Green Chile Egg Casserole

Green Chile Egg Casserole makes a wonderful make-ahead breakfast for meal prep, for brunch or to serve to overnight guests!

This Green Chile Egg Casserole breakfast casserole is one of my favorites. That might be because it has all of the same flavors as my favorite breakfast burritos.

When I lived in New Mexico, we loved getting breakfast burritos out on weekend mornings. It seems to be a New Mexican staple, as we haven't been able to find anything like it living anywhere else.

The breakfast burritos I love contain shredded potatoes, cheese, bacon (or sausage) and spicy green chile (which is a sauce made from green chiles), and so does this casserole.

Some people hear "chile" and immediately think "spicy." This is not always the case with green chiles, but they can be spicy. I love it spicy, but I'll show you how to make this casserole mild if you want.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This easy breakfast casserole is such a winner! If you love green chiles, you'll love this one because...

• It's a delicious make-ahead breakfast dish, perfect for busy mornings!
• You can make it spicy or mild — totally up to you.
• It only has six ingredients and it is SO easy to put together. You can make it right in the casserole dish!

This recipe would be great for so many occasions. It could be your new favorite weekend brunch recipe, but it's also perfect for meal prep for a busy week ahead as well as for special occasions like Christmas morning and Mother's Day brunch.

It's also great for when you have overnight guests because you can assemble it ahead of time and bake it fresh in the morning.

Breakfast Casserole Vs. Frittata

Frittatas and breakfast casseroles are both essentially crustless egg tarts baked with fillings of meats, cheese and veggies, but there are some differences.

An Italian dish, frittatas are kind of like giant round omelets, according to Thrillist. They are usually made in a cast-iron pan or skillet.

Similar to a crustless quiche, the eggs in a frittata are well-beaten well with milk and cream to create a more custard-like finish, then mixed with fillings and baked. They are light and fluffy and taste best fresh.

Breakfast casseroles, on the other hand, are much heartier. Usually served in a casserole dish, the egg mixture is usually combined and poured over layers of meat and veggie fillings, then poured over a base of starches like potatoes or bread. Unlike frittatas, they can be made ahead of time.

There’s also a type of egg casserole known as a strata, which is an egg casserole poured over cubed bread to create a savory type of bread pudding. (The recipe below is definitely not a strata, as there’s no bread — just potatoes!)

Ingredients

This recipe calls for only 6 ingredients, plus salt and pepper which I'd hope most people already have!

Bacon: Cook it up nice and crispy so it brings a varied texture to your casserole.

Large eggs: Always use the best eggs you can afford!

Milk: You can use dairy milk or non-dairy milk here.

Shredded potatoes: Any unseasoned, frozen kind is fine. We prefer the ones from Simply Potatoes that are found in the refrigerated section near cheese or breakfast meat.

Sharp cheddar cheese: A block of cheese that you grate is fine, or you can use the pre-shredded cheese. Feel free to substitute your favorite cheese — pepper jack cheese is great if you like things spicy.

Green chile (AKA green chile sauce): You can substitute canned green chiles for a milder taste.

You'll also need some salt and pepper for this recipe!

Best Green Chile for Egg Casserole

Green chile is a sauce made of green chiles. I don't like to call it green chile sauce (in New Mexico, it's just "green chile!") but that's essentially what it is.

However, not all green chile sauce is created equal.

We prefer the 505 brand which comes right from New Mexico and has the same flavors and spiciness I love.

If you just want the flavor of green chile without all the spice, canned green chiles are generally not spicy and will work as a substitution. Costco sells a less spicy version from the 505 brand as well.

How to Make Hatch Green Chile Egg Casserole

Making this Green Chile Breakfast Casserole is so easy! You can mix it all together in a large bowl if you like, but you can actually make it right in the baking pan.

We start by making bacon. You can make it in a skillet if you like, but I like cooking it in the oven while I measure out all my other ingredients.

To cook bacon in the oven, preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with foil. Arrange the bacon on the foil so the pieces don't touch, but close together is fine. Cook in the oven for 18-20 minutes.

Hot Tip: feel free to cook the entire pack of bacon (since this recipe only needs six pieces) and save the rest for later!

Once it's done, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any grease and cool slightly. Use kitchen shears to cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces or chop on a cutting board.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF. Grease a 9x9 pan. (To make this a 9x13, you'll add 3 more eggs and ¼ cup more milk.)

Next, beat the eggs together with the milk. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish.

Add in the remaining ingredients (minus some additional cheese and green chile for the top). Whisk ingredients together until the eggs and other ingredients are evenly distributed.

Top with more green chile and shredded cheese, then bake for 30 minutes or until eggs are set and cheese is melted.

Let cool for 5 minutes, then slice into squares and serve!

How to Make Ahead

If you want to make this casserole ahead of time, no problem.

You can cook it a day in advance and then warm it up in the oven at 200°F for about 15 minutes or until heated through, just before serving.

Alternatively, you can assemble everything except the toppings the day before. Store it covered with foil, add the toppings, and bake it as described when you're ready.

How to Store Breakfast Casserole

Store a cooked egg bake in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 1 week in the fridge.

If you'd like to freeze it, cut it into squares and store all the individual slices in a freezer-safe ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Then you can reheat squares in the microwave. See more in my post about frittata egg muffins — they are really similar to individual portions of egg casserole!

What to Serve with Breakfast Casserole

This spicy breakfast casserole (or mild, if you like!) is a great, protein-filled centerpiece for a family breakfast or brunch. It is the most important meal of the day, after all.

We like to serve it with hot sauce or extra green chile on the side. Sour cream and sliced avocado are also lovely.

It can also be a savory side, especially to a sweet main dish like chocolate pancakes.

If this green chile casserole is the star of the show, you might serve it alongside a small sweet like blueberry muffin, strawberry bread or cinnamon rolls with apple pie Filling as well as a savory side like breakfast potatoes.

You’ll need something on the fresh side too, like a simple fruit salad or even some fresh berries.

And don’t forget the coffee! For a special occasion, it might be fun to offer a boozy option for the adults, like a strawberry bellini.

Check out these ideas for easy breakfast sides to serve with this recipe!

More Breakfast Casserole Recipes

Try one of these great recipes the next time you host a breakfast gathering!

• Sausage & Egg Breakfast Casserole
• Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole
• Ham & Cheese Breakfast Casserole