, country-style hashbrowns, both can be used here. You don’t need to thaw these, they go right in the mix and soak up the liquid overnight.
- Good melty cheese - is essential! cheddar (any), gouda, swiss cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, Colby and for added flavor Pepper Jack Cheese.
- Evaporated milk - is what I used but regular milk is fine too. Evaporated milk is more concentrated and creamy which helps with the texture. However, as we are making this an overnight breakfast casserole, regular milk is okay and will not make your casserole watery.
- Green chile breakfast casserole - In this casserole I added some slcied jalapenos on top right before baking. But you can substitute this with green chiles and for added heat, stir in one finely diced green chile in the casserole mixture before baking.
Check the step-by-step photos below the recipe card.
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Tips
- Great fridge cleaner - this is a kind of recipe that doesn't require any specific and complicated ingredients or seasonings. Use what you have: a good amount of vegetables, a hearty combination of meat, and your favorite seasonings.
- I have added jalapeno for a little spicy kick but this can be left out completely or swapped to red chili flakes.
- You can double the recipe and bake it in a larger casserole dish (9x13 inches). The baking time will need to be adjusted (bake for longer).
- This casserole should not end up watery or soupy. If it did, you have missed the recipe instructions, and ingredients, and not let the casserole sit overnight to absorb all the liquid.
- Make it a little healthier - to make this dish more healthy, you can add fresh potatoes or sweet potatoes in place of hash brown. Dice the potatoes small and bake these in the oven prior. Drizzle with olive oil and some seasoning, toss to coat, and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Chill it
You don’t necessarily have to chill this casserole but I highly recommend it. Because chilling helps the hash browns to soak up all the flavors, and liquid. And your casserole is flavorful and doesn’t end up all liquid.
🥚 Make Next: Spicy Scrambled Eggs
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- This breakfast bake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- For freezing the breakfast casserole, slice it into serving portions and wrap it in plastic, or individual freezer bags, or transfer it to a disposable aluminum pan.
- Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven at 350 F until warmed through. Or in a preheated air fryer.
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Recipe Card
Farmers Casserole (Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole)
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INGREDIENTS
- 15 oz frozen shredded hash browns
- 9 oz ham, diced
- ½ cup green onions, diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or good melty cheese
- 1 medium jalapeno peppers, sliced
- 4 eggs
- 12 oz can of evaporated milk, whole, 2% or fat-free
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Spray a 8 x 11 inch or a square baking dish (9 x 9 inch) with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add shredded hash browns to the bottom of the prepared dish. Spread out evenly with a spatula.
- Top with diced ham, bell pepper, green onion, and jalapeno. You can sprinkle cheese on top or stir it into the potato mixture.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, evaporated milk, and spices. Pour egg mixture over casserole.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight. Take out from the fridge and bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes before baking)
- In a preheated oven to 350 degrees F, bake this hearty breakfast casserole for 50-55 minutes. You will know that the casserole is done when it’s golden in color and the sides pull away slightly from the pan edges. The center should be fully cooked and tested with a toothpick. It should not be liquid. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley and slice into portions.
- Although I love eating freshly made food, this farmer's breakfast casserole tastes even better the next day. Makes a delicious cold snack too!
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ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
This recipe has been inspired from Downshiftology.
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Instructions + Step By Step Photos
Spray an 8 x 11 inch or a square baking dish (9 x 9 inch) with non-stick cooking spray.
Add shredded hash browns to the bottom of the prepared dish. Spread out evenly with a spatula.
Top with diced ham, bell pepper, green onion, and jalapeno. You can sprinkle cheese on top or stir it into the potato mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, evaporated milk, and spices. Pour egg mixture over casserole.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight. Take out from the fridge and bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes before baking)
In a preheated oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, bake this hearty breakfast casserole for 50-55 minutes.
You will know that the casserole is done when it’s golden in color and the sides pull away slightly from the pan edges.
The center should be fully cooked and tested with a toothpick. It should not be liquid.
Remove the gluten-free hash brown casserole from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley and slice into portions.
Although I love eating freshly made food, this farmer's breakfast casserole tastes even better the next day. Makes a delicious cold snack too!
FAQ
For the best result, this breakfast casserole should sit overnight in the fridge. This time will allow the hashbrowns to thaw and soak up all the flavors and liquid. You definitely don’t need to thaw frozen hash browns first.
There can be various reasons why your hashbrown casserole turned out soggy.
It may be due to not refrigerating the mixed ingredients overnight;
Not following the ratios as instructed in the recipe;
Using low-quality hash browns or in some cases cubed hashbrowns, but both shredded and cubed hashbrowns can be used in this recipe.
You definitely can use fresh shredded potatoes in a breakfast casserole instead of frozen. The main thing here is to shred the potatoes and then let them sit in a large deep bowl with cold water for at least 30 minutes. The thick white substance left in the bottom of the bowl is starch that you’ll have to pour out.
For freezing the breakfast casserole, slice it into serving portions and wrap it in plastic or transfer it to disposable aluminum pan. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven at 350 F until warmed through. Or in a preheated air fryer.
Maggie_V
perfect moist and creamy!
Julia
thank you Maggie!
TJ.Blake
just made the hashbrown breakfast casserole for me & my kiddo, turned out awesome. big thx to julia for the easy to follow steps, makes cooking a breeze even for a guy like me who's not a natural chef lol
Susan Q
I tried chilling the casserole overnight as Julia suggested, and it truly made a difference. The hash browns absorbed all the flavors, and my kids noticed the taste improvement. Great tip for anyone wanting to add a punch to their breakfast routine.
Sharai
Everyone loved this breakfast. I loaded it with fresh veggies, and it was delicious. Also night before prep was so convenient. Great feeling to get up in the morning and have breakfast ready with so little effort.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
hi Sharai! Thank you so much, this means the world to me! Have you tried our Breakfast Strata yet?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Easy delicious hashbrown breakfast casserole