Breakfast Tacos for a Crowd

Ask any group of teens what they would like to eat and odds are you’re going to hear “tacos!” and “pizza!”  Unsurprisingly, that response is pretty much the same regardless of the time of day the question is asked or the meal.  In fact, you’ll hear it from a lot of adults too.  So let’s give ’em what they want!

These delicious breakfast tacos are not just scrambled eggs and bacon served on a tortilla. They’re filled with all the good breakfast things: savory sausage, fluffy, cheesy scrambled eggs, crunchy hash browns and an out of this world Avocado Chili Cream sauce.

These breakfast tacos are endlessly customizable and best of all, unless you’re looking for a breakfast-on-the-run, they’re much easier to serve than a breakfast burritos since they don’t require any assembly.

Featuring fluffy, cheesy scrambled eggs, sausage and crunchy hash browns, it’s the Avocado Chili Cream sauce that takes them over the top!  The easy to make hash browns turn out light, crispy, crunchy and delicious!  Believe me, you’ll want to try this for your next large group cooking adventure.  Don’t let the length of this recipe stop you. There’s less than 30 minutes of prep work followed by 15 minutes of skillet time while the hash browns and eggs are happily cooking in the oven.

Who says you can’t have tacos for breakfast. Heck, if pizza gets to break the rules, then so should tacos!

While the sausage, eggs and hash browns are cooking you’ll also warm your corn tortillas in the oven and then keep them toasty in the slow cooker.  You may be asking, ‘Do I really need to warm the tortillas? Does it really make that much of a difference?’

Yes!

A warm corn tortilla brings a lot to the party.  Heating it releases its savory flavor, highlighting the earthy sweetness of the corn and the tangy taste of lime.  In fact, if you have the griddle space, a quick (30 second) group-toast on the griddle would be even better before you pop them in the oven.  More over, a heated tortilla is more flexible and much less likely to crack as your guests are eating them.

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Following is my recipe for 24 people, eating 2 tacos each (48 tacos total). So if you’re feeding 100, make 4 batches of this recipe (hash browns, sausage, eggs and sauce.)   It’s as easy as 1,2,3.

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Breakfast Tacos for a Crowd

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 15 mins

 

These delicious breakfast tacos are not just scrambled eggs and bacon served on a tortilla. They’re filled with all the good breakfast things: savory sausage, fluffy, cheesy scrambled eggs, crunchy hash browns and a wonderful tangy, creamy Avocado Chili Cream sauce. 

This is my recipe for 24 people, eating 2 tacos each (48 tacos total).  So if you’re feeding 100, make 4 batches of this recipe (hash browns, sausage, eggs and sauce.) The great news is, unlike breakfast burritos, you don’t have to stuff  these.  

Go for it.  

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24 people

Ingredients

• 48 flour or corn tortillas

For the Avocado Chili Cream Sauce

• 4 large avocados pitted and peeled (12 1/2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons canned mild green chiles diced
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream (2 ounces)
• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise (1 ½ ounces)
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

For the Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 dozen eggs
• 1 cup evaporated milk (WAY better than whole)
• 2 teaspoons Lawry's seasoned salt
• 8 ounces shredded mild cheddar cheese

For the Hash Browns

• 1 (30 – 32 ounce bag) hash browns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons salted butter

For the sausage

• 2 pounds breakfast sausage I use Jimmy Dean’s Mild

Equipment

• 1 9 inch x 13 inch baking dish
• 1 13 inch x 18 inch half sheet pan
• 1 Large frying pan
• 2 (6 quart) slow cookers if making an hour or two advance
• 2 - 4 plastic squeeze bottles for the sauce

Instructions

#1 - Day before: Make Avocado Chili Cream Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients for the Avocado Chili Cream sauce in a blender and process until smooth.

2. NOTE: This sauce benefits from an overnight stay in the refrigerator.  Cover well and refrigerate overnight or up to two days.

#2 - One to Two Hours before serving: Make the Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

1. NOTE: Don’t cook more than 24 eggs in each pan or the cooking time will be significantly impacted (ask me how I found out the very hard way.) Cooking 3 – 4 dozen eggs in a larger roasting pan is an entirely different endeavor.)

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of butter. Use all of it for flavor.

4. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and mix in 1 cup of milk, 8 ounces of cheese and 1 tablespoon Lawry’s seasoned salt.  Pour into the greased baking dish.

5. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes and then stir.
6. Bake for another 10 minutes and stir again.

7. Continue to bake until eggs are set, stirring every 2 minutes (it will probably take an 5 - 6 additional minutes.)  Plan 30 – 35 minutes baking time total. NOTE: If you are baking more than two 9 x 13 dishes of eggs in the same oven at one time, plan on an additional 5 – 15 minutes total depending on your oven and the number of batches.  I would not do more than 4 batches in 1 oven.

MAKE AHEAD NOTE: As each batch finishes cooking, transfer them into your 6 quart slow cooker on the Low setting for up to 2 hours. Two batches of these eggs (4 dozen) will fit into one 6-quart slow cooker. Serve from the slow cooker or transfer to a more attractive aluminum catering pan for serving. (No, having the eggs in the aluminum pans just for a short amount of time will not cause discoloration.)

1. Prior to serving, fluff eggs with a rubber spatula or large spoon by breaking up the larger curd masses into several inch size pieces.

#3 - One or Two Hours Prior to serving: Cook Hash Browns and fry sausage

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Add hash browns to a large bowl.
3. Add seasoning and toss to combine.
4. Add oil and toss to coat well.
5. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil.
6. Pour hash browns onto paper. Distribute hash browns evenly over paper.
7. Dot tops of hash browns with butter.
8. Cook for 45 minutes until golden brown.
9. Slide paper and hash browns out of sheet pan.

MAKE AHEAD NOTE: Keep hash browns warm in a slow cooker, uncovered and set on low or in a 200 degree F oven up to an hour.

1. To serve, crumble hash browns into a large serving bowl. 

While hash browns are baking, fry sausage:

1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, fry the sausage until brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Recipe Notes

To serve, set out the following items on the serving table in this order:

Plates

Tortilla shells

Hash browns

Cheesy scrambled eggs

Sausage

Avocado Chili Cream sauce in several squeeze bottles (Label these so your guests know what good stuff is inside!)

Utensils and Napkins

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