Hash Brown Casserole with Eggs Florentine

Hash Brown Casserole with 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 hash brown casserole always draws a crowd.

It's gluten-free and can easily be made vegetarian if desired.

What You'll Need

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(I often suggest brands I love and use — these are only suggestions and this is not a sponsored post.)

• extra virgin olive oil - I like this one.
• Russet potatoes - Choose potatoes that are firm, smooth and free of sprouts.
  
• eggs
• Parmesan cheese - For this recipe, I like it as finely grated as possible -- almost like a powder.
  
• fresh thyme - Look for perky bunches and avoid any brown, bruised or yellow leaves.
• onion - Choose onions that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
  
• fresh garlic - Heads of garlic should be firm without any soft spots or green shoots.
• 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.
  
• salt - I almost always bake and cook with Kosher salt. (It’s coarse and salts foods in a subtle way that enhances their flavor without making them taste salty.)
• black pepper - Preferably freshly ground.
  

How to Make Hash Brown Casserole with Eggs Florentine

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(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan with olive oil.

- 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. 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 sauté pan you used for the potatoes with 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 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. Set aside.

- 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.- Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

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• You can substitute the prosciutto with cooked bacon, or for a vegetarian version of the hash brown casserole, you can omit it.
• 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

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I don't always suggest short cuts because I do love doing as much as I can from scratch. However, this hash brown 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.

Can you make it ahead?

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• 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.

I hope you love this awesome hash brown casserole! Invite a few friends for a casual brunch and enjoy!

More breakfast casserole recipes:

• Hatch Chile Cornbread Casserole
• Poblano Egg and Sausage Casserole
• Bacon Potato Casserole with Eggs
• Mexican Breakfast Casserole

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