Crockpot Breakfast Casserole with Bacon and Gruyere

By: Rachel TiemeyerPosted: 2/21/23Updated: 3/29/23

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Friends and family will oooh and ahhhh over this gourmet Crockpot Breakfast Casserole, whether you serve it for a weekend brunch, a weeknight dinner, or at your next holiday gathering.

Its depth of flavor and beautiful color come from the bacon, onions, garlic, kale, roasted red peppers, and Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses.

Table of Contents

Reasons You’ll Love this Recipe

I cannot impress this upon you enough: MAKE.THIS.CASSEROLE. Our team and families here at Thriving Home couldn’t get enough of it!

Here are just a few reasons why we’re loving this make-ahead Crockpot breakfast casserole…

Oh, the flavors and colors in this recipe! Forget the brown, mushy casseroles you’ve been scarred by in the past. This one will win over all your senses with its layers of tender hash browns, crispy bacon, gooey Gruyere cheese, pungent Parmesan, and bright red roasted peppers intermixed with sautéed onions and kale. It’s a sight to behold, smell, and devour!

Similar to our Spinach and Bacon Quiche, it’s easy to make ahead for your next holiday gathering or when you host guests. Simply store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer (using our instructions below) for up to 3 months.

Makes a BIG batch, serving 10-12 people. Great for serving to a crowd.

This recipe offers the perfect cook time for a brunch, like Easter, or a breakfast-for-dinner option. More on that below.

Reheats well. It’s delicious as leftovers! Our family ate on this casserole for days, and I was able to take some to our neighbors, too. Like I mentioned, it feeds an army!

Gluten-free. If you’re trying to avoid gluten, this casserole does so by using hash browns instead of bread.

Slow cooker with hash brown casserole, a ham, salad, fruit salad, and plates on a wooden table

Ingredients

Don’t be intimidated by this ingredient list! You can find everything you need at Hy-Vee or your local grocery store.

Bacon – This is the #1 most important ingredient because….BACON. Here is how to make bacon in the oven.
Gruyere Cheese – This is perhaps the second most important ingredient, turning what could be a boring casserole into something gourmet! I bought one 6-ounce block and shredded it by hand. It just took a minute or so. P.S. Did you know you can freeze cheese?
Shredded Parmesan cheese – Provides another layer of flavor.
Roasted red peppers – Adds color and savoriness. Find a jar in the pickle aisle.
Kale – Adds amazing color and nutrition. You can’t really taste it, though. You can substitute baby spinach instead.
Yellow onion
Fresh or frozen hash browns – Make sure they are thawed first.
Milk – Your choice of what kind but I used 2%.
Large eggs
Salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic cloves – Good seasoning along the way is essential to this recipe.

Don’t Have Gruyere Cheese?

Gruyere is a hard light yellow Swiss that’s known as a mild-tasting melting cheese. It adds savoriness without overshadowing the other ingredients.

If you don’t have it or can’t find it, no worries.

You can substitute your favorite shredded cheese. Cheddar cheese or Colby jack would work well.

Breakfast Casserole slice on a plate with fruit and a slow cooker in the background

How Long Should I Cook a Breakfast Casserole in the Crockpot?

We know you want a slow cooker breakfast casserole that takes all night to cook and is waiting for you in the morning. But, I want to let you in on a not-so-fun secret: you’ll end up with an overcooked, burned breakfast casserole if you do.

Here’s the good news. We learned while testing recipe after recipe for From Freezer to Cooker that the perfect cook time for a crockpot breakfast casserole is exactly 4 hours on LOW. That means you can have it done just in time for a brunch or make it as a breakfast-for-dinner option.

This crockpot breakfast casserole also reheats well in the microwave in small portions, so don’t be afraid to cook it ahead of time and eat it later.

Breakfast Casserole in a slow cooker on a wooden cutting board

How to Make it Ahead

Reduce stress and free up yourself to enjoy your next gathering by preparing this big batch recipe ahead of time. That way you can simply drop it in the slow cooker a few hours before you want to serve it.

Store the prepped, uncooked casserole in the fridge in the crockpot insert for up to 3 days.

Make it a Freezer Meal

Believe it or not, this recipe will work as a freezer meal.

Freeze For Later: Follow Steps 1-3; let the veggie mixture cool. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour the egg mixture into a gallon-sized freezer bag or container. Add in the veggies and bacon, hash browns, 1 cup of Gruyere cheese, and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Seal tightly, toss lightly to combine, and freeze. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyere and 1/4 cup of Parmesan to a small freezer bag or container and freeze along with the egg mixture.

Prepare From Frozen: Thaw in the refrigerator. (Tip: Place the freezer bag in a dish to prevent leaks.) Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. Transfer the egg mixture to the slow cooker and stir to make sure ingredients are combined and evenly distributed. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan and 1/2 cup of Gruyere. Follow Steps 6-7.

Breakfast Casserole slice on a plate with fruit and a fork

Side Dish Ideas

Here are side dish ideas that would go well with our Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

stirring fruit salad together after adding dressing

Classic Fruit Salad

Baked cinnamon rolls with icing drizzled and a spatula lifting the first one out of the dish.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Blueberry Banana Bread

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins spread out on a tea towel.

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

More Recipes for a Crowd

If you’re looking for more delicious recipes that feed a crowd, be sure to check out these two articles:

25+ Slow Cooker Meals That Feed Large Groups

20+ Inexpensive, Easy Meals for Groups of People

Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!