I am notorious with all those who know me for having a small problem with my food touching on my plate. Be it breakfast, lunch or dinner I designate specific areas on my plate for protein, carb, vegetable and fruit with plenty of space in-between. I watch very closely for renegade gravy, sauce or ranch dressing attempting to seep its way over to destroy my dinner roll.
As strict as I am with this discipline,there is one caveat to this life rule of mine: casseroles. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, the ooier/gooier and messier the better. There is something so satisfying about combining everything together into one cohesive dish, where the different elements are supposed to touch and meld into an all-in-one meal. It certainly alleviates my stress at attempting to maintain the boundaries on my plate! I’ve always loved breakfast. And where there is definitely a place in my heart for oatmeal and french toast, I’m a bacon, eggs and hashbrowns kind of gal when you get right down to it. So, it comes as no surprise to me that I have gravitated toward breakfast casseroles to satisfy my hunger for a hearty breakfast in a nice and tidy (read: does not migrate all over the plate) little package.
This “Holiday Breakfast Casserole” covers all your basis. Unless you don’t like eggs. Or bacon. Or hashbrowns. Then you’re pretty much screwed. But if you’re a team player then throw it in the oven first thing the morning and it’ll bake while the kiddos are rippin’ through their treasures.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 6 eggs, lightly whisked
- 4 cups shredded frozen hashbrowns, thawed
- 11/4 cups sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (reserve 1/2 cup)
- 1 1/2 cups swiss cheese, shredded (reserve 1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon and onion until bacon is crisp and onion is translucent; drain.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in bowl; add bacon/onion mixture.
- Pour into a greased 9×13 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle reserved cheese over the top of the mixture.
- Bake,uncovered, for 35-40 minutes until casserole is slightly browned and bubbly. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, to set.
Yum, Mindy
What a fun idea to have a big breakfast on Christmas morning. A casserole means that its not a lot of work too. Believe it or not, this recipe is definitely one that can be veganized. I’m going to work on it. So much food, so little time!
Hey, let me know how it works! I made this for dinner the other night and it is wonderful…and so easy to adjust to taste (i.e. add lots more cheese). =)
Mindy
Oh my stars! That sounds delicious! I usually make one with sausage in it. But I’m going to try this one this year. Sean doesn’t care about his food touching, but he hates casseroles.
I ate with a divided plate til I was like twelve. I hate food mixing, except in casseroles. I only eat one food at a time too. Weird, huh?
♥Spot
A divided plate would have been the answer to all my childhood prayers…okay, and my adult ones. =)
Mindy
This sounds delish! I think I might try it for Christmas morning. Thanks for sharing~Valerie
It is delish and perfect for Christmas morning. Even the kids ate it which definitely means something. =)
Mindy
Sorry, but I want to change my order:
I’ll take just eggs and cheese tacos, plz.
Thanks for putting the eggs in my head, I’m off to the kitchen now.
Eggs and cheese tacos? Like breakfast tacos? Okay, I’ll take some too! But add bacon to mine. =)
Mindy
My parents used to always do a huge breakfast on xmas morning. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, scrapple, sausages, OJ and milk. And we weren’t allowed to open our presents until after breakfast was eaten. I think they did that because we’d dawdle over breakfast every other morning, and they wanted to see if we could actually eat before our food had a chance to get cold. Our present to them. LOL
I do have a question though … why can’t your food touch? Doesn’t it all go in the same place anyway? If you had all of those ingredients separately (not in a casserole), would they be allowed to touch? I’ve always wondered that about people who are squeamish about food touching. The first time I saw someone freak out about it, I looked at her like she had 4 heads. 😉 But I really feel bad for the cooks (or chefs) at restaurants who have irate customers screaming “TAKE THIS BACK. IT’S TOUCHING!”. My Hubby was a short order cook who had to deal with this alot.
I’m not sure why I have a hangup about my food touching. And it’s only something I worry about if I am building my own plate. At Thanksgiving my BIL literally piled everything on top of each other in the middle of his plate. Now, that, I do not understand. =)
If I’m at a restaurant I am so elated over the fact that someone else is cooking for me I pay no attention to how the food is arranged! =) And as for irate customers…pretty sure I’d scream back.
=)
Mindy
Ah, gotcha! I’m glad you’re not one of those people at restaurants! 🙂 Your BIL sounds like he knows how to make a decent plate of food! LOL At our huge Thanksgiving dinners at my grandparents’ house, we (the kids all the same age) used to have “contests” to see who could hide the most amount of food in the mashed potatoes. We’d end up with a pile of mush in the middle of the plate. Then we’d enjoy the hell out of it! Somehow, food always tastes better when it’s thrown in with mashed potatoes. Yum! 😉