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Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This sausage breakfast casserole recipe is easy to make, make ahead friendly, versatile and feeds a crowd! It allows you to feed a crowd stress free for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner, and can all be prepared ahead of time! Just assemble the casserole, refrigerate, then pop it in the oven when ready to serve. This overnight Breakfast Casserole recipe is everything you love about breakfast all baked together in one easy casserole. It’s made with eggs, hot Italian sausage, cubed hash browns, onions, peppers, mozzarella and sharp cheese and only takes a few minutes to throw together. This sausage breakfast casserole recipe is also easily adaptable! Mix up the seasonings, vegetables, and cheeses for a fridge to oven to tabletop win!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

Bowl 1: Sausage Mixture

  • 1 pound Hot Italian sausage
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Roma tomato chopped
  • 1 24 oz. bag cubed frozen hash browns thawed
  • 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

Bowl 2: Egg Mixture

  • 12 large eggs
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 tsp EACH dried parsley, salt
  • 1/2 tsp EACH paprika, ground mustard, pepper
  • 3 tablespoon chopped chives

Topping

  • 1/2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese (or more!)
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese (or more!)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13’’ pan with cooking spray.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onions and bell pepper and cook while crumbling the sausage until the sausage is cooked through. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds.
  • Drain grease then transfer mixture to a very large bowl. Stir in tomatoes, hash browns and cheeses (once cool enough the sausage won’t melt cheese). Set aside.
  • Whisk all of bowl 2 ingredients in a large measuring “cup” or mixing bowl (something with a spout). Pour egg mixture into sausage mixture and stir until evenly combined. Transfer to prepared 9x13 baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping cheeses.
  • Cover pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for 5-15 minutes or until cooked through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Season individual servings with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

TIPS & TRICKS 

  • Vegetarian. If you are vegetarian, then omit the meat and replace it with an equal amount of vegetables. You will also want to add some additional, salt, pepper, chili powder/red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning to make up for not using flavorful Italian sausage.
  • Thaw potatoes:  Thaw the potatoes in the microwave for a couple minutes so they bake up tender.   
  • More or less cheese.  You can make the casserole extra cheesy by adding additional cheese or save some calories by using less cheese.
  • Freshly grated cheese. Please only use freshly grated cheeses as packaged cheeses contain anti-clumping chemicals which inhibits their melting ability.  
  • Keep proportions.  Although you can swap out the meat and vegetables in this breakfast casserole recipe, you will want to keep the proportions the same.  
  • Season!  If using a different protein instead of Italian sausage, I suggest adding a dash of red pepper flakes or chili powder and Italian seasonings.
  • Spice it up!  The hot Italian sausage will flavor the entire breakfast casserole but not make it spicy.  For more heat, add 1 teaspoon chili powder or some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. 
  • Tent foil:  tent the foil slightly in the middle but make sure the sides are still covered. The casserole will bake up and you don’t want the cheese sticking to the foil.  
  • Don’t overcook.  Keep an eye on the breakfast casserole and don’t overbake.  The casserole is very forgiving but an overbake casserole won’t be as creamy.
  • Make ahead or freeze. You can make the breakfast casserole ahead of time and just pop in the oven in the morning or freeze before or after baking.  Instructions to follow.

Make Ahead 

This breakfast casserole is a make ahead dream!  You can prep it a day ahead of time or freeze it for later use.
  • Assemble the breakfast casserole according to recipe instructions.
  • Tightly cover with plastic wrap.
  • Refrigerate unbaked breakfast casserole a few hours up to 24.
  • When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
  • Bake according to recipe directions, adding an additional 10-15 minutes.

How to Freeze

To freeze breakfast casserole before baking:
  • Prepare breakfast casserole according to recipe directions through adding the mixture to the prepared 9×13 pan.
  • Cover the casserole with two layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil.
  • Freeze for up to 2 months.
  • Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. 
  • Bring to room temperature on the counter for about 30-60 minutes. 
  • Bake according to recipe directions.
To freeze breakfast casserole after baking:
  • Let casserole cool completely.  It is best to let it chill overnight in the refrigerator.
  • Freezer the entire baking dish by covering the casserole with two layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil OR portion the casserole into small servings and transfer slices to sealable plastic bags or small airtight containers.
  • Freeze for up to 2 months.  
  • You can reheat individual servings straight from frozen on a microwave safe plate.
  • To reheat the entire casserole, allow it to thaw completely overnight.
  • Cover and bake at 350 degrees F until heated through, approximately 20 minutes.

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

This overnight breakfast casserole recipe is really a formula with a creamy egg base – you can customize the veggies, meat, cheeses and even hash browns to make it different every time!  Here are some ways to mix it up: 
  • Choose meat:  I love ground hot Italian sausage but you can use maple sausage, breakfast sausage, turkey sausage, bacon, turkey bacon or ham.  You will want to cook any raw protein first before adding to the egg mixture.   I suggest adding a dash of red pepper flakes and Italian seasonings if not using hot Italian sausage.  You can also use chorizo and then you won’t need any additional seasonings. 
  • Choose vegetables:  the possibilities are endless!  This sausage breakfast casserole uses red bell peppers and fire roasted tomatoes, but you can also swap them for sautéed corn, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, artichokes, roasted bell peppers, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc.  There are 2 important factors to keep in mind when customizing veggies:  1) sauté the vegetables first – don’t add raw vegetables to the casserole or they will remain raw when baked; 2) keep the ratios the same.  You don’t want to add additional vegetables without subtracting vegetables or hash browns or else there won’t be enough creamy eggs to envelop the veggies.
  • Choose cheese:  Use the suggested sharp cheddar and mozzarella or swap one or the other for another cheese that melts well such as Gruyere, Swiss, pepper Jack, Monterrey Jack, Colby Jack, Fontina, or Gouda.  You can also add some other non-melting cheeses in addition just for flavor such as Parmesan or feta.  Pepper Jack is a particularly nice option if you aren’t using hot Italian sausage to add additional flavor and a hint of heat.
  • Choose add-ins:  In additional to different vegetables, you can also add green chiles, jarred jalapenos, olives and additional herbs such as fresh basil, parsley, oregano, etc.v