This Farmer’s Casserole recipe is a very popular breakfast recipe. It’s the perfect recipe to serve when you have a house full of guests or relatives. Watch the short video showing you how to make Farmer’s Casserole, then scroll to the end of this post to print out the recipe so you can make it at home.
What is a Farmer’s Casserole?
Farmer’s casserole is a delicious breakfast casserole that is made up of a few simple “farm-friendly” ingredients. It calls for hash browns, eggs, cheese, ham, green onions and evaporated milk. It’s all baked together to create a baked breakfast casserole.
I have made this recipe many times for Thanksgiving morning, Christmas morning, Easter brunch, kid sleepovers, family gatherings and more. It’s the kind of recipe that everyone enjoys so much, and it’s a very popular recipe here on the RecipeGirl site!
Change things up by adding in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, mixing in sauteed bell peppers and using a combination of cheeses.
Some of my readers have mentioned that they also enjoy making this for dinner. Leftovers eaten the next day are delicious!
Is Farmer’s Casserole Gluten Free?
Since my Mom has to eat gluten-free these days, I was super happy to find that I could make this breakfast casserole completely gluten free.
I use Ore-Ida shredded hash browns for this recipe if I need to make it gluten-free. If you don’t need to worry about that, just use whatever hash browns you can find! Evaporated milk is naturally gluten-free, so you don’t have to worry about that. Check the label on the ham you buy to make sure it’s gluten-free.
Can you use regular milk instead of evaporated milk in Farmer’s Casserole?
I don’t recommend using regular milk. Evaporated milk is more concentrated and creamy. It works best in this recipe. You can locate evaporated milk in your market’s baking aisle. Those who have used regular milk find that the casserole turns out too watery.
Can you use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hash browns in Farmer’s Casserole?
I don’t recommend using fresh potatoes for this recipe. When you grate the fresh potatoes, they will immediately begin to oxidize and turn an unappetizing grey color. Frozen hash browns work great for this recipe!
If you are looking for more recipes to serve with this recipe, you might enjoy adding Banana Coffee Cake and Fruit Salad with Lime Syrup to the menu. Champagne Brunch Punch also looks very good!
Farmer's Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 cups frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes
- 1½ cups shredded Jalapeno Monterey Jack Cheese (can sub cheddar or Swiss)
- 2 cups diced, cooked ham (or Canadian bacon)
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- 8 large eggs, beaten (or 2 cups egg substitute)
- Two 12-ounce cans evaporated milk (can use whole, 2% or fat free)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and green onion. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture in dish.
- At this point, you can cover and refrigerate until ready to bake (several hours or overnight). When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the center appears set. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. If baking after casserole has been chilled, you will need to increase baking time to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Notes
- Add Tabasco for a bit of a kick.
- Serve with a good dollop of sour cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this recipe so much! But I have noticed with the time given, sides/bottom of the casserole is darker than I’d want, but it’s not done enough in the center. I let mine sit overnight in the fridge. Any tips on it being so done on the sides?
Easy enough to make, but needs MUCH more seasoning. It is tasteless as written. Add some garlic, onion, more salt/pepper. Too much shredded potato also–it is like eating bland mashed potatoes.
Can you freeze this before cooking?
I have not tried that!
I love this recipe for a weekend brunch!
Have made this numerous times with ham or sausage. Only addition we make is small amount of diced red or green bell pepper and a bit of garlic or onion powder to the eggs. Perfect and delicious every time! Cooked casserole freezes well. We meal prep for our elderly parents and even after freezing/reheating, this still tastes great…they love it!
This recipe is a family favorite, we make it all the time.
Great recipe! Less people showed up for brunch than I planned for. Can I freeze the leftovers
yes!
Simply delicious! The only thing I would note is that I did not have to cook it quite as long, so keep an eye on it the last half hour so it doesn’t overbrown.
Can I cook this tonight and reheat in the morning?
I think that would be fine. You’ll be heating leftovers, so won’t be as good as same day.
I used Tater Tots instead of hashbrowns. The casserole turned out great!
Great Recipef! Turned out perfect for me. For those of you who say it came out a bit soupy, here is a way around that. Let the hash browns thaw in the bag and then dump them out on the counter or cutting board and gently blot excess liquid out of them out of them before putting them in the baking pan. 🙂