This is the first version of this breakfast casserole we tested in our kitchen. We started from a classic recipe (a 9×13 dish with frozen shredded hash browns, pork sausage, cheddar and a creamy egg mixture), but we changed a few things along the way. We swapped the sausage for ground beef, which makes this version pork-free, and we used fresh potatoes instead of frozen ones. The whole family tried it, everyone found it very good, and there is almost nothing left.

Prep time: about 30 minutes
Bake time: about 55 to 60 minutes
Serves: 6 big portions, up to 8 with smaller ones
Dish: 9×13 inch (23×33 cm)

Close-up of a golden, cheesy breakfast casserole with ground beef and hash browns, fresh out of the oven

What We Changed From the Original

Ground beef instead of sausage, seasoned with paprika, black pepper and salt.
Fresh grated potatoes instead of frozen hash browns. We grated fresh potatoes, squeezed them really well to get rid of all the excess water, and salted them. We used about 600 to 700 g (the original calls for a 30 oz / 850 g bag).
Pan-fried potatoes. We browned the potatoes in a pan before building the casserole, so they would start to take on some color.
Heavy cream in the egg mixture.
A little nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon), which is optional.

Ingredients

About 600 to 700 g fresh potatoes, grated, squeezed dry and salted (or a 30 oz / 850 g bag of frozen shredded hash browns, fully thawed and squeezed)
Butter or a drizzle of olive oil, for browning the potatoes
450 g (1 lb) ground beef
1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1 to 2 pinches of salt, for the beef (adjust the salt to your taste)
8 eggs
35 cl (about 1 1/2 cups) heavy cream
About 2 cups (200 g) shredded cheddar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
A little oil, for the dish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Grease a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) baking dish with a little oil (cooking spray or a brush).

Greasing an oval baking dish with oil spray before making a breakfast casserole — A quick spray of oil on the 9×13 dish so nothing sticks.

Brown the potatoes. Once the grated potatoes are squeezed well and salted, brown them in a pan over medium heat with a little fat for about 10 to 15 minutes, until they start to take on some color (not fully golden, but almost). We used olive oil, but butter works too, and butter is our pick. Take them out of the pan and set aside.

Cook the ground beef in a pan over medium heat, breaking it into small pieces, and season it with the paprika, pepper and salt. Once it is well cooked, drain the fat if there is any, and set the meat aside.

Cooked and crumbled ground beef seasoned with paprika for a breakfast casserole — The beef, cooked, crumbled and seasoned with paprika.

Make the egg mixture. Whisk the eggs a little, add the heavy cream, then the salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutmeg.

Eggs whisked with heavy cream and seasonings in a metal bowl — Eggs, heavy cream and the seasonings, whisked together.

Layer the dish in this order: first the potatoes, spread across the bottom. Then the ground beef. Then the shredded cheddar. Finally, pour the egg and cream mixture over everything. Some of the cheese floats up to the top, which is what gives the golden crust.

Spreading browned grated potatoes across the bottom of the casserole dish — Layer 1: the browned potatoes, spread across the bottom.

Seasoned ground beef spread over the potato layer of a breakfast casserole — Layer 1: the browned potatoes, spread across the bottom.

Breakfast casserole layered with potatoes, ground beef, cheddar and egg mixture before baking — Ready for the oven: all four layers in place.

Bake covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes at 375 °F (190 °C).

Covering the breakfast casserole with aluminum foil before baking — Covered with foil for the first 40 minutes.

Uncover and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until it is nicely golden.

Breakfast casserole baking uncovered in the oven until golden — Foil off for the last 15 to 20 minutes.

Close-up of a golden baked hash brown breakfast casserole with ground beef and cheddar — Foil off for the last 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve. We cut it straight out of the oven and it was already well set, so we did not need to let it rest.

Golden ground beef and hash brown breakfast casserole just out of the oven — Out of the oven, golden and set.

How We Served It

Piece of breakfast casserole served on a plate next to the baking dish

Everyone chose for themselves. Some people added hot sauce, and others ate it plain, just as it came out of the oven.

What to serve with it:

A sauce: hot sauce, like we did, or your favorite sauce on the side.
A fresh salad: lettuce, cucumber and cherry tomatoes with a simple dressing. The fresh, crunchy salad goes well with the rich, cheesy casserole.

Tips From Our Kitchen

Squeeze the grated potatoes really well. Getting rid of the excess water is what keeps the bottom from getting soggy.
Salt the potatoes, since the beef is not already seasoned the way sausage is.
Drain the fat from the meat before layering.
Butter or olive oil both work for browning the potatoes.

Why We Used Fresh Potatoes Instead of Frozen Hash Browns

The original recipe calls for a 30 oz (850 g) bag of frozen shredded hash browns, fully thawed. We did not have frozen hash browns on hand, so we grated fresh potatoes instead. This is the biggest change we made, and it is the step that decides whether the casserole comes out well or watery.

Cooks who made the original recipe point out that frozen hash browns are already blanched, which is why fresh potatoes need some cooking before they go into the dish. That is exactly why we browned ours in the pan first. We have not tested the frozen version ourselves. If you use frozen hash browns, those same readers say to thaw them completely, ideally overnight in the fridge, and to squeeze them out, because otherwise water collects at the bottom of the dish.

Substitutions and Variations

Why the beef needs seasoning. Sausage already comes salted and seasoned, and beef does not. That is why we seasoned the beef with paprika, pepper and a little salt, and kept the original amounts in the egg mixture (1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder).

Other meats. The original recipe says you can make it with pork sausage, ham, turkey sausage, bacon, or even beef. We only tried the beef. Whatever you choose, cook the meat first and drain the fat before you layer it.

Milk instead of cream. We used heavy cream. The original recipe works with whole milk or heavy cream. We have not tried the milk version ourselves.

Other cheeses. Instead of cheddar, you could use Edam or Parmesan, depending on your taste. This is a suggestion from our kitchen, not a tested swap.

Add-ins other cooks like. We did not add any of these, but readers of the original recipe mention them most often:

Onion and red and green bell peppers, cooked together with the meat
Drained spinach
Mushrooms
Chili or hot sauce
Paprika and dry mustard in the eggs
About 100 g of fresh cheese

How many eggs. We stayed at 8 eggs, as in the original, and our casserole was already well set when it came out of the oven. Some readers go up to 10 or 12 eggs when they feel it needs more.

Pan size. We used a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) dish. Readers who halved the recipe used a 20×20 cm dish and report anywhere from 30 to 55 minutes of baking. We have not tried a half batch, so check that the center is set before you take it out.

Make-Ahead, Leftovers and Freezing

We baked our casserole and served it right away, so the tips below are our advice, not results we have tested, along with what readers of the original recipe report.

Make ahead (our tip):

Brown the potatoes before assembling. Raw grated potatoes oxidize and turn dark, even in the fridge.
Assemble the dish the night before with everything already cooked (browned potatoes, cooked beef, cheese), but without the egg mixture. Cover and keep it in the fridge.
The next day, take the dish out of the fridge 15 to 30 minutes before baking, pour the freshly whisked egg mixture over it, and bake. Straight from the fridge, readers say it needs about 45 to 55 minutes in total, so check that the center is set.

Leftovers: keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. Reheat a portion in the oven, the microwave or an air fryer.

Freezing: readers advise against freezing the casserole with the raw egg mixture, because it separates. If you want to freeze it, our suggestion is to freeze the dish with the potatoes, beef and cheese only, then add a fresh egg mixture right before baking. We have not tested this.

If we test any of these in our kitchen, we will update this section with our own results.

How to Get Crispier Potatoes

The potatoes make a soft base, not a crispy one. For crispier potatoes, you have two options. You can brown them longer in the pan (our version takes about 15 minutes over medium heat). Or you can bake the grated potatoes on their own in the oven, about 30 to 40 minutes at 180 °C, before you assemble the casserole. These times are our estimates, not tested results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hash browns?

Yes. That is what we did: grated, squeezed really well, salted, and browned in a pan before assembling.

How do I stop the casserole from being watery?

We did not find any water at the bottom of our dish, and here is why. First, if the potatoes are well browned, no water comes out of them. Second, if you remove the fat from the meat, there is no sauce at the bottom. Third, if you give it the full cooking time, the egg and cream mixture sets properly.

Do I need to let it rest before cutting?

We cut ours straight out of the oven and it was already well set, so we did not need to wait.

Butter or olive oil for the potatoes?

Both work. We started with a drizzle of olive oil, and butter is our pick.

Can I use a different meat?

Yes. We used ground beef, and the original recipe is written for pork sausage, with ham, turkey sausage and bacon as options.

Should I cut the salt?

With salted sausage, some readers use half the salt. We used ground beef, which is not pre-seasoned, and kept the full 1 1/2 teaspoons in the eggs.

Is it too eggy?

Not for us. With 8 eggs and 35 cl (about 1 1/2 cups) of heavy cream, the flavor was well balanced.

How many people does it serve?

In a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) dish, it serves 6 people with big portions, and up to 8 people if you cut smaller ones.

Can I make it in a muffin tin?

We have not tested it, but it is the same idea as the big dish, just in individual portions. The baking time will be much shorter, so keep an eye on them and take them out once the center is set.

What We Would Change Next Time

We would add a little more nutmeg. We only used 1/4 teaspoon to see what it would do, and we think a bit more would lift the flavor.

Final Verdict

Christmas morning breakfast casserole fresh out of the oven in an oval baking dish

Very good. The whole family tasted it and loved it, and there is almost nothing left.