Southwest Breakfast Casserole
Loaded with eggs, hash brown potatoes, sausage, cheese, and peppers, this hearty Southwest Breakfast Casserole is the perfect meal to start your day! A great breakfast or brunch recipe for holidays or when you have company!
My family loves eggs and breakfast in general, so they especially love being my guinea pigs and taste testers when I’m working on a new breakfast recipe like Southwest Breakfast Casserole!
This tasty casserole starts out with a layer of hash brown potatoes on the bottom of a casserole dish.
To that we add cooked sausage and peppers seasoned with warm, Southwest spices, a scrambled egg mixture with chipotle peppers in adobo, plenty of cheese, and some fresh cilantro for garnish.
The earthy spices that we season the meat and peppers with (cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder), combined with the smoky chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and some fresh cilantro give this casserole a flavorful Southwest twist.
Ingredients needed to make this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Sausage (pork sausage, turkey sausage, breakfast sausage)
- Jalapeno pepper
- Poblano pepper
- Frozen hash brown potatoes
- Eggs
- Milk
- Canned chipotles in adobo
- Grape tomatoes (optional)
- Shredded cheese
- Scallions
- Cilantro
- Spices (cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper)
How to make Southwest Breakfast Casserole:
- Add your frozen hash brown potatoes to a large casserole dish.
2. Top the hash browns with the cooked sausage and peppers, some cheese, sliced scallions, and tomatoes if you decide to use them.
3. Pour the egg mixture over everything, then top with the remaining cheese.
4. Bake the casserole until the eggs have fully cooked and the edges are nice and golden. Garnish with some fresh cilantro. Makes 6 large squares. (Full recipe below)
Looking for more breakfast recipes? Here are some favorites:
- Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Spinach Feta Breakfast Casserole
- Jalapeno Bacon Crustless Quiche
- Slow Cooker Biscuits & Sausage Gravy
- Cuban Breakfast Sandwiches (shown below)
How to store breakfast casserole:
Leftover breakfast casserole can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 3-4 days.
You can freeze this breakfast casserole in either a disposable aluminum pan covered with plastic wrap and foil or other freezer-safe containers. Best eaten within 3 months.
Southwest Breakfast Casserole variations:
- I use turkey sausage to be healthier, but plant-based meat crumbles, pork sausage, or even ground beef would be tasty in this recipe.
- To add a little extra heat, you could use pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar.
- If desired, frozen potatoes O’Brien can be substituted for the shredded hash brown potatoes.
NOTES:
- For those that really like to heat things up, serve this with homemade Fiery Habanero Hot Sauce!
- I have made this recipe with oat milk and cow’s milk, however, I have not tested it with almond, soy, or other milks.
Southwest Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
- cooking spray
Ingredients
- 6 cups frozen hash brown potatoes approx. 2/3 of bag
- 2 cups shredded cheddar, divided I used white cheddar, but pepper jack is also great
- 15 halved grape tomatoes optional
- 1.5 tbsp sliced scallions
- 1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro garnish
Meat mixture
- 1 lb. sausage breakfast sausage, turkey sausage, any kind you like
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced
- 1 poblano pepper diced
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Egg Mixture
- 10 large eggs
- 1.5 cups milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- 2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotles in adobo minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Add the sausage, jalapeno, and poblano to a large skillet. Season the meat and peppers with the onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the sausage is cooked through.
- Spray the casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the hash brown potatoes to the casserole dish in an even layer. Add the cooked sausage & pepper mixture to the hash brown potatoes, dispersing it evenly over the potatoes. If using tomatoes, add the tomatoes too.
- Top the sausage & pepper layer with half of the cheese (1 cup) and the sliced scallions. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top of everything. Add the rest of the cheese (1 cup) on top of everything.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Garnish with plenty of chopped cilantro and slice into squares. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Rate it and let me know in the comments below! ♥
I also have a fun Facebook group for us foodies to share recipes and talk about food. I’d love to have you! Request to join HERE. Cheers!
