There is nothing better than waking up to the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and breakfast casseroles. If you are the host and have a crowd of people staying overnight, and you want to provide them with a delicious sending off, here are a couple of easy breakfast casserole ideas. Of course, you cannot wait until everybody is out of bed and them ask them how they want their egg cooked, and if they want bacon or sausage. What you need is are quick and easy recipes for a crowd. The key, as with most anything in life, is preparation. If you are going to serve these recipes with hash browns, there are several ways you can do this. You can buy toaster hash browns that crisp and cook in your toaster or oven, or you can make the hash browns yourself. Since your oven is going to be working overtime with the casseroles, you will probably want to utilize your stove top and several large non-stick skillets for the hash browns.
Consider that one russet potato will equal one serving of hash browns. Buy one potato for each guest, peel and boil them until they are cooked thoroughly. Once they cool, shred them on a hand-grater. Do not do this when they are still warm, or the shredded potatoes will stick together. Put your shredded potatoes in a air-tight container and leave in the refrigerator overnight. When you cook them in the morning be sure to use plenty of oil and a medium heat. This will ensure that your hash browns will be golden and crispy. Your guests will be delighted with the results.
Sausage Casserole
Make sure that at least one of your recipes is made with sausage. This is important not only because fresh beef sausage is delicious, but just the scent of it wafting throughout the house will bring your guests floating toward the kitchen on cloud nine. An excellent and easy breakfast casserole is made with sausage and toast. Again, your oven will be too busy to accommodate biscuits, and you will not have time to make toast for everybody. After you have prepared your potatoes, begin with the casseroles. Blanch your sausage, do not fry it, because otherwise it will be over-cooked after it comes out of the oven. Make enough toast for the casserole, and then butter it. Dice your blanched sausages and the toast and mix it all together. Prepare the egg at this time also. Plan on three eggs per guest, whip the eggs and add pinches of salt, pepper, and garlic. Now combine the toast, sausages and eggs, mix in a generous amount of cheddar cheese, and place the mixture in a well-greased casserole dish, cover it with plastic wrap and leave overnight. In the morning you can wake up, pop in the casserole, and concentrate on the coffee and hash browns.
Egg Casserole
An excellent variation on recipes for egg casseroles is to bake an individual casserole for each guest. If you have guests that do not care for sausage, try this easy breakfast casserole. Buy some large baking tins in the shape of cupcakes. Mix eggs, soy sauce, and mild diced green chilies, and season to taste. Spray a liberal amount of non-stick spray in the tins and fill with the egg, green chilies and shredded jack cheese. You can bake these at the same time as your sausage casserole and ensure that everybody gets a tasty breakfast in the morning, no matter what their pleasure is.
