Denver Omelette Casserole

My partner really loves Denver omelettes. He gets them every time we go out for breakfast regardless of if we go to ihop or mom n pop breakfast places, and while I don't really like making omelettes, I did want to make a breakfast casserole. I'm pretty sure we're going to be making this a couple times a month for the forseeable future, lol.

Realistically, you can customize this however you want. The bones of it truly are the hashbrowns and the egg mixture, so feel free to sub the meat/veggies/cheese for whatever strikes your fancy (or whatever you have on hand). I'll probably be playing around with some other variations in the future, but I wanted to be true to the Denver omelette to make my partner smile. =3

While the cooking time is only 65 minutes total, I'd probably give yourself an hour and a half for getting this made.

Ingredients

  • 15 oz frozen, shredded hash browns
  • 1/4 cup (2 oz) butter
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/2 a large yellow or white onion, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 8 oz cubed ham
  • 12 large eggs
  • 1 cup (1/2 pint) heavy cream
  • 8 oz cheese
  • Seasonings to your preference

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Add 15 oz frozen hash browns to 9x13 casserole dish.
  3. Melt butter and mix in salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Evenly pour over hashbrowns and mix.
  5. Bake the hash browns fo 20-25 minutes until they're looking a little crispy.
  6. While hashbrowns are baking, sautee the onion and bell pepper to make them a little more flavorful prior to baking. You could also fry the ham a little bit for some extra crispy bits (and to remove excess liquid), but that's more up to you.
  7. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Add in salt, pepper, and your seasonings as well.
  8. When the hash browns are ready, add the following to the casserole dish ensureing they're evenly spread out: veggies, ham, cheese, egg mixture.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes at 400. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for additional 20 minutes or until edges are browned and the center does not wiggle.
  10. For the love of your tongue, let it cool for like ten minutes before serving or trying to devour. Top with whatever you normally add to your omelettes. I like hot sauce (shocker), and my partner loves ketchup. Some salsa, guac, and or sour cream would be good too tho...

Notes

  • The proportions in this recipe are such that if the ingredients are doubled, they are conveniently the sizes that the pre-packaged ingredientss are sold in at my grocery store. This is 1000% intentional, so honestly, adjust your proportions based on your tastes and what's available to you.
  • The egg:hash brown ratio is super flexible. When I was looking at other recipes, I saw people use anywhere from 20 oz hasbrowns and 12 eggs to 30 oz hashbrowns and 8 eggs.
  • ALSO, tater tots instead of hasbhrowns? Absolutely delicious. Super worth the splurge.
  • Similarly, the amount of cheese tended to be somewhere between 2 and 3 cups. Follow your heart.
  • Speaking of the cheese, if you wanna be fancy, mix a couple types together! We've tried medium cheddar and monterey jack, but I'd really like to try it with swiss and cheddar. Also for consideration: pepper jack, sharp white cheddar, and almost any specialty cheese from Tillamook because I have a problem.
  • I don't normally have heavy cream on hand unless I know I'll need it ahead of time, so if you need to substitute, try 1 cup evaporated milk or you could do 3/4 cup milk mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter.
  • For the seasonings, the world is your oyster. I've been mixing things like paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, and/or cumin based on my mood. I might try taco seasoning at some point? (edit 11/14/2022: taco seasoning is gr9, love putting it on the hashbrowns and in the egg mixture!) Once again, follow your heart.
  • For the veggies, you can totally use a frozen mix! Remove excess liquid when you're sauteeing them.