Living in Northeast Ohio, we are surrounded by the Amish Community. We see 6-8 buggies minimum a day go by our house. Last year we pastured our Amish neighbor’s horses for them. Down the way, we have a stand that makes the best pies, cookies, and breakfast goods you’ll ever eat. So we have quite a few interactions with the Amish here in Ohio. This is my take on an Amish Breakfast Casserole.
This casserole is made with really affordable, filling ingredients. You probably have them on hand in your house already. It is super customizable based on your tastes.
I usually use bacon but you can substitute that for breakfast sausage, diced ham, or even leftover meats. I’ve made this with leftover ground beef taco meat for a taco casserole.
The number of eggs can be adjusted based on how many you have and the size of your pan. For a 9×13 baking dish, I use 1 dozen eggs during my chicken’s peak production but have made it with as little as 6 eggs and it turned out great.
Cheese is another customizable ingredient. I use whatever cheese I have on hand. Usually, I make it with mild cheddar cheese but have used white cheddar, sharp cheddar, and jalapeno and it has turned out great.
If using fresh potatoes, you will want to cook them a bit before adding them to the casserole. They just don’t cook up completely if you toss them in raw. Trust me from experience. Frozen hashbrowns can be tossed in frozen.
- 1 pound of sliced bacon or 1 pound of crumbled breakfast sausage
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
- 6-12 Eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 cups potatoes, shredded
- 2 cups cheese, shredded
- 2 cups cottage cheese, 4% or 2%
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Optional: 1 cup greens, spinach/kale/chard
- Optional: 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
- Optional: 1/2 cup diced peppers
Preheat Oven to 350°
Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
In a large skillet, cook bacon until it’s done to your liking.
In the bacon grease, cook onions and any optional veggies you add in until soft. Add the spinach at the end of the cook. Remove off heat as soon as the spinach wilts.
In a large bowl combine eggs, potatoes, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, and 1/2 the cheese.
Add in the cooked bacon and veggies. Stir until combined well. Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Top the mixture with the rest of the cheese.
Bake at 350° 35-40 minutes until bubbling. Let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
- You can make it ahead and store it in the freezer!
- Leftovers make the perfect breakfast burrito filling.
- Throw it in a pie crust and make a quiche.
