“My go-to for church breakfasts! It’s always the first dish empty, I’m known for it and can’t skip a Sunday haha.”

This Kentucky Derby Casserole is a spectacular, winning breakfast bake that brings all the comforting flavors of a classic diner skillet right into your morning rotation. By layering crisp shredded hash browns with savory cubed ham, two varieties of gooey melted cheese, and a beautifully seasoned egg custard, you get a gorgeous contrast of textures. As it bakes, the eggs puff up beautifully around the ham and potatoes, sealing everything beneath a golden, paprika-flecked cheese canopy. It is an incredibly efficient, crowd-pleasing dish that handles your entire breakfast lineup in a single pan.

Kentucky Derby Casserole

Ingredients:

Step-by-Step Directions:

Step 1: Oven and Pan Preparation: Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a standard 9×13-inch baking dish thoroughly with a bit of butter, oil, or non-stick cooking spray.

Step 2: Build the Savory Foundation: Spread the frozen shredded hash browns evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish, using your fingers to smooth them into a level layer. Uniformly scatter the 1/2 / teaspoon of salt and 1/4 / teaspoon of black pepper over the potatoes. Next, layer the cooked cubed ham over the hash browns, followed by an even blanket of shredded cheddar cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, and the diced green onions.

Step 3: Whisk the Spiced Egg Custard: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the 5 large eggs, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Add an extra pinch of salt and black pepper to taste, then whisk the mixture vigorously until the eggs are completely broken down, smooth, and pale yellow.

Step 4: Pour and Saturate: Slowly pour the seasoned egg mixture evenly over the top of the cheese and ham layers in the dish.

A Friendly Kitchen Note: Take your time pouring the eggs so that the liquid has a chance to seep down through all the nooks and crannies, completely saturating the shredded hash brown base below. This guarantees that your casserole bakes into a unified, sliceable egg-and-potato bake rather than separating.

Step 5: The Golden Bake: Slide the baking dish onto the center rack of your preheated oven and bake for 40 / to 45 / minutes. You’ll know it’s ready the exact moment the center of the casserole is fully set through and no longer jiggles, the cheese is completely melted and bubbling at the perimeter, and the top displays a beautiful, light golden color. Remove from the oven, slice into generous squares, and serve warm!