- March 31, 2018
- Main Dishes
Cauliflower “Hash Brown” Breakfast Casserole
I am a brunch girl. It’s pretty basic, yes…but who honestly doesn’t love a good brunch? When you are living that low carb life however, you lose a lot of your favorite staples. No more waffles. No more pancakes. No more hash browns.
Thankfully for all of us, I am addicted to my newest recipe creation involving cauliflower crusts. If you haven’t checked out my Chicken & Cauliflower Taco Pie (one of my most popular recipes here at Bon Appeteach) that features this cauliflower crust base/ technique you best get your butt over there after this!
Anyways, this is the perfect breakfast casserole for meal prep, for feeding that hash brown craving without the carbs, and for having a fabulous brunch recipe in your back pocket. It can easily be made ahead of time and reheated as well! Find the full recipe for Cauliflower “Hash Brown” Breakfast Casserole at the bottom of the page!
“School” Supplies:
- Food Processor
- Mixing Bowl
- Knife & Cutting Board
- Measuring Cups/ Spoons
- Pie Plate
“Class” Notes:
Making the Cauliflower “Hash Brown” Crust:
If you are not a stranger to making a homemade cauliflower pizza crust, then this should be simple for you. If you haven’t ever made a cauliflower pizza crust…this should STILL be simple for you!
I do suggest purchasing fresh cauliflower when making your own crust. It comes out a lot firmer and overall I think has a better texture in the end. Quickly rice up your cauliflower by placing larger pieces into a food processor. Pulse on high until it resembles small crumbly pieces similar in size to (you guessed it) rice.
I place it in a bowl and microwave for 4-5 minutes so that it is still tender by not mushy.
I lay it all out across a clean towel (or you can use cheese cloth but DO NOT use paper towel for this) to cool. Once it is warm to the touch (but not scalding hot) I gather up the sides of the towel and squeeze every ounce of upper body strength into that tiny towel until the majority of the water is removed from the cauliflower.
A LOT of water comes out. So squeeze it really good people (words I never thought I would be typing for the SECOND time about food. HA)!!! Add in the binding ingredients, also known as cheddar cheese and eggs.
Finally, mix in the some garlic powder, a bit of paprika or cayenne, some dried parsley, and some salt and pepper. This crust works best in a 9″ cast iron or pie plate!
Building Your Breakfast Casserole:
With any breakfast casserole you have complete freedom to customize the filling. The base is simply eggs, a splash or cream, and seasonings. I highly suggest whipping with a hand mixer if you want a light and fluffy casserole too! For this specific Cauliflower “Hash Brown” Breakfast Casserole, I cleaned out my fridge and added in some leftover cooked bacon (how did this even happen) and some leftover ham slices.
I wanted to add a bit of fresh green onion and extra cheddar cheese….because you can never have enough cheese! After partially baking your crust, I lowered the oven temperature and baked the casserole until the egg fully set and the top is a little golden brown!
The cooking time may vary depending on how dense your filling is. You can easily test it with a knife and make sure the center is set! I like to serve mine with a nice dollop of creme fraiche and fresh chives!
This Cauliflower “Hash Brown” Breakfast Casserole makes a great meal prep recipe for a grab and go breakfast and would also be a fabulous edition to an Easter Brunch menu! I wish you all a beautiful and happy Easter Sunday tomorrow and always appreciate hearing and seeing all the great ways you celebrate!
Don’t be a stranger, if you make a Bon Appeteach recipe please share a picture and tag me on Instagram (find me @bonappeteach). Much love friends!
Bon Appeteach,
-L
Last updated on 10/29/19
Ingredients
- For The Crust-
- 1 Cauliflower Head
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Paprika
- 2 tsp. Dried Parsley
- 1 tsp. Salt & Pepper each
- For The Filling-
- 5 Eggs
- Splash of Cream optional
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
- Optional Filling: 3 Green Onions 5 Strips of Cooked Bacon, 2 Slices of Diced Ham,
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Prep your 9" cast iron skillet or pie plate with parchment paper (this is so important or your crust will stick really bad).
- Remove the stem from your cauliflower, dice it into medium/small sized pieces and place about 1/4 of the head into a food processor. Pulse on high until the cauliflower resembles rice. Remove and place into a bowl. Repeat this
step till your rice the entire cauliflower head. Fish out any pieces that didn’t get riced and either pulse again or toss. - Place the cauliflower rice into a microwavable bowl. Cover with a paper towel or a plate and cook on high for 4-6 minutes. Remove the cauliflower and place onto a clean kitchen towel. I allow it to cool a few minutes so I don’t burn myself.
- Gather the sides of the towel up and squeeze really really really really hard to remove as much water from the cauliflower rice as possible. I do this until no water runs out from the towel. This helps prevent a mushy base.
- Add the cauliflower rice, the 1 egg, the 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, and the garlic powder, paprika, parsley, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Mix until all combined and placer on your parchment paper lined skillet/ pie plate. Pat the entire mixture out and up the sides in a thin even layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes. The crust should get a little crispy and golden brown.
- While the cauliflower hash brown base is baking, make your filling. Prep any veggies or meats of your choice. Beat 5 eggs and a splash of cream in a bowl. Season as needed (I add a bit of salt, pepper, and some garlic powder to my eggs).
- When the crust is done remove it from the oven. Turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F. DON"T FORGET or your food will burn!
- Place half the cheese and almost all of your filling ingredients into the base of the cauliflower hash brown crust.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture around the sides until it is filled.
- Sprinkle the leftover cheese and filling mixture over the entire top.
- Bake in the 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. Depending on how dense your filling is the time may vary. The center of your eggs should be set and fully cooked.