8x8 Hash Brown and Sausage Breakfast Casserole (2024)

FAQs

Why is my hash brown casserole soggy? ›

You must drain them and dry them properly first. Potatoes retain lots of water. Getting that water out is the secret to crispy hashbrowns.

Baked egg dishes tend to have issues with becoming too rubbery or watery after cooking. This is especially the case when high-moisture vegetables or dense meats are in the mixture—sautéing the potatoes and vegetables before baking helps to dry the food and concentrate flavors.

To use frozen hash brown potatoes, put the package of frozen hash browns in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Or empty the hash browns into a bowl, cover, and let stand at room temperature for about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid before using the thawed hash browns in the recipe.

Yes. Add some oil before you place into oven. Halfway through cooking time, flip the hash browns over.

Make a cornstarch slurry for a fast and easy thickener.

Use one tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of liquid you would like to thicken. Stir out all the lumps. A few minutes before your casserole is done, add it a little at a time until you are happy with the thickness. Then, let the casserole finish baking.

The secret to the crispiest hash browns? Remove as much moisture as possible before frying.

To prevent a soupy casserole, be sure to fully thaw any frozen vegetables in a colander over a bowl, and pat dry, squeeze excess moisture out of greens like spinach or chard, and quickly precook watery fresh vegetables like onions, mushrooms or squashes just until they release their moisture.

Don't cover all ingredients with stock or you will have too much water when it starts to cook down. Like some other posters have said, corn flour or regular plain mixed and smoothed with water to a thick consistency prior to adding to the casserole will help thicken it.

Always drain your meat to avoid rubbery eggs

The reason for this is that when meat is cooked, its fat goes from solid to liquid. All of this excess liquid floods the eggs and creates a rubbery texture. But no worries, this doesn't mean you have to forgo meat in your egg casserole altogether.

If you're reheating frozen hash browns, I suggest preheating your oven to 350 and covering the tray with foil. Pop this into your oven for about 20 minutes. Then, remove the foil and let them cook uncovered for another 5-7 minutes depending on how much crispiness you want.

How to tell if hash browns are bad? ›

A: Hash Browns or French fries are usually good in the freezer for 4-8 months at zero degrees F. While still cold, if they are soft to the touch that means they have lost the crispy texture you'll expect of a quick frozen potato. If this occurred over a day or two, you should be fine to heat them up.

Exposure to air or oxygen is the cause of this situation when the potatoes are cut and stored in advance for any future cooking.

You can freeze the hashbrown casserole, either before baking it or after it has been baked and cooled. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking or reheating in the oven.

According to the FSIS, freezer burn doesn't make food unsafe, but rather it makes it dry in spots which is a quality issue not food safety issue. These dry areas appear as grayish-brown spots and are caused by air coming into contact with the surface of the food.

The most common method is to wrap the shredded potatoes in a kitchen towel, then squeeze to release as much liquid as you can.

Drain on paper towels.

As soon as the potatoes are done cooking, carefully transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate for a minute. This will remove any excess oil and prevent them from getting soggy.

If you don't eliminate enough liquid (from the potatoes that you, again, just soaked in water), they will get soggy instead of crispy, a.k.a. a total bummer.

Excess Moisture: Not cooking down the onions or using frozen tater tots may cause extra moisture to be released as it cooks, making the casserole soggy.