POTLUCK

This Spanish-style chorizo egg casserole is my all-time favorite brunch recipe. It’s my Cuban take on a traditional sausage, egg, and hashbrown casserole, filled with chorizo, Manchego cheese, and paprika. It tastes just like a Spanish Omelet (aka Spanish Tortilla) without all the fuss. 

You mix all the ingredients the night before and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, just pop it in the oven. What comes out is very close to the chorizo omelets from my favorite Spanish bakery in Miami. 

Don’t get me wrong, Spanish Tortilla is a very simple dish, but it takes time and practice to get it right. This brunch casserole recipe delivers a similar taste with much less work. 

My Brunch Hero 

Can I just say how much I love egg casseroles? They make brunch so very easy and breezy! Especially if you’re the one putting it together in the morning. Who wants to get cooking before you’ve had your second cup of coffee? Not me 😛 

So this is where my tortilla egg casserole made with chorizo can save the day for you and those who live with you. You can get the work done the night before and then just pop it in the oven after you’ve poured your coffee. It all so civilized! 

Easy And Hearty Brunch Casserole Recipe 

This chorizo egg casserole is easy to make and can feed eight as a main dish and even more if you have other brunch dishes on the menu. I’ve served it as the main dish with an heirloom tomato salad and sourdough bread on the side. Super simple and filling! 

With its bold Spanish flavors and hearty potato base, it stands out from a crowd. And I should know. I went through a season when I made egg casseroles just about every week for my church’s Sunday breakfast. So, I got the chance to try quite a few varieties. The egg and hashbrown breakfast casserole was the most popular.   

Chorizo Is The Star Ingredient

The key ingredient in this recipe is Spanish chorizo which is fully cured and flavored with smoked paprika. Cubans love chorizo and use it often in pastries, omelets, scrambled eggs, soups, stews and paella. It’s also really great sliced on pizza or on a charcuterie board. Spanish chorizo is most commonly sold in links, but there are a few brands that offer ground Spanish chorizo.

If you can’t find it ground, you can buy the links and chop it. Don’t replace Spanish chorizo with the Mexican version, as they are very different. Mexican chorizo is flavored with chili peppers and sold uncooked. To learn more about Spanish chorizo, check out this great article from Epicurious.

Getting It Ready The Night Before  

If you were making a Spanish Omelet, you would need to cut the potatoes, and slow cook them until they’re tender. And then there’s the flipping of the tortilla, which is honestly the most challenging part of making the omelet. 

With this brunch casserole recipe, you don’t need to peel or cut potatoes. Instead, you use frozen hashbrown potatoes. And the chorizo is already cooked, so you just need to saute it for a few minutes to render the fat. 

The hardest part is cutting and sauteing the onions and shredding the cheese (Manchego doesn’t come pre-shredded). If the cheese is a deal-breaker, you can use shredded Monterrey Jack instead. But I must say Manchego cheese is easy to shred compared to cheddar or mozzarella. 

‘Splaining The Spanish Omelet 

I started this post by saying that my chorizo egg casserole tastes like Spanish Omelet. I just want to make sure you have a clear picture of what I mean. Because calling a Spanish Tortilla an omelet just doesn’t do it justice. Omelets are made with 2-3 eggs, filled with some goodies, and then folded in half. They are usually made to order for one person, maybe two. 

The Spanish omelet is so much more than that. It can feed 6-8 people and is piled high with tender sliced potatoes and silky onions. It’s just such perfect breakfast food! And you can add mixings, like chorizo, or cheese, or spinach. 

This type of tortilla takes time to make. So, my chorizo egg casserole is a great shortcut, but I will have to make a Spanish Tortilla for you some time. Just not this morning because I’m coffee-deprived and I already have my chorizo egg casserole baking in the oven.  

Looking for other great brunch recipes? Try my Smoked Salmon Avocado Toast and Cuban Deviled Eggs.

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