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.
This is the Best Breakfast Casserole Recipe!
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!
Sausage Breakfast Casserole ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need. See below for the full recipe!
- Butter
- Hash brown potatoes (shredded is my fav!)
- Salt and pepper
- Breakfast sausage
- Veggies (green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and onion)
- Cheese (Monterey jack cheese and sharp cheddar cheese)
- Eggs
- Half and Half (you could also use cream, evaporated milk, or whole milk)
- Seasonings (seasoned salt, kosher salt, black pepper, and dry mustard)
How to make Breakfast Casserole with Sausage
- 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! 😉
Overnight Breakfast Casserole tips
- Cook the hash browns 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!)
How to serve Breakfast Sausage Casserole
Warm, in slices, with forks. It really is such an easy breakfast!! If you want you can put ketchup or salsa on the table, or hot sauce if your guests like it spicy.
What to eat with breakfast casserole?
Breakfast casserole is a complete meal all by itself. Pour the orange juice and you’re ready to go! But if you want to serve a whole spread, here are some great options to serve alongside it.
One Hour Almond Rolls << like cinnamon rolls, but with an incredible honey-caramel sauce…plus sliced almonds. I love these!!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins << I hoard canned pumpkin year round so I can make goodies like these whenever I want.
Best Cinnamon Roll Recipe << the classic breakfast showstopper, perfected.
Sour Cream Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake << get out another 13×9 and make breakfast dessert (you do that, right??).
Breakfast Sausage Casserole 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 at 350 to reheat.
Is it better to freeze a breakfast casserole cooked or uncooked?
Either is totally fine. If you freeze an uncooked breakfast casserole, it shouldn’t have raw meat in it (but I don’t know why you’d do that anyway). This casserole, with cooked sausage, is fine to freeze before it’s been baked. My personal preference is to freeze individual portions of the cooked casserole so they’re easy to heat up later when you want a quick breakfast.
Best Breakfast Casserole FAQs
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
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.)
Breakfast casseroles and frittatas are both egg-based dishes. Breakfast casseroles usually include a beaten egg mixture poured over meat, cheese, and/or vegetables in a baking pan, which is then baked in the oven. Frittatas are an egg mixture (sometimes including meat, cheese, and/or vegetables) cooked in a skillet on the stovetop and sometimes finished in the oven. They often include similar ingredients, but the cooking method is different.
Breakfast casserole needs to be tightly covered to keep it from getting dry. If your 13×9 inch pan lid doesn’t actually create an airtight seal for you, then I recommend using plastic wrap, even a double layer, to make sure it’s not drying out. This is essential if you’re freezing the casserole, because a freezer is even more drying than a refrigerator.
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 Southwestern Crustless Quiche from Cookin’ Canuck
- Spinach Artichoke Portabella Quiche from All Day I Dream About Food
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Breakfast Sausage Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, (1 stick)
- 1 (30-oz) package shredded hash brown potatoes, diced is ok, not my fav
- 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.Add a 30 ounce package of frozen (shredded is best, diced is ok) hash browns to a 9×13 inch dish. You don't have to thaw them first. Spread them out evenly.
- Melt 1/2 cup butter in a small bowl in the microwave and pour the butter over the hash browns. Mix it together so the potatoes get coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the pan 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.
One of my favorite recipes! My coworkers beg me to bring in breakfast every Monday!!
Love this casserole! Can you make ahead, not bake and then freeze and cook when ready? Thanks –
Hi Shannon! I haven’t tried that method but I think it would work ok! Let me know how it goes!
Made for a family brunch. Even the non sausage eaters raved about it! Will definitely be making this again!
I prepared this the night before, for Thanksgiving morning. Try as I might, even baking for much longer, I could not keep the majority of the potatoes from just being mush in the oven. And so as I figured this morning, after baking it, it was a mushy consistency. It had good flavor and I added jalapeños to the top, which was an awesome addition. I would make again if I can figure out how to keep that many potatoes from turning to mush.
Love this! I made it ahead and portioned it out for our camping trip. Thank you!
When making ahead, could you just put the hashbrowns and NOT brown/partially cook them? I’m just trying to take some time out of my meal prep.
Hi K! I haven’t tried that. I think they will be mushy. I’m all about the crispy potatoes. But you could try it! Let me know how it goes!
Thank you. You might check your overnight instructions. I am reading “take it out of the oven” but I think that’s where you take it out of the fridge. 👍🏻🙂 I am making it tonight to cook tomorrow. Decided to go ahead and cook the hashbrowns.
Hi, can you share how to make ahead and freeze? Do I make it as directed and then just freeze?
Hi Susan! Yes, I would make as directed and then freeze! You might want to get some 2 gallon ziplock bags to store it in to make sure you get a nice seal. Or divide into individual portions and then freeze. Enjoy!
Hi! I see someone asked if the recipe would be okay to make ahead for 48 hours but would this be okay to prep and refrigerate for 24 hours? Or is it strictly overnight, so closer to 12 hours.
We’re going on a little trip & trying not to bring much so the less to do, the better :) Thanks!!
I think 24 hours would be fine Loren! Add a couple tablespoons extra milk to make sure it stays moist. Enjoy your trip!
I only have shredded hash browns… have you ever tried with those?
Hi Sarah! Yes, shredded hash browns will work great! Enjoy!
I made this on Christmas and it is the best breakfast casserole I have made or had. I ended up adding some sour cream because I only had whole milk. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Sour cream is a great sub Laurie! So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for reviewing, you are awesome.
Do the hashbrowns stay crispy even after soaking in the egg mixture overnight? This sounds perfect for Christmas morning!
Hi Richelle, yes they totally do! It’s kinda of magical. Enjoy!
This sounds amazing, I’m going to make it for Christmas morning but want to make it 2 days ahead. Is that ok, or can it only be refrigerated 24 hours. I don’t know if it will change consistency if it’s 48 hours. Thanks!
Hi Amie! I haven’t tried it 48 hours in advance and am nervous that it will get dried out. What if you assembled everything EXCEPT pouring the egg mixture on top? Refrigerate the eggs and sausage separately and then pour the eggs over right before baking, or the night before. Let me know how it goes!
I made this casserole OMG it’s delicious. Sometimes we like to have breakfast for dinner. But I love this recipe. Thanks for sharing it. Stay safe and have a very merry Christmas. Deb
This would make an amazing breakfast for dinner Deb!! I’m so glad you all liked it. Thanks so much for taking the time to review! Merry Christmas!
The Easy Sausage Casserole was really delicious. I will share with my family and friends. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Janette! Thank you for reviewing!
I think I might try to talk Rees and Chip into this version this Christmas! I love breakfast sausage. When we travel and the hotel has a hot breakfast and sausage is on the menu I will eat half a dozen of those babies!