Must Make Holiday Meal: CrockPot Breakfast Casserole

Ah the witching hour. I’m not sure if every child has this, but mine certainly does. This is the time of day when my toddler insists on being attached to my legs or right behind my feet. This is the time when any noise that occurs near the garage is answered with a little voice saying “Dada?” And this witching hour occurs always at the time when I should be making dinner. I believe that this is why they invented slow cookers.

I LOVE my slow cooker. I actually have more than one (I won’t tell you how many… that would be embarrassing). If you haven’t ever cooked in a slow cooker, you’re missing out. There are many great benefits to using a one.

• In the summer, it doesn’t heat up the house
• If you work all day, dinner is ready when you get home so you don’t have to think about it after a hard day’s work

And the best reason of all…

• If you have a toddler, you can prepare the meal in the morning when they are still precious and happy and then be free to give them your undivided attention in the late afternoon/early evening when they are…umm… slightly less precious

So… in honor of the slow cooker, here is one of my favorite recipes. I would tell you where this recipe came from, but somewhere, someone gave me this recipe and I am forever grateful to whoever that person is.

We love having breakfast for dinner at our house. I would say it’s one of my husband’s favorite meals. If you love it too, make this breakfast casserole for your family. It’s also a great thing to have on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning so you don’t have to wake up a million hours earlier than everyone else to make breakfast.

Here are the things you will need. {See entire recipe at the bottom of post!}

 First, cook your bacon and sausage (separately of course).

As you can see, I cook my bacon in the oven. If you haven’t ever cooked bacon in the oven, you should try it. It’s awesome! Just set your oven to 400 degrees, line a rimmed pan with foil, place the bacon on there and cook for 20 mins or until the bacon is crisp and little bubbles of grease are on the bacon.

Next, you begin the layering. Throw in some of the hash browns, onions, cheese, and meat. Do this in two or three layers.

Now, in a separate bowl, beat the eggs, milk, ground mustard, salt and pepper. Ground mustard seems like a weird thing to use in a breakfast casserole, but I’ve actually made several casseroles with different types of mustard in them and it really does add a nice flavor.

Now pour all that eggy goodness on top of the layers. Set your slow cooker to low and enjoy some time on the couch (because I’m sure none of us have anything else to do.)

So if you want it first thing in the morning, just make it in the evening after the kiddos are in bed. Or if you want breakfast for dinner, make it in the morning and you’re ready to go for dinner!!

Here’s what it looks like when it’s finished.

Or, if you’re like our family…

we like to turn everything into Mexican food… sometimes with a little queso and guacamole…yummy!!

What’s your favorite slow cooker recipe? 

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 dozen eggs

1 cup of milk

1 lb. sausage, browned and drained

1 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped

1 package (32 oz.) frozen hash browns

½ cup green onions, chopped

¾ lb. shredded cheese (I mostly use cheddar but have been known to get crazy with the little gruyere sometimes)

¼ tsp. dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Layer the potatoes, bacon, sausage, onions and cheese in the slow cooker in two or three layers.

Beat the eggs, mustard, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over the layers in to the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 10 – 12 hours.