Alert, alert! You just learned your in-laws are coming to town, and you need a quick and easy (but nonetheless impressive) breakfast recipe to serve for tomorrow’s brunch. What do you do? You turn to this easy breakfast casserole recipe, of course!
This simple sausage and egg casserole is easy to prepare with kitchen staples like eggs, ground sausage, cheddar cheese and sandwich bread. Toss the ingredients together the night before, let them rest in the fridge overnight, then pop the whole thing in the oven in the morning.
We love serving this casserole anytime we have friends coming over for brunch or company visiting for the holidays. It’s a perfect breakfast idea for overnight guests.
Ingredients for Breakfast Casserole
- Sausage: This sausage and egg casserole recipe calls for regular ground pork sausage.
- Eggs: Sausage and egg casseroles are a great way to feed a crowd economically. This recipe can serve up to 10 people yet requires only six eggs. Choose whichever kind of eggs you prefer: brown or white eggs, or regular or organic eggs.
- Milk: In egg casserole recipes, adding dairy to the eggs helps create the casserole’s texture and creaminess. This recipe calls for 2% milk, but you can experiment with whole milk, half-and-half or heavy cream. Heavy cream will make a richer bake with a custard-like base, reminiscent of our best quiche recipes.
- Ground mustard: A tiny bit of sharp, zingy ground mustard awakens the senses and enlivens this breakfast casserole.
- Bread: Bread acts as a filler for this easy sausage egg bake. It also improves the casserole’s texture and helps prevent it from deflating once it cools. For the best results, choose a hearty white sandwich bread. Ultra-soft bread will simply disintegrate and not lend the sausage and egg casserole the right amount of body.
- Cheese: Our sausage and egg casserole recipe calls for a full cup of shredded cheddar cheese. You can opt for mild cheddar, or reach for your favorite aged extra-sharp cheddar to maximize the cheese factor.
Directions
Step 1: Brown the sausage
In a skillet, brown and crumble the breakfast sausage. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: Combine the ingredients
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add the milk, salt and mustard. Stir in the bread cubes, cheese and cooked sausage.
Step 3: Rest in the refrigerator
Pour the mixture into a greased 11×7-inch baking dish. Cover and refrigerate the sausage egg bake for eight hours or overnight.
Editor’s Tip:Â Make sure to grease your pan. Even the best nonstick baking pans can be prone to baked eggs sticking to them.
Step 4: Bake and serve
Remove the sausage and egg casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Editor’s Tip:Â As with most make-ahead casseroles, it’s important to let the recipe sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before baking to ensure the casserole bakes evenly in the oven. If you skip this step, the center of the casserole may not fully set.
Breakfast Casserole Variations
- Try different sausages: Choose any sausage you enjoy for this recipe. Maple sausage would add a lovely sweetness, while Italian sausage would add some wonderful zip. You could also opt for turkey sausage for a leaner sausage and egg casserole, or chorizo for a south-of-the-border twist.
- Add other proteins: If you don’t enjoy sausage, you can omit it from the recipe. Instead, add an equal amount of shredded rotisserie chicken or cooked and crumbled bacon (a la bacon and eggs casserole).
- Omit the bread: If you want a gluten-free casserole or an egg bake with fewer carbs, you can omit the bread from the recipe. Just know that the egg bake will cook faster and not have quite the same thickness or texture. You could also try this keto breakfast casserole instead.
- Eat your veggies: You can add a whole host of vegetables to this sausage and egg bake, just as in this garden veggie egg bake. Try bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, onions or zucchini. To prevent a watery egg bake, we recommend sauteing any added vegetables until they are tender and draining them of any excess moisture before adding them to the sausage and egg casserole.
- Make a spicy egg bake: Add sliced jalapenos, a dash of cayenne pepper or a splash of hot sauce. Or, opt for a spicy Italian sausage or chorizo. You could also finish your serving of breakfast casserole with a spoonful of your favorite homemade salsa recipe.
- Change up the cheese: Cheddar isn’t your only option. Try Parmesan, Romano, Swiss, pepper jack, fontina, Gruyere, feta or goat cheese. Just about any type of cheese can work in this sausage and egg casserole recipe.
- Include hash browns: You can also make a sausage and egg casserole with hash browns. Check out this collection of hash brown breakfast casseroles for inspiration.
How to Store Breakfast Casserole
Leftover sausage and egg casserole may be refrigerated for three to four days in an airtight food storage container. To reheat leftovers, warm them gently in the microwave at a reduced power until hot. You can also warm leftover sausage egg bake in a 350° oven until heated through.
Can you make breakfast casserole ahead of time?
Yes! In fact, sausage and egg casserole is best when prepped ahead. Allowing it to rest overnight in the fridge allows the eggs to soak into the bread fully, resulting in the perfect texture once baked.
Can you freeze breakfast casserole?
Yes, you can freeze this egg and sausage casserole, either baked or unbaked.
The unbaked breakfast casserole may be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to three months. To bake, completely thaw in the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking, then bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
The baked sausage and egg casserole may be frozen for up to three months. Let it cool before storing in the freezer. We like to freeze individual servings to make it easy to reheat for a quick morning breakfast. When ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave at a reduced power until heated through.
Our guide on how to freeze a casserole the right way provides more tips for storage, including how to prevent freezer burn.
Breakfast Casserole Tips
Do you need to brown the sausage before adding it to a breakfast casserole?
Yes. When making a breakfast casserole like this one, it is important to brown uncooked sausage first. Uncooked sausage may not fully cook in the oven, and even if it does cook fully, it will make the sausage and egg casserole extra greasy, which is not ideal. However, if your sausage is fully cooked right out of the package, you can add it directly to the casserole without browning it first, if desired.
What can you serve with breakfast casserole?
Serve this easy sausage and egg casserole with your favorite brunch recipes and pairings. A tall stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes, baked bacon, a colorful fruit salad or homemade English muffins are always great choices.
