Gluten Free Breakfast Casserole ( with a dairy free option)

Gluten Free Breakfast Casserole

     My family loves breakfast casseroles! Although we mostly eat them for dinner, not breakfast! My four year old and husband can eat about half the pan just the two of them because they love it so much. I often make this casserole when I need to take a breakfast dish someplace, such as my MOPS group at church! It's also a go-to during football season when we have those early 11am Husker parties. Through the years I've tweaked this recipe to get it down to a few ingredients I always have on hand. You can customize it to meet your needs or dietary preferences. One of my favorite additions is sun dried tomatoes! They add a little bit of sweetness to the dish. I sometimes make it half with cheese and half without for those who can't have dairy. This casserole reheats very well in the microwave so you can make it at the beginning of the week and have it on hand for an easy breakfast.

Ingredients
-16 oz. of gluten free hash browns (NOTE: this is half of most bags, I've tried it with a whole bag and it's too many potatoes!)
-12 large eggs
-16 oz of sausage cooked until browned and drained of excess fat ( I use Jimmy Deans All Natural)
-4-8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese (this can be left off to it make dairy free)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
other options for mix ins-
-sundried tomatoes ( mix them in with the hash browns/eggs or they will burn on top!
-mushrooms
-crumbled goat cheese
-feta cheese

Instructions
1) Pre-heat oven to 350
2) Generously spray the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray (don't skip this or it will stick)
3) Pour the 16 oz of frozen hash browns into the skillet and spread until they are even
4) Brown the sausage in a large skillet and drain
5) Spread the sausage over the hash browns in the baking dish
6) In a large bowl crack all 12 eggs, add the salt and pepper and whisk the eggs until they are well incorporated
7) Pour the egg mixture over the hash browns and sausage and use a fork to make sure the egg reaches the sides of the dish. Since this recipe does not have added milk in the mixture it might look like there aren't enough eggs to cover but if you tilt the baking dish around the eggs will sink down and coat the whole dish.
8) Sprinkle the top with 6-8 oz or as much cheese or other toppings that you want!
9) Bake for 45 minutes and check with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. If the egg bake is not baked through add five more minutes at a time and keep checking until done.

Note: My sister and I always joke about how egg bakes always take different amounts of time to cook and usually take longer than you think they will!  I have made this so many times and tried to time it out and it usually takes between 45-60 minutes but sometimes it takes longer and sometimes it takes less! If you are taking this to an event make sure you give yourself plenty of time for it to cook!