A Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole is perfect when you need to feed a crowd first thing in the morning.
This breakfast casserole recipe is a full meal with eggs, sausage, peppers, and hashbrowns all topped with cheese and baked until perfect golden brown.
Best of all, prepare ahead of time and in the morning, just pop it into the oven. Serve with a fresh fruit salad, and keep the coffee coming (or mimosas)!
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Ingredients in Breakfast Casserole
Hashbrowns – I use shredded hashbrowns, but any style of hash browns work well in this recipe, or even leftover home fries or roasted potatoes!
Sausage – I prefer pork sausage (like Jimmy Dean’s breakfast sausage). Swap it out for turkey sausage, ham, or crispy bacon (or even leftover ground beef from last night’s tacos)!
Veggies – I add bell peppers to this casserole but add whatever veggies you have on hand. Mushrooms (cook them first so they don’t get watery), asparagus, or even steamed broccoli are great.
Cheese – Shredded sharp cheddar cheese is our favorite, but pepper jack cheese or other bold flavorful cheeses work well. Save a little for the top to get a nice golden layer of cheese.
This hash brown casserole recipe is very forgiving; you can change the add-ins according to your preferences or what you have on hand. Try leftover meats, veggies, and cheeses of all kinds. Just chop or shred and toss them into the mix.
How to Make Breakfast Casserole
Frozen hash browns make this breakfast casserole super easy to whip up.
- Spread thawed shredded hash browns in the bottom of a baking dish per the recipe below. Mix in cheese, sausage, and pepper/onions.
- Whisk eggs, milk, and seasonings in a large bowl.
- Pour over the hashbrown mixture.
Bake Now or Make Ahead
The great thing about this hash brown breakfast casserole recipe is that it can be baked right away or prepared ahead and baked before brunch. It’s perfect for holidays like Christmas morning or even Easter.
Cook it now or refrigerate overnight Once prepared, bake right away or you can cover, refrigerate overnight, and bake this breakfast casserole fresh in the morning.
To Bake Now Pour the egg mixture over top and bake. Unlike strata or french toast, you do not need to wait as there is no bread to soak up the mixture. So just make and bake.
To Bake Later Cover the mixture tightly and refrigerate for up to 48 hours (or 3 days if using pasteurized egg product). Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking (while preheating the oven).
This bakes at 350°F for 55-65 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If you’ve let it sit overnight, it may need a few extra minutes if it’s still quite chilled from the fridge.
To prepare in the Crock Pot, I recommend our slow cooker breakfast casserole.
Just like egg muffins, leftover breakfast casserole is perfect for busy weekday mornings. Keep leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or the oven.
Yes, you sure can! This will last in the freezer for up to four months. Wrap individual pieces and store in freezer bags. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or the oven.
More Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casseroles
If you’re tired of the same old breakfast or want a meal to prep ahead, you’ll love these breakfast casserole recipes. They’re perfect for reheating throughout the week or for a special holiday breakfast and best of all, they’re all prepped ahead of time.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 ounces shredded hash browns thawed
- 1 pound ground pork sausage cooked, crumbled, and drained
- ¼ cup finely diced onion
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 8 eggs
- 12 ounces evaporated milk 1 can, or 1 ⅓ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or your favorite herbs and spices, optional
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (if baking immediately). Grease a 9×13 inch pan or a 3qt baking dish or spray with cooking spray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains. Drain fat.
- In the prepared dish, add the hashbrowns, cooked sausage, onions, bell peppers, and 1 ½ cups of cheese. Gently mix the ingredients together and spread evenly in the pan.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, evaporated milk, salt & pepper, and Italian seasoning to a large bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the hashbrown mixture and sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
- Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate overnight if desired, or bake immediately.
- Bake uncovered for 55-65 minutes or until cooked through.
Video
Notes
- The casserole can be assembled and baked immediately or covered and refrigerated for up to two days before baking. If using pasteurized egg product, it can be prepared three days in advance.
- Sausage can be swapped for 1lb of bacon, cooked crisp. You can use any type of shredded cheese you have on hand.
- If the casserole is refrigerated overnight, remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. It may require an extra 10-15 minutes of cooking time.
- Evaporated milk can be substituted with 1 1/3 cups of light cream, milk, or non-dairy milk of your choice.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Casserole
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Amazing recipe!!! Tried for the first time today on Mother’s Day and it came out great. My mom loved it and when I offered to take some of it home she said no you can leave it. Thanks again for this awesome recipe!
That is awesome Jamey! So happy she enjoyed it :)
Wondering if I can used diced hasbrowns vs shredded?
Hi Ashley, we have only made this recipe as listed, but it should work well with diced hashbrowns as well. Depending on the size of your diced hashbrowns you may need to increase the cooking time slightly. Let us know how it turns out!
I made this for our team at work and it was delicious!! Decided to use green/red bell pepper, mushrooms, yellow and green onions, cubed ham, freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese- perfection. Although I didn’t have Italian seasoning, I used a little garlic powder and cumin. I can see how versatile this recipe will be with whatever I happen to have on-hand for future meals:-)
Great additions Natalie, sounds delicious!
Could I use frozen hash browns & sliced cooked ham and still pour egg liquid over it and bake? Thank you.
That should work just fine. You’ll want to ensure the egg can get below the ham to mix with the hashbrowns (so you might like to give the ham a bit of a chop).
Hello, I made this scrumptious breakfast casserole!!! It was a HIT!!! I gave my coworker a Birthday Breakfast this morning and prepared it last night followed the recipe with a few changes used pork sausages and ground turkey, used a orange pepper with the red and green… Use a store brand seasoning garlic and herbs, also I used mild cheddar and Mexican mixture of cheese. Everyone raved about how the aromatic smell and especially taste, thank you for recipe…
(First time, and I think I did quite well)
That is so sweet of you Diana! Definitely a good birthday morning if you ask me!
If you cook it ahead and reheat in the oven, how long should you put it in for? And at what temperature? Going on a girls weekend and would be easier to cook ahead and just reheat the morning of.
Hello, I am making this for my co-workers tomorrow, I want to prepare it this evening and cook it tomorrow morning. Is it anything I need to add or subtract.. I am using yellow/greenpeppers instead of red peppers..
Thank you.. (04/15/20)
This should be fine prepared in the evening and cooked in the morning. If you are refrigerating it overnight, it might need a bit of extra time to cook in the morning as it will be chilly from the fridge or be sure to remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. Enjoy!
I did prepare it Wednesday night and took inconsideration about taking it out 30 minutes before cooking the casserole, it work… Thank you for the information… It turned out amazingly.
So happy to hear that Diana!
Hi Holly!
Could I use Half n Half instead of Evaporated Milk? Please let me know for I plan on making this tonight for dinner!! Thanks!
Love your website by the way!
Hi Julie, you can substitute the evaporated milk for 1 ⅓ cups of regular milk or half n half if you prefer. That sounds delicious!
Could I possibly add sour cream to this? I think it lacks something, but full disclosure I only used salt and pepper. Sour cream would lend some creaminess to it. Maybe reduce eggs to six instead of eight? Thank you
The Italian seasoning definitely adds some flavor, that might be what it was missing. But we have only made this recipe as listed Janet. I would love to hear how your alterations turn out! You could also add sour cream as a topping as the end if you wanted.
This was very good recipe. I really enjoyed it and it impressed my family. I added a little cumin and cayenne pepper in the egg mix and added a nice touch. Would definitely recommend this recipe!
For the nutrition, how many oz/grams are the calories listed for?
Hi Proxcee, for accurate nutrition information you will want to use a nutrition calculator like MyFitnessPal to input the actual ingredients/brands you ended up using. For this recipe, we cut a 9×13 baking dish into 8 servings.
Do the hash browns have to be thawed? How much cook time, if they’re not thawed? Thanks
Hi Sarah, we haven’t made this casserole with frozen hashbrowns, we always thaw them first. I worry that frozen hashbrowns would make your casserole watery. I would recommend quickly thawing the hashbrowns, even in the microwave, before using for the best results.
I made this with frozen hash browns one time and it was super runny! Didn’t have that problem when I used thawed hash browns. Definitely recommend thawing completely
Sarah,
It does not state anywhere that I can find, may have missed it, but do you cook the casserole covered or uncovered?
John
This is cooked uncovered.
This was amazing. I used Canadian bacon, chopped, instead of sausage. I sprinkled with paprika before popping into the oven. I often have overnight guests and have been looking for a great breakfast casserole. Found it!
Delicious!
Yay! So happy to hear that Dorothy.
I’m making this to send with my husband going to a preacher’s breakfast, have never made it before but the reviews look great, hope it turns out!
Making this right now….what kind of spices did you adding the video? Looks like more than salt and pepper. Thank you!
Apologies for the confusion Teri, I sometimes add in ½ teaspoon of herbs spices. I love a bit of Italian seasoning in this recipe.
Can you use regular milk instead of evaporated?
Hi Karen, you can substitute the evaporated milk for 1 ⅓ cups of regular milk.
This casserole came out so good! I generously buttered the bottom of my casserole dish, and I pressed a very thin layer (1/4″) of the dry potatoes and veggies into the bottom of the pan before mixing and dumping everything else in. This made serving really easy, the slices came out clean! I assembled the night before and baked the next day, and it took a little over an hour. I covered it in foil for the first 45 minutes. I also used fresh shredded potatoes instead of frozen hash browns. The shredded potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 minutes, and then I wrung them out by hand AND in a clean towel.
I can’t wait to make this! Looks amazing. Can I use raw (shredded) potatoes or must they be precooked?
I’ve only made this with cooked/defrosted potatoes. I would be concerned that raw may not cook through.
Very good
Been making this for years and it never disappoints. I have even made it with vegetarian sausage crumbles as my daughter is vegetarian and it is still amazing.
This was made by a friend of mine. It was absolutely fantastic. I will be making many times, as it is so easy.
Hello everyone!!!
I love cooking it yeah
I want video cooking yeah
Welcome !!!!!!
Making this right now, but wonder if you should cover to bake or not?
This is baked uncovered.
I was wondering about that! LoL Thank you!
I’m vegetarian, so I used Morningstar Farms Maple Sausage crumbled up from patties, & I also added tomatoes & only had yellow bell peppers; I also had no milk on hand, so I used a cup of heavy cream & 1/3 cup water (something I’ve done for other recipes in past), & lastly, I used Rosemary & Thyme for spices (debated on Tarragon, but maybe next time)! Oh, & going to cook some bacon separately so my bf can have that on top if he wants.
I’ll let you know how it turns out! Takes some preparation, but SO good not to have to stand in front of that stove this morning!
Sounds great Aimee!
Can you freeze this prior to baking?
So I’m wondering if I want to freeze this. I bake it. Then cool it, wrap it and freeze it correct? When i “unfreeze” it, is it mushy?
Hi Megan, we let it sit in the refrigerator overnight to defrost and pop back in the oven to reheat. This helps prevent it from becoming mushy.
Should dish be covered or uncovered during bake time. I’m asking for my friends because this morning I am going to guess
It is baked uncovered. Enjoy!