Potato-Crusted Eggs Florentine is the mother of all breakfast and brunch casseroles! The key players are potatoes, spinach, eggs, cheese and prosciutto (if desired). It's all of our favorite classic breakfast foods in one make-ahead dish.
Brunch is my favorite meal of the day -- mostly because it's typically not a "meal of the day."
So when brunch happens, it usually special. Are you with me?
With its striking presentation and combination of delicious flavors and fantastic textures, this potato egg and spinach casserole always draws a crowd.
It's gluten-free and can easily be made vegetarian if desired.
Key Ingredients
- Russet potatoes - Choose potatoes that are firm, smooth and free of sprouts.
- Parmesan cheese - For this recipe, I like it as finely grated as possible -- almost like a powder.
- fresh spinach leaves - Get pre-washed spinach leaves for this casserole -- it'll save you a lot of time. Fresh spinach can be very dirty -- it's easy to wash, but for large quantities like in this recipe, it takes a good amount of time.
- white sharp cheddar cheese - I like this thickly grated. You can buy it this way, or grate a chunk of it yourself.
- prosciutto - This should very thinly sliced, which is easy to find.
How to Make Potato-Crusted Eggs Florentine
(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)
- Use a food processor to grate the potatoes. Then use your hands to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the potatoes, and add them to an extra large mixing bowl. Combine with 2 eggs, the Parmesan, thyme, salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large sauté pan, place it over medium heat and add the potato mixture. Cook, stirring often, just enough to make the potatoes slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the sautéed potato mixture to the greased baking pan, and mold it along the bottom and sides. Place it in the oven and bake until it's golden brown along the edges, about 35 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, coat the same large pan with olive oil and place it over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft, about 7 minutes.
- Add the spinach, in at least 4 batches, cooking each until it's wilted before adding the next. Once all of the spinach has wilted, cook off any remaining liquid that's in the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Then add the grated Cheddar and mix it in quickly and evenly before it melts.
- When the hash brown crust is done, add an even layer of the thinly sliced prosciutto directly on top.
- Add the spinach mixture and spread it out evenly. Then use a spoon to make 9 evenly spaced shallow indentations, and crack an egg into each one.Bake in the preheated 375°F oven just until the eggs are cooked, about 25 minutes.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- You can substitute the prosciutto with cooked bacon, or for a vegetarian version of the hash brown casserole, you can omit it or use sautéed mushrooms.
- If you prefer kale to spinach, you can substitute it. If you do, remove any tough stems, and use a couple of cups less, as it won't shrink as much as spinach does.
- If you want to substitute the Cheddar cheese, Gruyère would be excellent also.
- Cooking times for the hash brown crust might vary depending on how thick or thin you've spread it. Be patient if the edges don't brown by the estimated baking time of 35 minutes. Bake until it's golden. (And if it's golden earlier than the estimated time, remove it from the oven early.)
Short Cuts
I don't always suggest short cuts because I do love doing as much as I can from scratch. However, this potato-crusted casserole does take a good amount of time, and there are a couple steps that lend themselves to a short cut.
- You can use frozen, thawed hash browns. I would get something like this. If you choose to do this, you will follow the same instructions, minus sautéing and baking the potato crust before the other layers are added. The whole casserole will be baked once assembled.
- Buy pre-washed spinach.
- Use pre-grated cheeses.
Making it Ahead
- You can make Hash Brown Casserole with Eggs Florentine almost entirely ahead of time.
- Do everything the day before except the eggs, and about 30 minutes before you're ready to serve the next day, crack the eggs on top and bake.
More Must-Try Breakfast and Brunch Casseroles
I hope you love this spinach florentine recipe as much as I do! Invite a few friends for a casual brunch and enjoy!
Potato-Crusted Eggs Florentine Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 8 cups grated Idaho Russet Potatoes (about 4 pounds)
- 11 large eggs, divided
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1½ cups yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 12 cups packed spinach leaves, washed and dried
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
- 4 ounces prosciutto, very thinly sliced
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set oven and prepare pan. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
Prepare the potatoes
- Use a food processor fitted with the blade attachment to grate the potatoes. Then use your hands to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the potatoes, and add them to an extra large mixing bowl. (I usually do this about one handful at a time.) Combine with 2 of the eggs, the Parmesan, thyme, salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large sauté pan, place it over medium heat and add the potato mixture. Cook, stirring often, just enough to make the potatoes slightly tender, about 5 minutes. (Don't wash this pan - you'll need it again!)
- Add the sautéed potato mixture to the greased baking pan, and use your fingers or a small metal spatula to mold it along the bottom and sides.
- Place the pan in the preheated 375°F oven and bake until the potato crust is golden brown along the edges, about 35 minutes. (Keep the oven set to 375°F after you remove the pan.)
Make the spinach mixture
- While the crust is baking, coat the same large sauté pan you used for the potatoes with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and place it over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Then add the spinach, in at least 4 batches, cooking each until it's wilted before adding the next. Once all of the spinach has wilted, cook off any remaining liquid that's in the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's How to Season to Taste.) Turn off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Then add the grated Cheddar and mix it in quickly as it will begin to melt a bit. Set aside.
Assemble and bake
- When the crust is done, add an even layer of the thinly sliced prosciutto directly on top. Follow this with the spinach mixture, spreading it out evenly. Then use a spoon to make 9 evenly spaced shallow indentations, and crack an egg into each one.
- Bake in the preheated 375°F oven just until the eggs are cooked, about 25 minutes.
- Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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valentina
Thank you, Ilke! They're also cute as rounds in a regular muffin pan. 🙂
Stefani
Every couple months, a bunch of girlfriends and I get together for what we call "boozy brunch". The host makes brunch, and everyone else brings champagne. I'm making this for them tomorrow! One question - do you think sweet potato would work just as well?
valentina
Hi Stefani! Great question -- the starch content of sweet potatoes is very different, so while I think it will still be delicious the texture will be different and I'm not sure it will hold it's shape as well. Have an excellent brunch! I love it!
Stefani
Thanks Valentina! I'll stick with the russet potatoes. And I'll make sure that we toast you and your delicious recipe!
Stefani
Just to follow up.... the recipe was a huge success! Everyone had seconds. Thanks so much!
valentina
Yay, Stefani! I'm so happy to hear that! 🙂
Maria
WoW. I want to have breakfast now!!!!!
valentina
Do it! 😀
Gerlinde
I think I have this for dinner tonight.
valentina
Yay! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Toni
My kids loved it! Such a huge hit!
valentina
Thanks, Toni! You made my day! 🙂
Ashley - Forking Up
I love that this is gluten free! I bet the crispy potatoes really take eggs florentine to the next level!
valentina
They do! Hope you try it. 🙂
Marissa
We our big brunch fans in our house and this one looks AHHMAZING! I love how it's in one dish, but easy to portion out so everyone gets their little square of delicious. Can't wait to try this!
valentina
Exactly. 🙂 Thanks so much, Marissa.
Noelle
Using hashbrowns as the crust is a brilliant idea!
valentina
Thanks so much, Noelle.
2pots2cook
I wonder what was I thinking !!!! I have almost missed this beauty ! Share 🙂
valentina
Thank you! 😀 Much appreciated!
Nancy
Where in the WORLD has this recipe been all my life??? I love hash browns and eggs together and this? Well, this just takes it over the top! Absolutely love that you can assemble virtually the whole thing ahead of time.. and yes, I should definitely do brunch more often!!!
valentina
Thanks so much, Nancy! I hope you try it and love it as much as we do. xo
David Scott Allen
I think this will be an easy recipe to make for two! Love all the flavors and so glad I have russet potatoes! Hope you are well, my friend. At least, if we have to be in isolation, we have our kitchens!
valentina
So true about our kitchens. I seem to be in mine all the time. Even when I'm not cooking. A whole lotta eating going on here! 😉 Thanks for visiting, David and I hope you and Mark are doing well. 🙂 ~Valentina
Mimi Rippee
This is a great recipe! I love the addition of the spinach. It makes the dish just a little healthier, plus it’s pretty! Merry Christmas!
http://www.chefmimiblog.com
Valentina
Hi Mimi. Thank you! No matter what I'm making, if I can I try to get some nutrients in. Enjoy, and a happy holiday season to you and yours. 🙂 ~Valentina