Here is a super simple, fast and easy recipe your family will love – even your picky eaters – this Cheesy Potatoes O’Brien Bacon Casserole! I use frozen cubed hash brown potatoes so there is very little chopping to do making it easy for beginning cooks to put this together and create a comforting, filling dish appropriate for any meal … breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, any time of the year!
Top: Assembled & ready for the oven. Bottom: Under the broiler to finish – always watch closely when using the broiler!!
I used bacon in my version, but you can use sausage, ham, or leave out the meat entirely for a vegetarian meal. I like the smokiness of the bacon paired with mild green chiles. You can add some chili powder (like Ancho ) and some fresh cilantro giving it the taste of Mexican or Southwestern cuisines. For Italian, just add some basil and oregano. It is simple to transition this to many different flavor profiles! Stir the seasonings into the eggs before adding the other ingredients.
Hot from the oven!
Speaking of ingredients … when you cut tomatoes, do they compress and tend to squirt all over? The trick to easily slicing and cutting up tomatoes is a very sharp knife known as a tomato knife. It is short like a paring knife but with a scalloped, serrated edge that cuts through the skin with very little pressure. Some have a forked tip that allows you to skewer the tomatoes after slicing and move or lift them onto plates.
In addition to tomatoes, my tomato knives are the ones I reach for any time I am working with small vegetables or when I need precise cuts. I have had mine for over 30 years and with an occasional tune-up by a professional knife sharpener, they will last a lifetime and can be passed to the next generation!
Keep this Easy Cheesy Potatoes O’Brien Bacon Casserole recipe close at hand – you will find yourself reaching for it over and over. It is perfect for lazy weekends, vacations at the beach or in the mountains, and when guests are visiting. Simple, easy, and fast to get on the table, it is a lifesaver!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Key Ingredients for Easy Cheesy Potatoes O’Brien Bacon Casserole:
- Eggs
- Milk
- Bacon
- Onions
- Mild green chiles
- Tomatoes
- Frozen Potatoes O’Brien
- Colby cheese
PRO Tip:
If you are uncomfortable cutting up ingredients, hit the salad bar at your local grocery store. You can often find most of the ingredients you will need already pre-cut, saving you a lot of time and effort. If you need the pieces smaller, it will be easy to cut them one at a time with either a tomato knife or a paring knife.
How to make Easy Cheesy Potatoes O’Brien Bacon Casserole:
- Preheat oven; whisk eggs and milk with salt and pepper to taste
- Cook bacon until crispy and drain; sauté the onions and chiles in the bacon drippings then add the tomatoes and cook together
- Combine the potatoes and cooked bacon with the eggs; add the vegetables and 2/3 of the cheese and stir together
- Bake the eggs/potato mixture for 20 minutes; top with 1/3 of cheese, return to oven until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbling around the edges, another 15 minutes
- Cool 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving topped with remaining tomatoes and chopped parsley
Kitchen Tools I Use to Make This Recipe (affiliate links):
- Chef’s knife
- Tomato knife or paring knife
- Cutting board
- Large skillet
- 9×13-inch baking pan
- Large mixing bowl
Gluten-Free Tips:
The Ore-Ida brand of frozen potatoes are gluten-free making it easy to make this dish safe for your entire family.
Easy Cheesy Potatoes O'Brien Bacon Casserole (Gluten-Free)
Look to this Easy Cheesy Potatoes O'Brien Bacon Casserole for pure comfort - it is packed with potatoes, bacon and cheese. Who wouldn't love that!
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 lb bacon, chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped onions
- 2 tbsp chopped canned mild green chiles, drained, or sautéed bell peppers
- 3 plum tomatoes, cored and finely diced, divided
- Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (28 oz / 793g) bag frozen Potatoes O'Brien, thawed (Ore-Ida brand is gluten-free)
- 3 cups shredded Colby or a combo of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, divided
- Freshly chopped parsley, for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until fully blended and season with a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Set aside.
- In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove all but about 2 tbsp of the drippings from the pan. Add the onions and green chiles to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add two of the chopped tomatoes and cook 1 minute, tossing everything together. Remove from the heat and let cool several minutes.
- Add the potatoes and cooked bacon to the eggs, stirring until evenly distributed. Add the sautéed vegetables to the eggs, stirring, then add 2 cups of the cheese, stirring until fully blended.
- Pour the egg mixture into the prepared pan, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese, return to the oven and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted, starting to brown in spots, and the casserole is bubbling around the edges. If needed, you can put it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top, watching carefully.
- Remove from the oven and set the casserole aside to cool and set up for 10 minutes. Cut into squares, transfer to serving plates, and sprinkle each with some of the reserved tomatoes and parsley if desired. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 886Total Fat: 65gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 34gCholesterol: 354mgSodium: 2435mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 60g
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This post was first shared in Mar 2017. The article was updated in 2020.
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Jutta
Sounds yummy….
Do you think this can also be made in a crockpot? So I can take it to work and keep it warm?
Jane Bonacci
I’m not sure Jutta, I’ve never tried it. You might want to make it as directed in the oven and then transfer to a slow cooker to keep warm. Broiling the top gives you the lovely melted cheesy goodness we love. I hope it works for you!