Cheesy Breakfast Casserole
The best and easiest make-ahead breakfast casserole loaded with sausage, potatoes and cheesy goodness!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That’s a given. Too bad it’s usually skipped with a hot cup of coffee or a quick drive-thru at McDonald’s for those 2-for-1 sausage egg mcmuffin deals. And a giant maple bar at your local donut store.
Wait, is that just me?
No, but really, with this make-ahead breakfast casserole here, breakfast really becomes the most important meal of the day. It’s so important, you’ll end up having this for dinner too. After all, breakfast foods taste so much better at nighttime anyway, right?
Cheesy Breakfast Casserole
The best and easiest make-ahead breakfast casserole loaded with sausage, potatoes and cheesy goodness!
Ingredients
- 2 small russet potatoes, diced
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 Italian sausage links, casing removed
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Place potatoes and 1/4 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and place into microwave for 4-5 minutes, or until tender; drain well and set aside.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and hot sauce; season with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat. Stir in bell peppers and potatoes until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese until well combined.
- Place sausage mixture evenly into the baking dish. Pour egg mixture evenly over the top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.*
- Place into oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the eggs are firm.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Notes
*This can be covered and placed in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to reheat, let the covered casserole sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
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I have a 1-pound package of ground Italian sausage. Do you know approximately how much of this I would use to replace the sausage links? Thank you!
You can use as much as you’d like – it’s up to you!
I wish I would have seen this sooner for Christmas morning. Looks delish!
Just assembled for Christmas breakfast in the morning! It is going to be
Yummy!
This sounds amazing and i’m adding it to my Christmas morning menu! I have some Golden Grill Russet brand hash brown potato cartons that I got from Costco. Any thoughts on using these as the potatoes? Any guidance on how many cartons I should use? They are 4.2 oz.
That sounds like a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, it is really difficult to say how much should be used. As always, please use your best judgment.
If making this dish ahead of time, how long and at what temperature should I reheat it? Or can it be assembled and refrigerated before baking?
Ruby, this can be covered and placed in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to reheat, let the covered casserole sit at room temperature for 1 hour and bake as directed.
i’m thinking about making this with chorizo instead of regular sausage. Wondering if you’ve ever tried it this way?
I actually have not but it sounds amazing!
This looks amazing! I think I’m going to try and make this for Christmas morning this year!
Should you microwave the potatoes at full power? (I’m guessing yes.)
Yes!
Could I use a 9×13 pan?
A 9×13 pan may be a bit large, but as always, please use your best judgment.
Hi! I want to make several batches of this for 30 hungry Marines. I will be using 10″x8″ foil pans that are 2.5″ in height. Do you think one batch per pan is good? I don’t want it to be too thin, but I also don’t want it to be too thick and not cooked thoroughly. I cannot tell from the photos how tall your dish is. I’m not great in the kitchen so sorry if this is a silly question!
Yes, one batch should be enough for each 10×8 pan, but as always, please use your best judgment.
For the 3 Italian sausage links are you referring to bigger ones and not small breakfast sausage links?
I recommend using the bigger ones, not the thin breakfast sausage links.
I just prepped the veggies for this, I’m going to make it in the morning. I’m wondering could I use bacon instead of sausage and how would I prepare this dish with that substitution??
Jean, you can easily swap out the sausage for the bacon without any changes.
For the sausage part of recipe I have a lb. Of jimmy dean breakfast sausage. For your recipe how much of the pound should I crumble up in your opinion?
I substituted frozen “Potatoes O’Brien” for the potatoes, peppers and onions. Makes this dish just as good and twice as fast to make…
I was thinking the exact same thing as I was reading this! Did the portions look right? I wasn’t sure if one bag would equate to two potatoes. Did you have to add more egg mixture? Also, how did you pre-cook the potatoes o’brians?
Did you fry up the O Briens mixture? Or, just let it thaw and throw it in?
Sorry dear but I don’t even go to Mac Do to have breakfast, I just have coffee, don’t shout at me!!!
But this casserole will be perfect for a balanced and nourishing dish for diner. Everyone one loves potatoes at home and particularly casseroles as yours 🙂
I have made and enjoyed several of your recipes and plan on making this one soon. I do have one suggestion, rather that saying 2 small potatoes or 1 bell pepper, maybe you could use some form of measurement instead. Thanks for all your great recipes.
Sheryl, it’s easier to shop for ingredients when the quantity of ingredients are listed rather than measurements. Also, unlike baking, there is some room for forgiveness when more or less of a certain ingredient is used.
If you doubled this how much longer would you need to cook it for?
Unfortunately without further recipe testing, I cannot advise on the appropriate cooking time. Please use your best judgment to ensure that the casserole is completely cooked through.
This is a wonderful dish. I served it today for a ladies brunch and had several requests for the recipe.
Made this up the night before it turned out perfect! I added an extra egg and used pork and bacon sausage. This recipe is a thumbs up in our house!!
I’m planning to add this recipe to my menu this weekend. Is this a recipe I could make the night before and back in the morning? We tend to sleep in a little bit on the weekends so I need somethign to pop in the oven quick.
Yes, making it ahead of time should be just fine.
Great five star recipe! Made this the night before because I have small children who need breakfast right when they wake up – reheated well in toaster oven and we had good leftovers 2-3 mornings. It does make a lot! I used shredded hash browns and crumbled turkey sausage and both tasted great. Served with English muffins and avocado. Thanks for the great recipe! Can’t wait to try more!