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
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Can you use cubed potatoes instead of shredded potatoes?
Hi Sara, that should work out fine :)
Love this recipe. My picky kids aren’t really fans, but everyone else is! I add 1 package of diced ham to the cooked sausage crumbles, I add cheese to the potatoes, and crumbled bacon on top. I prep everything the night before and keep the egg mixture in a Tupperware to pour over the top in the morning. Add the cheese topping and voila! Perfect to put in the oven Christmas morning while kids open gifts.
Can I use diced hash browns in this or a bag of potatoes O’Brian instead of shredded? Thank you!
Hi Teresa, either should work well for this recipe. You may need to add some additional cooking time or even precook the hashbrowns to ensure they are fully cooked before serving.
Do you mix the vegetables and meat and cheese in with the hashbrowns? Also can you just use onion and bacon where are you come from the green peppers if people are allergic to other ingredients?
We mix it all together in the casserole dish before pouring the egg mixture on top. You can leave out the peppers if you prefer, this recipe is still delicious!
I am going to make this for Christmas brunch it will be the first time making this. We have food allergies in the family like sausage and peppers. Is bacon and taco meat good in this recipe? Also can you only do onions as the veggie? Sorry, last question. Do you mix the veggies and meat with the hashbrowns?
Bacon and taco meat would be great in this and you can add any veggies you’d like. If the veggies have a lot of water (like mushrooms) I would suggest pre-cooking them. You can stir or layer the meat/veggies with the hashbrowns, either works (I usually stir). Enjoy the recipe!
I also suggest pre-cooking (or at least microwaving) the thawed hash browns a bit as well due to the amount of moisture in them. What do you think? I know you said they will get soggy anyway, but I want to give them a fighting chance! Lol! I like mine browned in any recipe so I think I’ll cook and brown mine a bit before placing them in the casserole regardless. And since I’m not a big fan of melted cheddar, I’ll either use shredded Velveeta or cut some strips of American. And I might use O’Brien potatoes since they already have the peppers and onions in them. Would save a little money and time going this route. Either way, it looks great and I can’t wait to make this!
That sounds like a great suggestion, Eddie. Thanks for sharing!
Can I cook this then freeze it for two weeks?
Yes, you sure can! This will last in the freezer for up to four months. Wrap and store in freezer bags. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or the oven.
Hello,
Would it work to swap out the sausage/ham for bacon?
Thanks
Bacon will work in this recipe just be careful when adding additional salt as the bacon may make it salty!
Can you bake the hash browns to make them crispier before putting into the recipe?
The hashbrowns will not stay crisp in this recipe, they soften with the liquid from the egg mixture.
What would be the difference between using evaporated milk or regular milk. I have never used evaporated milk before so I’m a little scared. This is the main dish for family Christmas morning I don’t want to mess up.
Also could you use liquid southwestern eggs instead of the onions and peppers. If not should I cook the peppers and onions first so they are not to crunchy?
Thank you in advance! I’m excited to try this.
Evaporated milk is a little bit thicker (almost like cream). I haven’t tried this with liquid southwestern eggs. The peppers and onions cook with the casserole and soften.
Can this be baked ahead then reheated?
To reheat, I would let it sit on the counter while the oven is preheating then pop it back in for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
If I bake it the night before for a quick morning how long does it need to reheat in the oven and does temp matter? Thanks
It just needs to be reheated until it is warm, 350°F for 15-20 minutes should be good!
Can i freeze it then bake it? I want to travel with it premade but want to cook the next day.
Hi Vanessa, we bake it and then freeze it usually but other readers have frozen it before baking and transported the casserole with great results. You will have to let us know how it turns out for you!
Can you use any cheese?! I can’t eat cheddar!! Excited to try doe a Christmas “friendsmas” brunch!
Any cheese will work in this recipe!
I wo der if I use fresh shredded potatoes instead of frozen hash browns if it would still cook the same?
I personally haven’t tried this Cassandra, but other readers have used fresh shredded potatoes with great results!
I would brown the potatoes in a skillet a little if using fresh potatoes.
Made a double batch of this recipe for a meeting and it was a huge hit!
If using a dozen eggs, what time should it be baked?
Hi Ambur, I would check it at the 55 minutes mark and adjust from there. It may need the full 65 minute cooking time or even a little longer to fully cook the eggs.
Can you make the morning before and refrigerate for 24hours? I am wondering if that’s to long. Thanks!
Not at all, Shana! That should work out well.
How long would you cook it it you halved the recipe?
Hi Janice, I have not tried half a recipe, but think the time would be similar. I would check it about 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time to see how it is and adjust from there.
Hi how much salt/pepper do you typically use?
I usually add about ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper as I find the sausage, cheese, and potatoes have enough salt for my liking.
Thank you for the quick reply. Can’t wait to give this a try this week!
Does the casserole need to be covered when baking?
Thank you
This should be baked uncovered.