I love breakfast foods so much and this Breakfast Casserole is very high on my list of favorites. I love our easy breakfast casserole recipe for so many reasons – it takes almost no time to put together, it can feed a crowd (hello Christmas morning breakfast idea!), it can easily be scaled up or down (or just make the recipe as is and have leftovers, which are delicious) and the flavor is incredible! It’s a great make ahead dish and delightfully indulgent.
As far as breakfast casserole recipes go, we love how easy this one is to throw together. It uses frozen hash browns with sausage and egg for a perfect savory quick and easy breakfast!
Although this is a breakfast casserole, it makes a lovely brunch dish or even a nice and hearty breakfast for dinner meal! It’s also very versatile and can be made with a variety of other ingredients like bacon instead of breakfast sausage and other veggies like mushrooms and spinach can be added in too!
How to Make Our Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
Process
- Preheat oven. Brown turkey sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up as it cooks. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a large bowl. Discard and excess fat and liquid from pan.
- Add more oil to pan and sauté yellow onion and bell pepper until vegetables just begin to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper and stir together.
- Transfer vegetables to bowl with sausage.
- Add diced potatoes, some shredded cheddar cheese, some chives, and salt and pepper to sausage and vegetable mixture.
- Toss together until fully combined.
- Combine eggs and milk in another bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk eggs and milk together.
- Pour egg mixture over sausage vegetable mixture.
- Fold together until fully combined.
- Lightly grease baking dish. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish, in an even layer.
- Top with more shredded cheese.
- Cover casserole tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes or until eggs are set.
- Top casserole with remaining chives, black pepper and serve.
Tools You Will Need
Tips and Tricks for Breakfast Casserole Success
While this breakfast casserole recipe is a simple one, there are still a couple things that can come up and a couple things I can recommend to make this the best experience possible!
Common Issues and How to Solve Them
- Runny Casserole – Baked egg dishes often fall victim to excess liquid build up at the bottom of the baking dish after they’re baked. The reason is due to high water content in some vegetables and dense meats that are used in these dishes. Browning /cooking the meats (and draining off any excess liquid) and sautéing the vegetables before cooking often helps this issue. The potatoes should be completely thawed, with any excess liquid drained, then pat dry.
- Shredded Cheese Stuck to Foil – It’s best to avoid your shredded cheese topper from touching the bottom of your foil when baking. If your shredded cheese topper is flush or heaping above the edges of your baking dish, spray the bottom of the piece of foil you’re going to use with cooking spray. This will help to prevent your cheese from sticking to the foil.
Breakfast Casserole Recipe Tips
- Shred Cheese Yourself – Although it can be tempting to buy a bag of pre-shredded cheese (at times I’m totally guilty of it too!), I highly recommend shredded your own cheese. It only takes a minute or two and the results are way better! Pre-shredded cheese tends to have anti-caking agents mixed into the bag, to prevent the shreds from clumping up, but it also prevents the cheese from melting smoothly and evenly.
- How to Tell if Breakfast Casserole is Done Baking – If you’re unsure whether or not your eggs have fully set, take a butter knife and insert it into the center of the casserole. Push the knife slightly to the side, if you see some pooling occurring you need some more time, if not you’re good to go!
Variations for Our Breakfast Casserole Recipe
- Steamed or sautéed spinach make a great addition to this breakfast casserole recipe. Just be sure to squeeze out as much water as possible before incorporating it into the dish.
- Sausage can be omitted and replaced with more bell pepper and onions to make this (an egg friendly) vegetarian version.
- Load it up with more veggies with some chopped broccoli, sautéed mushrooms and sautéed zucchini.
- Diced ham or crumbled bacon also make great protein options.
- Stir in a (15 ounce) can of well drained diced tomatoes, some well drained canned black beans, a pinch ground cumin and coriander, chopped cilantro, and top it with crumbled queso fresco and serve with a dollop of sour cream on the side for a little more of a Mexican inspired vibe.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions for Our Breakfast Casserole
Make Ahead
Our recipe can be assembled up to 2 days ahead of time. Tightly wrap pre-baked casserole with foil and store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, place casserole in hot oven (covered) and bake for an additional 5 minutes covered then instructed in the recipe.
Freezing
Our breakfast casserole recipe can be assembled (except for shredded cheese on top) and frozen for up to 2 months. Tightly wrap pre-baked casserole with foil and place in freezer. When ready to use, transfer casserole to refrigerator to thaw overnight. Once thawed, uncover casserole and bake (uncovered) for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, top with shredded cheese and return casserole to oven and continue to bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes You Will Love
Breakfast Casserole
A super hearty, delicious and easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe. Filled with turkey breakfast sausage, frozen diced potatoes, bell pepper, onion, eggs, and cheese, it's the only breakfast casserole you'll ever want to make and eat!
Servings:
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound turkey breakfast sausage
- 1/2 small yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 (30 ounce) bag frozen diced hash brown potatoes thawed
- 8 ounces freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons sliced chives
- 6 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Lightly grease a 9”x13" baking dish and set aside.
- Place a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil and brown sausage, breaking up as it cooks, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a large mixing bowl. Discard and excess fat and liquid from pan.
- Add remaining oil to pan and sauté onions and bell pepper for 5 to 6 minutes, until vegetables just begin to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper and stir together. Transfer vegetables to bowl with sausage.
- Add diced potatoes, 2/3 of shredded cheese, 2 tablespoons chives, and salt and pepper to sausage and vegetable mixture and gently toss together until fully combined.
- In another bowl whisk together eggs and milk and pour mixture over sausage vegetable mixture. Fold together until just combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and sprinkle top with remaining cheese.
- Cover casserole tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes or until eggs are set.
- Top casserole with remaining chives, black pepper and serve.
NOTES
Common Issues and How to Solve Them
- Runny Casserole – Baked egg dishes can sometimes fall victim to being watery after it’s baked. This is often due to high water content in some vegetables and dense meats that are used in these dishes. Browning /cooking the meats (and draining off any excess liquid) and sautéing the vegetables before cooking often helps this issue. It’s also important that the potatoes are fully thawed and any excess liquid is drained from them as well.
- Shredded Cheese Stuck to Foil – It’s best to avoid your shredded cheese topper from touching the bottom of your foil when baking. If your shredded cheese topper is flush or heaping above the edges of your baking dish, spray the bottom of the piece of foil you’re going to use with cooking spray. This will help to prevent your cheese from sticking to the foil.
- Shred Cheese Yourself – Although it can be tempting to buy a bag of pre-shredded cheese (at times I’m totally guilty of it too!), I highly recommend shredded your own cheese. It only takes a minute or two and the results are way better! Pre-shredded cheese tends to have anti-caking agents mixed into the bag, to prevent the shreds from clumping up, but it also prevents the cheese from melting smoothly and evenly.
- How to Tell if Breakfast Casserole is Done Baking – If you’re unsure whether or not your eggs have fully set, take a butter knife and insert it into the center of the casserole. Push the knife slightly to the side, if you see some pooling occurring you need some more time, if not you’re good to go!
Calories: 238kcal Carbohydrates: 3g Protein: 18g Fat: 17g Saturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 157mg Sodium: 453mg Potassium: 227mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 2g Vitamin A: 835IU Vitamin C: 17mg Calcium: 202mg Iron: 1mg
CUISINE: Amercian
KEYWORD: breakfast dish for a crowd, breakfast sausage, brunch casserole, holiday breakfast idea, turkey breakfast sausage
COURSE: Breakfast, brunch, Main Course, main dish
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This was perfect for Christmas brunch! I made it the day before, and baked it Christmas morning for an easy, delicious dish. I used chorizo instead of regular pork, and I loved the extra flavor. I’m actually eating it as leftovers as I type this review…
What brand of turkey sausage did you use and what size baking dish?
To clarify – to make ahead, you “tightly wrap pre-baked casserole with foil and store in the refrigerator”… so we fully bake it, and then bake again from the fridge for 45 + 5 min total? Or do you mean “pre-assembled casserole”?
The casserole should not be baked twice. It’s stored in the refrigerator covered and unbaked. Then when you’re ready to bake it, just add 5 minutes to the original 45 minute bake time
Thank you so much for the quick reply! :) Can’t wait to make this the family over Christmas break. Wishing you a cozy holiday and new year!! xo
This looks like a recipe my husband would love. Can’t wait to try it out!
Been baking this for over 30 years. One trick my grandma taught me with breakfast casserole is to use a Bain Marie (water bath) when baking. Keeps the bottom and edges from over browning and allows more uniformity in cooking the entire dish.
oh, that’s a great idea! Thanks for the tip!
Hi, I’d like to make this to warm up for breakfast throughout the week. How long would it stay good for?
It stays fresh for 3 to 4 days
My family loves this casserole and they know if I’m not working on a Saturday this will be their yummy breakfast. I use chorizo instead of sausage. I also switch up and use shredded potatoes, hash browns or tater tots and whatever cheese I have. It’s delicious and filling every time. Thanks for sharing your recipe, it’s a quick one dish, delish, and easy clean up.
I’m so happy you and your family enjoy this casserole! Your swap-ins sound great!
Hi, I love your recipes and am looking forward to making this one! Question… can I premake the casserole on a Thursday night and have it sit in the fridge until Saturday morning? Or should I do it fresh?
Hi! Thursday night to Saturday morning should be just fine!
This looks so delicious! Do you think I could assemble it and freeze it before baking?
I’ve made this recipe several times now and given that my family loves spicy, I added a jalapeño to the onion mixture and it is so good!
Great recipe
Great casserole. Served it this morning and the pan was scraped clean! Great addition to our Xmas morning menu. Thanks for the recipe.
I really liked the recipes! I will try them out as soon as I can! Thanks! Bless you! Stay safe!💪💆♂️💜💆♀️💓🙏🏿🗣⚕🖖✌😊✡🎶🎄Merry Christmas!
Can’t wait to make this! Can I use fresh potatoes? My grocery store was all out of frozen potatoes!
Hi! You can use fresh potatoes, but a little more work will be needed (in addition to dicing the fresh potatoes). The frozen ones tend to be flash fried then frozen, so it works in our recipe that everything bakes up evenly. If you don’t want to shallow fry a bunch of potatoes, you can toss them in some oil, spread them on a sheet pan and roast them at 400F for 12-18 minutes until they’re partially roasted. Then cool them completely before using them in the recipe as instructed. Hope that helps!
Thank you!! Will try it that way!
I’m going to surprise my boyfriend this casserole for Christmas morning. Sounds delicious
This was FANTASTIC!
I gave this casserole a test run yesterday, for Christmas morning and DANG it’s a tasty number! I can’t wait to make it for my family (and with minimal effort!)!