This Breakfast Egg Bake with Bacon and Green Chilis takes the familiar flavors of the Southwest and puts them together in an easy-to-bake casserole. Make-ahead instructions make it perfect for an easy weekend brunch or a special holiday menu!
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Everyone needs a delicious egg bake in their recipe file. You know... the kind you can prep the day before and just pop in the oven while you get ready the next morning. In my house they are called breakfast egg bakes... not breakfast casseroles. Some people in my family are phobic about the name "casseroles" (not even breakfast casserole with bacon would work), so I changed the name to “bake”. Now we are all happy. 😉
Growing up we had a special green chili egg casserole every Christmas, but once I had my own family I found they didn’t like that particular green chili recipe because the chilis are left whole. Luckily, green chilis come diced in a can. That solved that problem. The addition of smokey bacon was a hit, but you can leave it out if you prefer. Whatever you do, don't leave out the garlic powder. It really makes this southwest egg bake shine.
Our Breakfast Egg Bake with Bacon and Green Chilis is an adaptation from this recipe on greatgrubsdelicioustreats.com. Over the years we modified it to fit our taste buds.
🥇 Why it’s great!
- The combination of green chilis, bacon, and cheese with garlic powder is a powerhouse of flavor for your taste buds. Nothing boring going on here!
- It is perfect for your weekend or Christmas breakfast because you can prep the ingredients a day ahead and bake off the morning of.
- It is customizable. The basic amounts need to stay the same but you can adjust to your families likings or to what you have in the refrigerator.
🥚 Ingredients
Bacon: Look for a package of bacon that has more meat per slice than fat.
Eggs: Large or extra-large eggs can be used.
Milk: Whichever dairy milk you have on hand works perfectly.
Diced canned green chilis: Getting diced saves a step in prep work, but sometimes I can get my hands on fresh fire-roasted hatch chilis from New Mexico. In that case I take the time to dice them myself.
Green onions: These add the perfect punch of fresh flavor.
Salt & pepper: Always kosher salt and ground black pepper.
Garlic powder: This is an unusual ingredient for eggs, but it shouldn’t be left out. It makes this recipe outstanding!
Cheddar cheese: Sharp cheddar is our favorite, but whatever you have on hand will be delicious. For a little more kick feel free to add pepper jack cheese.
🔪 How to make Breakfast Egg Bake with Bacon and Green Chilis
The best way to do this is to cook up the bacon. If I am cooking a lot of bacon at once I will use this oven-baked bacon method. If I am only making enough for this recipe, I will chop the bacon and cook it in a skillet. Either way you want small pieces of bacon that are cooked through and drained on paper towels.
After that, it’s as easy as mixing together the ingredients in a bowl. I find that a fork works better than a whisk. Then pour into a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 325 for 55-60 minutes.
You know it’s done when the center is just firm. It will be moist but not wet.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
You can make Breakfast Egg Bake with Bacon and Green Chilis for a crowd by baking a double recipe in separate 9x13 pans. When serving a crowd I highly recommend following any of the make-ahead tips below.
🙋 Questions and Answers
Eggs can be frozen, thawed, and then baked as directed, but the results are not exactly the same. They can get a bit watery. It is preferable to prep the day before and bake fresh on the morning of serving.
This egg casserole can be prepared ahead a couple different ways:
1. Cook the bacon and let it cool. Then mix the rest of the ingredients together. Store in a bowl (I like to use a large handled measuring cup) until the next morning. In the morning, give the ingredients a quick stir and pour into a prepared pan. I prefer this method because it takes up less space in the fridge and the ingredients won’t slosh out of the baking pan.
2. Pour all the ingredients into a prepared baking dish and cover tightly. Store in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, bake as directed. Note: be careful when transferring the baking dish full of eggs. It can easily slosh out of the pan.
🥓 Variations
- Add crumbled, cooked sausage or make this meatless by omitting the bacon.
- Add in sauteed bell peppers and onions instead.
- Add chopped spinach into the egg mix.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Make sure the bacon goes in as crispy as you want it. It will not get crispier while it bakes.
- Don’t skip the garlic powder. It really is the extra little something that makes this recipe spectacular.
📖 Other great recipes
- Serve these breakfast bake with these Soft Lemon Cream Scones. So tasty!
- Bake these Skillet Apple Pie Biscuits right when the breakfast casserole with bacon and green chilis comes out of the oven. An award winning breakfast for sure!
- While the green chili egg casserole is in the oven whip up these Famous Farm Pancakes! You won’t be sorry!
- This Twice Baked Potato Bake is an all time favorite! It is freezer -friendly and perfect for feeding a crowd!
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📋 Recipe
Breakfast Egg Bake with Bacon and Green Chilis
Ingredients
- 12 oz bacon approx. 8 thick slices, diced
- 15 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup diced green chilis
- ¼ cup green onions sliced
- 6 oz cheddar cheese grated, about 2 cups
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray 9x13 inch pan with baking spray.
- Cook bacon approximately 10 minutes in a skillet over medium-high heat, until crispy. Drain on paper towels.
- Mix together cooked bacon and remaining ingredients in a bowl with a fork.
- Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for 55-60 minutes until the top is just set.
Notes
- Make sure the bacon goes in as crispy as you want it. It will not get crispier while it bakes.
- Don’t skip the garlic powder. It really is the extra little something that makes this recipe spectacular.
- Cook the bacon and let it cool. Then mix the rest of the ingredients together. Store in a bowl (I like to use a large handled measuring cup) until the next morning. In the morning, give the ingredients a quick stir and pour into a prepared pan. I prefer this method because it takes up less space in the fridge and the ingredients won’t slosh out of the baking pan
- Pour all the ingredients into a prepared baking dish and cover tightly. Store in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, bake as directed. Note: be careful when transferring the baking dish full of eggs. It can easily slosh out of the pan.
- Add crumbled, cooked sausage.
- Make this meatless by omitting the bacon. Add in sautéed bell peppers and onions instead.
- Add chopped spinach into the egg mix.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
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