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A hearty and filling smoked salmon breakfast casserole. I loaded mine up with sliced potatoes, smoked salmon and speckled it with goat cheese and herbs. Perfect to serve all your weekend brunch guests or to meal prep for the week!
It’s breakfast casserole season!
Every year around this time, I bust out with a new one. Three years ago, it was the veggie-loaded casserole that so many of you made and LOVED. A couple of years back it was the caramelized onion casserole with spinach and bread. Then last year, it was done Mexican-style with a hash brown crust.
This one is loaded with thinly sliced potatoes, flakey smoked salmon, whipped ricotta, sautéed shallots and leeks, chopped chives, and speckled with soft goat cheese – basically it’s a chowder in smoked salmon breakfast casserole form. Also, it’s classy. As classy as things that come baked in a casserole dish (or cast iron skillet) can be.
You know those special weekend breakfasts that you wake up all excited about. The kind that you start thinking about just as you hit the snooze button on the alarm for an extra 5 minutes of breakfast dreaming. Then all of a sudden you’re smiling and you have no idea why you’ve got that goofy grin on your face, but all you can think about is that breakfast scene that’s about to go down right when your feet hit the floor.
That kind of sheer joy awaits you when you put breakfast casseroles on the menu.
Not only is this smoked salmon breakfast casserole a cinch to whip up, but it also comfortably feeds eight people. You can prep the ingredients from the night before and bake it off in the morning; ideal for when you’ve got houseguests.
What I love most about this dish is that it’s all there. You’ve got your healthy carbs, and it’s a heavy-hitter on the protein. You’ve got eggs, salmon, ricotta, milk, and goat cheese. Right before vacation, Anees likes to eat lighter, healthier meals that pack on the protein. So I whipped up a smoked salmon breakfast casserole and popped it in the fridge for protein-packed breakfasts all week long. I’ve also served it for lunch with a big salad, and it kept me full for hours as I worked away in the kitchen. This is a hearty, filling meal that requires little fluff on the side. Though, personally, I’d never say no to a slice of french toast. But that’s just me.
The idea for a smoked salmon breakfast casserole has been forming in my head for some time now, but I just hadn’t put it to paper yet. And when my December issue of CookingLight arrived, it was a sign. There it was! A salmon casserole complete with potatoes and herbs and all the things my heart desired. And though I ended up swapping out a few ingredients according to preference, it was an excellent starting point for the casserole I had been day-dreaming about for months.
Although this smoked salmon breakfast casserole takes just over an hour to make from start to finish, you can prep some of the casserole ingredients from the night before so that it’s as simple as putting it all in a dish and baking it off.
How to prep this smoked salmon breakfast casserole for the next day:
- Sauté the shallots and leeks. Get them going in a pan with a little olive oil and allow them to sweat down for 5 minutes. Remember to season them with salt and pepper. Remove to a small bowl.
- Thinly slice the potatoes. I did this on a mandoline slicer (affiliate link) to make sure the slices were all even. You want them to be about ¼ inch in thickness so that they can cook all the way through as the casserole bakes. You can store the potatoes covered with water so that they don’t brown if you plan on cooking them the next day.
- Or you can also just sauté the potatoes slices, layer the leeks, flaked smoked salmon and the goat cheese. Then, just prepare the egg mixture the next morning and pour it over the top.
One big tip! If you’ve got a well-seasoned cast iron skillet (affiliate link), you can pretty much make this entire breakfast casserole in one pan. If your skillet is new (or not oven-safe) you can bake this off in a 10-inch round casserole dish.
I hope you make// eat// enjoy this casserole on a chilly morning, with free-flowing coffee, a little light music on in the background, and a warm crackling fire.
Weekend brunch scenes are the best!
Smoked Salmon Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot minced
- 1 leek cleaned and thinly sliced
- 1 pound potatoes peeled and thinly sliced (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon oil plus more
- 8 large eggs
- 2/3 cup milk or half and half
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- pinch of smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 4-8 ounces smoked salmon flaked
- 2- ounces goat cheese crumbled
- fresh dill for topping
Instructions
- make the filling: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Drizzle a little oil in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and leeks and cook them for about 5 minutes or until they soften, make sure to season them with a little salt and pepper halfway through. Remove to a small plate. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the sliced potatoes and let them cook for a total of 8 minutes, flipping and stirring them every now and then. No need to be exact here.
- make the egg mixture: While the potatoes are cooking, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ricotta, mustard, paprika, chives, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. When the potatoes are done, layer the leeks back on top of the potatoes and scatter the flaked salmon over the leeks. Pour the prepared egg mixture on top and sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese on top.
- bake it: Bake the casserole for 35-45 minutes or until the egg mixture sets completely. Let cool for several minutes so the casserole is easier to slice. Sprinkle with chopped dill and serve.
Notes
- I suggest slicing the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick rounds on a mandoline slicer
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Curious if this can be adapted to use whole wheat challah in place of potatoes, for a savory French toast bake. Anyone try?
I love this recipe but my family isn’t big on goat cheese. Any recommendations for a substitute? Can’t wait to make for Thanksgiving brunch.
Feta would probably be the closest sub!
i made this yesterday!! had to sub some stuff (since quarantined). so i used sweet potatoes instead of regular (i cut them up more and put the lid on to steam them a bit since they take longer to cook then regular). cream cheese that i whipped since no ricotta and feta since i didn’t have goat! Was worried about sweet potatoes/cream cheese subs but it all came out perfect. i cooked for 45 minutes. going to have to try it out the regular way when i am able to go to the grocery store!
Love your recipes! going to try the french onion meatballs for tonight.