If you’re looking for the Best Breakfast Casserole recipe, look no further. Loaded with crumbled sausage, hash brown potatoes, bell peppers, onions, and lots of cheese, then baked to a golden brown.
Breakfast doesn’t get any better than this!
It’s a great recipe for a weekend brunch, holidays like Christmas morning, or anytime you need to feed a crowd.
But don’t wait for a special occasion to treat your family to our egg casserole recipe. Delicious recipes like this one should be part of your breakfast menu rotation.
One of the things I like most about our breakfast casserole is how easy it is to prepare. I can even set it up the night before, and then all I have to do is let it come to room temperature and bake it.
If you love breakfast, make sure to try our Easy French Toast Casserole and Anytime Breakfast Sandwich recipes.
Ingredients For Breakfast Casserole
Let’s start by gathering the necessary ingredients to prepare our easy Breakfast Casserole recipe. Culinary professionals call this the mise en Place, which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I change up the recipe?
Absolutely. There are so many ways you can change the casserole. The possibilities are endless.
We used breakfast sausage to make the recipe, but sweet or hot Italian sausage can be used. Not a fan of sausage? Add cooked bacon, ham, or even cooked ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey. If you need to make it vegetarian, simply leave the meat out of the mixture or use one of the new plant-based meat products.
We kept our recipe simple, just adding onions and peppers, but you can add any of your favorite vegetables to the mixture. Tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, and zucchini are some of my favorite add-ins. Par-cook the green veggies and mushrooms before adding them to the mixture to soften them and release some of the moisture from the vegetables. Make sure to drain them before adding.
We used frozen hash brown potatoes to make our recipe, but you can use seasoned roasted potatoes (cooked, not raw) or roasted sweet potatoes. If you’d rather leave out the potatoes, you can use stale bread as a replacement. Cut it into bread cubes or tear it into pieces before adding.
Cheddar cheese is my personal favorite and what I used to make our hashbrown breakfast casserole, but you can use any of your favorite types of cheese. Gouda, Swiss, American, Jarlsberg, and Monterey cheese are some of my favorites. You don’t have to use all of one type of cheese either; use a blend of your favorites, or what you have on hand. Add bleu cheese crumbles, gorgonzola, or goat cheese to add a little punch to the dish.
We used whole milk in our recipe, but you can use heavy cream, light cream, or half and half. You can also swap out half of the milk for sour cream or Greek yogurt. Just mix it with the milk before adding it.
I like to keep the seasonings light, but you can add garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, Italian seasoning, or any of your favorite spices or fresh herbs to the mixture.
How to Make a Breakfast Casserole with Hash Brown Potatoes
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make our Breakfast Casserole with hash brown potatoes in your home kitchen.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Crumble the breakfast sausage into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and bell peppers.
- Stir to combine as it starts to cook.
- Continue cooking until the sausage is browned and cooked through (4-5 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and drain any excess grease.
- Add the eggs to a large bowl.
- Add the whole milk to the bowl.
- Whisk until well combined.
- Add the table salt and black pepper to this mixture.
- Whisk the egg mixture until well combined.
- Lightly butter a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Then add the thawed, shredded hash browns to the prepared baking dish.
- Add the cooked and crumbled sausage and 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese to the casserole.
- Stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- Pour the egg mixture over the top of the potato mixture.
- Sprinkle the remainder of the shredded cheddar over the egg mixture.
- Place the dish on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is just barely jiggly.
Serve our hash brown breakfast casserole with a fruit salad and crispy bacon for a hearty breakfast your whole family will love.
Leftovers can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container or well-covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen, baked, or unbaked for up to two months. You can also wrap baked individual portions for a quick and easy breakfast.
Reheat in a 350-degree oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F., or zap them in the microwave until piping hot.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you do. Raw sausage or bacon will not cook through properly and will affect the texture of the final dish.
Always cook and drain any meats you want to use in the casserole before adding them.
More than likely, there was too much moisture coming from the frozen hashbrowns. Make sure to squeeze out any excess moisture before adding to the casserole. Also, using too much milk can cause the problem.
Absolutely. You can make it the night before or freeze it to make it when you need it.
If making the casserole the night before, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until ready to bake. When ready to bake, follow the instructions in the recipe.
If you have frozen the casserole, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature before baking, then follow the recipe instructions.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
- 9×13-inch casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound breakfast sausage -loose not links
- 1 cup red bell pepper -diced
- 1 cup sweet onion -diced
- 12 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter -to grease the casserole
- 15 ounces frozen shredded hash browns (about half a package)
- 2 cups extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese -shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Crumble the breakfast sausage into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and bell peppers and cook until the sausage is browned and cooked through (4-5 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and drain any excess grease.
- Add the eggs and whole milk to a large bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Add the table salt and black pepper to this mixture and whisk to combine.
- Lightly butter a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Add the frozen shredded hash browns, cooked and crumbled sausage, and 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese to the casserole and stir to combine.
- Pour the egg mixture over the top of the potato mixture.
- Sprinkle the remainder of the shredded cheddar over the egg mixture.
- Place the dish on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is just barely jiggly.
- Cut into squares an
Notes
Always cook and drain any meats you want to use in the casserole before adding them. Can I make the breakfast casserole ahead of time? Absolutely. You can make it the night before or freeze it to make it when you need it.
If making the casserole the night before, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until ready to bake. When ready to bake, follow the instructions in the recipe.
If you have frozen the casserole, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature before baking, then follow the recipe instructions. Why is my casserole soggy? More than likely, there was too much moisture coming from the frozen hashbrowns. Make sure to squeeze out any excess moisture before adding to the casserole. Also, using too much milk can cause the problem.
Mellie Kahler says
Thank you very much for sharing. I appreciate it very greatly
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome.