Breakfast is one of my three favorite meals of the day, and this hatch chile breakfast casserole is a great time saver. In fact, all breakfast casseroles are great time savers since they can be fully made the night before and just microwaved for an on the go breakfast bite.
A breakfast casserole is like a lazy person’s quiche. You don’t have to make a crust since you just use bread as a base. How easy is that. The other flavors in this easy to make breakfast casserole include roasted hatch chiles, hot Italian sausages and of course various seasonings and spices. Plus unlike pancakes or waffles, you can make this casserole the day before so you don’t have to spend an hour in the morning cooking.
One of the best things about this hatch chile breakfast casserole is that it stores extremely well. You can freeze leftovers in individual squares and then just defrost them in the microwave when you are hungry. That is the best benefit in my opinion for gifting casseroles.
What Are Hatch Chiles?
Hatch chiles are a type of green chili pepper that is grown primarily in the Hatch Valley region of New Mexico, USA. These chiles are renowned for their unique flavor, which is a balance of heat and sweetness, and they have become quite popular in Southwestern cuisine.
Hatch chiles come in various heat levels, ranging from mild to hot, allowing for versatility in cooking. They are typically roasted, which enhances their flavor and makes them easier to peel. Roasted Hatch chiles are commonly used in a wide range of dishes, including salsas, stews, enchiladas, and even burgers.
Each year, during the late summer months, Hatch chile festivals and events celebrate the harvest, and many people eagerly await the arrival of fresh Hatch chiles to enjoy their distinct taste and culinary applications. These chiles have gained a loyal following and have become an essential ingredient in Southwestern and Mexican-inspired cooking.
How To Make This Hatch Chile Breakfast Casserole
This recipe has quite a few ingredients, but none of them are particularly hard to find. In fact the hardest ingredient to find would be the hatch chiles, but you can used canned ones if you cannot find fresh, or just substitute with another green chile. The flavor will vary, but it will still be delicious!
Ingredients
- 2-3 Hatch Chiles – You can use more if you are so inclined, but they can be spicy so just be careful if you are not used to cooking with them.
- 1 small Baguette – Or any other stale bread you have on hand
- 6 large Eggs
- 1 large Onion – or 2-3 smaller onions
- 3 Shallots
- 2-3 Italian Sausages – Remove casing and crumble
- 250 ml Heavy Cream (1 cup)
- 100 grams Butter – This is about one stick of butter in America
- 75 grams Cheddar Cheese – Grated
- 75 grams Mozzarella Cheese – Grated
- 1 bulb Garlic – Minced
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Granulated Onion
- 1 tsp Chicken Bouillon Powder
- 1 tsp Dry Oregano
- Parsley – Garnish, to taste, optional
Instructions
The first step if you are using whole hatch chiles is to char them. This is essentially blackening the skin over an open flame. This makes them so much easier to peel. Don’t worry, you won’t overcook them. You actually want blackened, burned skin.
When they are mostly burned on the outside place them in a dish and cover with foil. They will naturally steam themselves and this extra moisture makes the charred skins of the hatch chiles peel right off.
After 10-15 minutes of steaming you can easily slide off the charred skin. I like to scoop out the seeds and veins of hatch chiles when I use them but it is up to you. Just know the seeds and veins add a lot more spice than the flesh (which is primarily the flavor).
Now you just have to build the casserole. In your casserole dish lay down slices of stale bread. You can add smaller pieces to fill in the gaps if you wish. It is better to have a mostly bread bottom as that makes cutting and storing the finished hatch chile casserole much easier.
Chop your onions and shallots since the next step is to saute.
Set a pan on medium heat and add some crumbled Italian sausage. You can leave out the meat if you want this dish to be vegetarian, but I love the added flavor it brings. Then add in the onions and shallots and cook until softened.
In a large mixing bowl add the eggs and cream and beat until combined. Then add in the sauteed sausage and onions, sliced hatch chiles, and the two different cheeses. Also add in all of the seasonings. Mix to combine.
Pour the hatch chile casserole mix over the bread in your dish. You can use a spatula to even things out, but it should naturally flatten and settle into the cracks between the bread pieces. If you want, you can add some more shredded cheese on the very top right before baking so you have a cheese crust.
Bake at 175 C or 350 F for about 25 minutes, or until you can stick a fork in and it comes back clean. If you are using a smaller, higher walled dish the baking time will be longer, but if you are using a shallower one it can be shorter. For this recipe I used a 25×35 cm baking dish which is pretty close to a 9×13 inch.
How To Serve This Breakfast Casserole
Because the bread is on the bottom it sort of makes a natural crust. This is great for cutting and serving since the casserole is unlikely to fall apart. In fact, I just cut squares using my spatula and they lift right out to serve.
You can eat this hatch chile breakfast casserole hot, cold, or room temperature; It’s really quite the versatile dish.
I like to serve not just this breakfast casserole, but all of my breakfast casseroles with bechamel sauce since the added richness and moisture goes great with these types of recipes. Plus you can always add some hot sauce if you like. I love dripping on a few drops of my homemade Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce whenever I make breakfast casseroles.
More Breakfast Recipes You Might Like
- Chicken Fried Steak With Sausage Gravy
- Syrnyky (Ukrainian Cheese Pancakes)
- Avocado Toast With Fried Egg And Chili Crisp
- The Best Blueberry Muffins (Secret Ingredient!!)
- The NY Scramble
- Wild Oyster Mushroom Quiche
- Turkish Menemen
Hatch Chile Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
- Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 2-3 Hatch Chiles You can use more if you are so inclined but they can be spicy so just be careful if you are not used to cooking with them.
- 1 small Baguette Or any other stale bread you have on hand
- 6 large Eggs
- 1 large Onion or 2-3 smaller onions, diced
- 3 Shallots diced
- 2-3 Italian Sausages Remove casing and crumble
- 250 ml Heavy Cream 1 cup
- 100 grams Butter This is about one stick of butter in America
- 75 grams Cheddar Cheese Grated
- 75 grams Mozzarella Cheese Grated
- 1 bulb Garlic Minced
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Granulated Onion
- 1 tsp Chicken Bouillon Powder
- 1 tsp Dry Oregano
- Parsley Garnish, to taste, optional
Instructions
- Place the hatch chiles on an open flame and char them until the skins are almost completely black. Place them in a dish and cover with foil. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Take out chiles and easily peel the charred skin away. Remove seeds and veins and chop up.
- In a pan on medium heat add your butter and crumbled breakfast sausage and brown. Add the onions and shallots and let cook until soft, at the very end add in the minced garlic and cook just enough to get fragrant (about 15-20 seconds). Remove and set aside.
- Compile the casserole. Lay down bread all along the bottom. Use smaller pieces to fill in the gaps.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and heavy cream. Then add the chiles, sausage and onion mix, cheese, and all of the spices. Pour mix over the bread in the casserole dish.
- Place dish in an oven preheated to 175C or 350F and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a fork can go in and come out cleanly. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting.
