Recipe Background
The Grand Canyon Breakfast Casserole is an adventurous start with bacon and cheese.
Setting out for my first solo road trip across the country, I was filled with a mix of excitement and trepidation. My goal was to reach the Grand Canyon, but my heart yearned for more than just the destination. I wanted a breakfast tradition that could fuel the adventure. Stopping at a cozy diner in Flagstaff, Arizona, I tasted a breakfast casserole that sparked an idea. It was the combination of bacon, eggs, and cheddar cheese that sold me on recreating it. Back at my makeshift camp kitchen, I diced a package of bacon and let it sizzle while soaking in the desert sunrise.
In my cooler, I had a mix of key ingredients: a dozen eggs, a vibrant red bell pepper, and just thawed diced potatoes. I added diced onions to the bacon's shimmering drippings, thinking how they’d soften to perfect sweetness. Garlic always had a spot in my backpack; its aroma mingling with the morning breeze was comforting. The whisked eggs and milk formed a creamy lake that embraced the onion and potato mixture, finished with a blanket of shredded cheddar.
The casserole baked over an open flame, filling the air with an enticing scent, and the edges turned a golden hue. Letting it sit for a few minutes was crucial, like letting a new friendship breathe. I realized that my journey through Arizona wasn’t just miles on a map, but flavor paths piercing my taste buds. Henceforth, every adventure had to start with this Grand Canyon Breakfast Casserole—a celebration of the road’s promise and the joy of new beginnings.
Ingredients
- 1 (1-pound) package bacon largely diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 12 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups frozen diced potatoes thawed
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Line a large platter with paper towels.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the bacon pieces and cook, while stirring occasionally, until crispy and browned, about 6-10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon pieces from the skillet to the prepared large platter to drain.
- Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings in the skillet, draining the remainder.
- In the skillet with the reserved bacon drippings over medium heat, add the onions and the red bell peppers and cook, while stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the onion mixture and cook, while stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Set the onion mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs and beat until combined.
- Add the milk to the beaten eggs and whisk to combine.
- Add the onion mixture, the diced potatoes, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Add 1/4 cup of the cooked bacon to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the salt and the black pepper to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the egg mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Top the egg mixture evenly with the remaining cheese.
- Bake until the eggs start to set, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer thebaking dish from the oven to a wire rack and evenly add the remaining bacon to the top of the egg mixture.
- Transfer the baking dish back to the oven and bake again until the eggs are firm and the top is slightly golden-brown, about 20-30 minutes.
- Transfer the casserole from the oven to the wire rack and let it stand, about 10 minutes.
- With a sharp knife, cut the casserole into serving-size pieces and serve warm.
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