Amish Breakfast Casserole
by Sommer Collier — on Dec 10, 2025 This incredible down-home Amish breakfast casserole requires only seven ingredients but packs a punch in the flavor department! It’s loaded with bacon and eggs, shredded potatoes, and three types of melty cheeses, for a comforting country breakfast that’s simple to prepare and always a hit. You can even make it ahead for a truly relaxing morning with family and friends.
I don’t know about you, but the idea of laboring over a hot stove for hours in the morning doesn’t exactly sound like a Christmas holiday or fun brunch gathering to me. That’s why I am a BIG fan of throw-together breakfast casseroles, with bonus points for any recipes I can make ahead! Take, for example, my ham and potato casserole… This winner is quick and easy to prep, so I get to actually enjoy the special occasions. Today, I’m sharing another family favorite recipe for Amish breakfast casserole. I love the taste and texture of this simple rustic breakfast bake! The combination of bacon cooked with sweet onions, mixed with hash browns, eggs, and three kinds of cheese, gives it a robust, rich flavor and plenty of protein. It’s perfect for getting everyone around the table, without breaking your back.
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Ultimate Breakfast Comfort Food – The combination of eggs and tender shredded potatoes, sharp cheddar, pepper jack for a little heat, and chunky cottage cheese, creates a cheesy masterpiece with lots of cozy flavor. Plus, bacon means no additional salt is required. This is proper comfort food at its finest. No fuss, no frills, just your favorite breakfast goodies baked into one satisfying casserole!
True Crowd Pleaser – I can easily get 12 individual slices from this casserole, which is perfect for when we have a tableful of folks to feed. And since it’s made with simple ingredients, this recipe is delicious and budget-friendly, just like our tater tot breakfast casserole, and breakfast strata recipes.
Make Ahead Winner – While this recipe is very simple to put together, every minute counts on those busy holiday mornings and weekend brunches. I love to assemble it the night before, wrap it up, and keep it in the fridge overnight, then get it baking in the oven before guests arrive, and festivities start.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Hash brown potatoes – I use fresh refrigerated shredded potatoes, or I buy them frozen and thaw them before using. The best way to thaw frozen hashbrowns is in the fridge overnight; however, you can also do a quick thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes. I suggest spreading them out on a baking sheet so they thaw quickly and don’t pool moisture.
- Bacon – Thick-cut bacon is best for heavy-duty sautéing. Don’t skip quality here, dear reader. Thin bacon will cook too quickly and is more likely to burn.
- Onion – I prefer a sweet yellow onion to balance the salty bacon. But white onion, with its sharper bite, is also a delicious contrast.
- Eggs – I use large eggs, and I always recommend letting the eggs come to room temperature for 20 minutes. Using not-too-cold eggs helps the casserole to bake evenly at the right temperature.
- Cheeses – This casserole has a trifecta of rich cottage cheese, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and shredded spicy pepper jack cheese. Just be sure to buy blocks of cheddar and pepper jack and shred the cheeses by hand. The flavor is way better than pre-shredded bagged stuff, and doesn’t have any of those extra anti-caking fillers.
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Prep – I start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F, and while that’s happening, I grease a large 9×13-inch baking dish. This can be glass, stoneware, or whatever oven-safe dish you have, so long as it’s 3 quarts.
Sauté – Now I chop and cook the bacon over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Gotta keep stirring while it sautés so that it gets crispy and reddish-brown. Do not let it burn!
Then into the pan goes the chopped onions. I cook them for another 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously, until they are soft.
While the bacon and onions cook, I crack the eggs into a large measuring pitcher and lightly beat them. Then I add the thawed hash brown potatoes to a separate large bowl.
Mix – Once the onion and bacon mixture is done, I use a slotted spoon to fish them out of the pan and add them to the bowl with shredded potatoes, leaving the grease behind. I gently combine this bacony magic with the shredded potatoes. Then the cottage cheese and two shredded cheeses are mixed in, followed by the beaten eggs.
Into the Pan – Everything in the bowl gets dumped into the prepared baking dish, and smoothed out into an even layer. Nope, there’s no need to cover the pan with aluminum foil.
Bake – I bake the casserole in the middle rack of the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, but I keep a close eye on it around 40-50 minutes. We want a bubbly golden top, so I am always careful to pull it out of the oven before things get out of hand and the top browns too much.
If it does look like it’s getting too crispy, I add a loose piece of foil on top to keep it from burning.
Expert Tip
It’s important to cook the bacon on the stovetop until it’s reddish in color and slightly crispy before adding the onions. Once the onion is added in, the bacon will remain the same color and stay crisp, but the onion will continue to cook down until it’s soft and sweet. This bacon-sweet onion combination is the highlight of the casserole, so it’s important to get the step right. Don’t rush it, and keep the heat on medium so nothing burns.
Variations
I’m a big fan of bacon eeeverything, but feel free to mix things up and make the casserole with whatever breakfast meats you like. Cooked ground pork breakfast sausage, or turkey breakfast sausage, or pieces of ham are also delicious. Or easily make this a vegetarian Amish breakfast casserole recipe without meat.
Another way you might want to change up the recipe is to swap out spicy pepper jack cheese. I love the kick of heat, but if you or others in the family are sensitive to spice, simply omit pepper jack and use more sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack.
Serving Suggestions
Like most fabulous make-ahead and dump-and-go breakfast casseroles, this beauty is technically an all-in-one meal. There are carby/starchy potatoes, fluffy eggs, cheese and more cheese, and bacon for an extra boost of protein.
I also like to serve this rustic casserole with some fresh seasonal fruit to balance the richness and salty flavors. And if the adults of the family want to enjoy a really relaxing holiday brunch, I’ll also make us a batch (or two) of bloody Mary’s or classic mimosas.
Storage Notes
Leftovers are terrific! The eggs, cheese, and hash browns meld together, and the flavors intensify even more overnight.
Keep cooled leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also freeze individual portions – or the whole casserole – for up to 3 months.
While you can reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1-2 minute bursts at 50% power, I prefer reheating in the oven to get the cheese on top melty but not too melty, and the edges crisp but not too crisp. Bake portions on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you most definitely need to cook the bacon, or whatever meat you’re using, before adding it to the casserole. Raw meat won’t cook properly in a casserole, which can result in undercooked meat and/or a soggy dish.
You sure can! Halve the ingredients and bake the breakfast casserole in an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch dish to make 6 large servings.
It’s very important you thaw the hash browns completely to avoid the dreaded soggy casserole. If there seems to be a bit too much moisture, try blotting the thawed potatoes with paper towels before adding them to the mixing bowl.
This delicious breakfast casserole is fantastic to make ahead, either the night before, or you can even assemble and freeze it for up to a month or two. If I’m making it to freeze, I assemble it in a disposable aluminum pan so it can go straight from the freezer to the oven.
Instead of baking it right away, cover the casserole dish tightly with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. For the freezer, I also wrap the pan in a layer or two of aluminum foil. Then you can either thaw it in the fridge overnight or bake it from frozen, adding another 15-20 minutes to the cook time.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
Amish Breakfast Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 30 ounces frozen hash brown potatoes thawed
- 16 ounces thick-cut bacon chopped
- 1 large sweet onion peeled and diced
- 10 large eggs
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 cups
- 6 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese 1 ½ cups
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set out a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (3 quarts). Grease the dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon to the skillet. Stir and sizzle the bacon until it's reddish-brown in color and looks crispy. Then add the chopped onions. Continue to stir and sauté until the onions are soft, approximately 5-6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, set out a medium bowl and crack the eggs. Whisk well and set aside.
- Set out a large mixing bowl. Place the thawed hashbrowns in the bowl.
- Use a slotted spoon to scoop the bacon and onion mixture over the top of the hashbrowns. Gently tossed together to cool the bacon and fully thaw the hashbrowns.
- Add the cottage cheese, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and pepper jack cheese. Gently toss to combine.
- Pour the beaten eggs over the top of the mixture. Then gently tossed to coat.
- Scoop the hash brown mixture into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes, until bubbly and golden around the edges and puffed in the center.
- Allow the casserole to cool for 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve as-is, or garnished with parsley or chopped scallions.
