A Delicious Breakfast Casserole for Camping

A few weeks ago I did a dutch oven cooking demonstration for the Stewards of the Wild trip to the coast, and made a breakfast casserole. Today I wanted to share the recipe and pics.

Dutch oven cooking may sound intimidating but this recipe is just as easy as cooking over a Coleman stove. Nothing beats starting the day with a good hot breakfast when you’re out on a camping trip or at the ranch, and this can even be made at home in the city.

Before you start, here’s a primer on Dutch oven cooking. 

What You Need

• 1 10″-14″ Dutch Oven
• 24 Charcoal Briquets
• Some of the 12 Essential Dutch Oven Cooking Tools (many of which you may already have!)
• Nonstick foil

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons bacon grease or butter (I recommend keeping bacon grease on hand for dutch oven meals, with the exception of desserts–in that case use crisco)
• 1 bag frozen hash browns
• 1 1/2 – 2 lb Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage (or venison sausage)
• 1 dozen eggs, whisked
• 1 green bell pepper, diced (I recommend getting the pre-diced containers of these ingredients at the store)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
• Optional add-ins
  • Mushrooms
  • Spinach
• Optional toppings
  • Sriracha
  • Salsa
• • Quesa fresca
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Avocado

To Do Before You Leave the House

1. Chop onions and bell peppers
2. Crack and whisk eggs
3. Brown the sausage in a skillet
4. Store in separate containers

Instructions

• Prepare hot coals by either:
  • Using a chimney like this one on Amazon, with newspaper in the bottom and coals on top,
  • In a fire pit, using newspaper and small twigs as kindling (and try my personal favorite fire starter), or
  • Piling them in a charcoal grill and using lighter fluid to get the fire started
• Prepare a cooking space where you can safely put hot coals without catching anything on fire. The ground works well as long as it is bare and not within a foot or so of the grass.
• Place a layer of non-stick foil inside the dutch oven, pressing it out with your hands so that it hugs the sides and bottom of the oven
• Layer the ingredients!
  • Place the sausage in the bottom of the oven
  • Place a 1″ layer of hashbrowns on top of the sausage
  • Add the bell peppers and onions on top of the hashbrowns

• Pour the whisked eggs over the top

• Spread a thick layer of shredded cheese over the top
• Put the lid on the oven and place 10 coals underneath and 10 coals on top, ensuring the coals are spaced out evenly both under and on top of the oven (to ensure the heat is evenly disbursed)

• Cook for 30 minutes or until done
• If conditions are windy/cold, you may need to add a few additional hot coals midway through the cooking process
• Serve with hot sauce, sriracha, salsa, pico, guac, quesa fresca, cilantro, or whatever your heart desires.
• Serves 8, give or take depending on serving size and how hungry your party is.

It looks like I have no “After” photo, so you’ll just have to trust me that it was delicious. I hope you get the chance to enjoy this on a future camping trip!