Overnight Breakfast Sausage Casserole

I’m in love with this Overnight Easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole! It is everything you love about breakfast wrapped up in one dish: cheesy eggs, sausage, hash browns, peppers and onions! You can make ahead or last minute. It’s a great overnight option for Christmas Eve! Originally published December 10, 2020.

This morning I set a deadline to get my work done by a certain time, and sat down at the computer. Eric said encouragingly, “Karen, you can do it!” and I immediately responded, “Nicorette can help!” 

Who else remembers that old commercial? You know a marketing campaign was successful when you’re still chanting the line 20 years later.

After I said it though, Eric was acting all pleased that I had picked up that line from him. And I was like, OH HECK NO, you got that from ME! I’ve been saying Nicorette can help since I was a kid!!

He’s not convinced. He still thinks I got it from him. “It’s been so long that now you think YOU came up with it! I incepted you!”

Welcome to being married a long time, my friends. Where you spend your day arguing about commercials from 20 years ago and who-said-what-when. I suppose if this is the worst thing we have to argue about we can’t complain too much!

Well, how is Christmas coming along at your house?? Are there as many Christmas cookies exploding out of your kitchen as there are in mine? Is all the shopping done? There is always so much to do, time flies so quickly in December.

The Best Breakfast Casserole with Sausage!

Have you planned your Christmas menu yet? Christmas breakfast is a big deal around here. It’s my favorite meal of the day, for sure! We ALWAYS make an egg casserole, and this year I’ll be making this Easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole. It’s a new favorite! It’s based on this Cheesy Overnight Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole, which is one of the top recipes on my blog. This is the sausage version.

It’s super easy to throw together, can be made ahead, and has all your favorite breakfast flavors: cheesy eggs, tender hashbrowns, and breakfast sausage! I also added in some peppers and onions, but those are optional. Nobody wants to fight with their kids on Christmas morning about eating vegetables, so just leave them out if that’s not a hill you want to die on. Here’s how to make it!

Breakfast Sausage Casserole Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need. See below for the full recipe!

How to make Easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole

1. Melt the butter in the casserole dish you’re using while the oven preheats.

2. Add in some frozen hash browns! No need to thaw first. You can use diced hash browns or shredded hash browns, totally up to you. I wanted to try out the diced hash browns because I usually use shredded. And it turns out I actually prefer shredded, so I’ll be using them next time. Either one is great!

3. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the hash browns and stir it all together to make sure the butter is distributed. Pop it in the oven and bake until the potatoes are almost tender and just starting to brown, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a skillet brown up some sausage, pepper, and onions. Chop up your onions and peppers nice and small. This is breakfast, not taco night. Be kind to your guests.

Like I mentioned before, you can leave out all the veggies if you want. Won’t change a thing.

5. Add the sausage and peppers and onions on top of the baked hash browns. You can either spread it out as a layer on top, or you can stir it in with the hashbrowns. I like to stir it in.

6. Top with a bunch of shredded cheese! The sky’s the limit here basically. I used Monterey Jack and Cheddar. You could try pepper jack for a spicy twist, mozzarella, gouda, Colby jack, any sort of blended shredded cheese mix you find at the store. (Although parmesan will not melt as well).

7. Pour your egg mixture on top and make sure you pour it along the edges so that everything gets moistened.

8. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate overnight! Or pop it straight into the oven. Either way will work totally great. This is a wonderful recipe to make on Christmas Eve for the next morning! All you have to do is preheat the oven in the morning and stick it in the oven. It will probably take closer to 45-50 minutes to bake.

And that’s it! I hope you have fun putting together all your Christmas menus and treats for the holidays! If you need inspiration, check out all my Christmas recipes! You will find everything from treats to main dishes for the big day. I know Christmas is a lot of work. You can do it, Nicorette can help! 😉

Tips for Breakfast Casserole with Sausage

• Cook the hashbrowns first. I know it can be tempting to save a little bit of time and skip pre-cooking the hash browns. But trust me. This is the key to crispy potatoes!
• Chop the veggies small. do YOU want a giant piece of bell pepper in your breakfast casserole? Didn’t think so.
• You’ll know the casserole is done when the edges are browned and the center doesn’t jiggle too much when you give the pan a little shake. 
• Add more veggies. Chop up and saute an equal amount of whatever veggies you like in place of the peppers and onions. Sliced mushrooms or chopped broccoli florets would be delicious. 
• Make it vegetarian. Swap the sausage out for a meatless variety, or just leave it out entirely. Add more veggies to compensate (remember to saute first!)

Sausage Breakfast Casserole Recipe Storage

Can breakfast casserole be frozen?

Absolutely! This breakfast casserole with sausage freezes beautifully. You can freeze the whole thing or divide it into individual portions so you can easily reheat what you need. To freeze it, let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil. You can also use ziploc bags (divide into 2 and use 2 gallon bags if you want to freeze the whole thing, or smaller ziplocs for individual portions). Store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to serve, warm individual portions in the microwave or heat up the whole dish in the oven. 

How long is sausage and egg casserole good for in the fridge?

Leftover baked breakfast casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm individual portions in the microwave or bake a larger amount in the oven to reheat. 

Breakfast Casserole Sausage FAQ

Why is my breakfast casserole soggy?

The primary suspects are not pre-cooking the veggies and and not draining the sausage grease. Here are my best tips to make sure you end up with a perfect breakfast sausage casserole. 

1. Pre-cook the veggies. Veggies are naturally watery. As they cook, they release that moisture. If they only cook in the casserole, all that extra moisture will also be IN your casserole. Sauté first!
2. Pre-cook the hash browns. Cooking the potatoes on their own before you assemble your casserole is the best way to make sure they’re nice and crispy.
3. Drain the grease. After you cook the sausage, you will likely see extra grease in the pan. I recommend draining it to avoid a soggy and/or greasy casserole

Can you use pre-cooked sausage for this recipe?

You can! If you have pre-cooked sausage on hand, you can use it to save time. No need to saute, you can just add it right into the casserole. (Use a little oil for the pan if you are sauteing veggies without sausage.)

More breakfast casserole recipes you are going to love!

• Cheesy Overnight Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole << today’s recipe is based on this one! It’s my favorite!
• Cheesy Overnight Bacon and Egg Breakfast Casserole << this one is super easy and a huge crowd pleaser.
• Creamy Make Ahead Scrambled Eggs For a Crowd << this is a great option for slow mornings! Just leave them in the crock and people can serve themselves.
• Overnight Biscuits and Gravy Casserole << biscuits and gravy is a classic. This is the casserole version! SO good.
• Eggs Benedict Casserole (Overnight) << this one always goes crazy at Christmas time!
• Overnight Bacon and Asparagus Breakfast Casserole << If you think you don’t want asparagus for breakfast, think again.
• Easy Sausage Quiche from Creations by Kara
• Skinny Soutwestern Crustless Quiche from Cookin’ Canuck
• Spinach Artichoke Portabella Quiche from All Day I Dream About Food

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Sausage Breakfast Casserole Recipe

4.83 from 101 votes

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 1 hr 20 mins

Total: 1 hr 40 mins

Servings: 10

I'm in love with this Overnight Easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole! It is everything you love about breakfast wrapped up in one dish: cheesy eggs, sausage, hash browns, peppers and onions! You can make ahead or last minute. It's a great overnight option for Christmas Eve! 

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 cup butter, (1 stick)
• ▢ 1 (30-oz) package hash brown potatoes, (diced OR Shredded)
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 pound breakfast sausage, bulk
• ▢ 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• ▢ 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• ▢ 1/2 small onion, diced
• ▢ 1 & 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, packed
• ▢ 1 & 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, packed
• ▢ 8 large eggs
• ▢ 1 & 1/3 cups half and half, cream, evaporated milk, or whole milk*
• ▢ 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon if using table salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard, optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make the potato layer. While it’s heating up, add 1/2 cup butter to a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Place in the oven so that it melts. 
• When the butter is melted, take it out and tilt the pan around so that the edges of the pan are greased. Add a 30 ounce package of frozen (diced or shredded is fine) hash browns. You don’t have to thaw them first. 
• Mix it together with the butter so everything is coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
• Place the pan back in the oven and bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes, until the potatoes are mostly cooked and some are starting to lightly brown. Remove from the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350.
• Prepare the sausage layer. Meanwhile, chop up 1/2 a green pepper and 1/2 a red pepper. Chop half of a small onion (no more than 3/4 cup or less). Make sure all the veggies are chopped small. (If you want, you can skip all the vegetables entirely! No need to make any adjustments.)
• Add 1 pound breakfast sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Regular, the bulk kind) and all the veggies to a skillet set over medium high heat. Break up the sausage and saute for 5-7 minutes, until the sausage is browned and the onion is getting soft. Drain the grease if there is any. 
• Add the cooked sausage mixture on top of the baked hash browns. You can spread it out so that it is a layer on top of the potatoes, or you can stir it in so everything is evenly distributed. (I like to stir.) 
• Add cheese. Sprinkle 1 and 1/2 cups Monterey Jack and 1 and 1/2 cups cheddar cheese over the top.
• Make the egg mixture. In a large bowl or stand mixer (or you can use a blender!), use a whisk to stir together 8 eggs, 1 and 1/3 cups half and half,* 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard. 
• Pour the egg mixture over the casserole, making sure to distribute evenly. (See notes for overnight instructions!)
• Bake at 350 (remember to lower the oven temperature) for about 35-45 minutes, until the edges are browned and bubbly, and the center doesn’t jiggle a lot when you shake the pan. 
• Take out of the oven and let set for 5 minutes before serving. 
• Store leftovers in the fridge. They will keep for about 5 days.
• This recipe is great for freezing! I like to freeze individual portions of the baked casserole so that I can pop them out one at a time and microwave for a lovely mid morning breakfast of casserole champions. 

Notes

Overnight Instructions:

After you pour the egg mixture over the casserole in step 11, cover the casserole tightly and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, get the casserole out of the fridge and let it hang out on the counter for a bit while you preheat the oven to 350. When the oven is nice and hot, bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until the edges are browned and bubbly, and the center doesn’t jiggle too much when you shake the pan. Let set for 5 minutes before serving. 

*You can use half and half, cream, evaporated milk, or milk. The higher the fat content, the richer your casserole will be.

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 236mg | Sodium: 882mg | Potassium: 466mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1142IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 321mg | Iron: 2mg

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Calories: 465

Keyword: Breakfast, casserole, easy, Sausage

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