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)!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
This breakfast casserole is delicious! It’s really good heated up also. This is a good recipe to make ahead of time for a nice Christmas breakfast!
Could you use diced ham instead of sausage?
Absolutely! That should work just fine Meghan. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I’m going to make this for a work carry-in on Thursday. It should be yummy!
I can’t wait for you to try it Christa!
was ok.
Can you use just regular milk or does it have to be evaporated milk?
You can use regular milk Daphne. I would use 1 ⅓ cups milk. Enjoy!
Perfect recipe for a group. Made this on vacation with the family and everyone liked it. We have leftovers for tomorrow morning too. Will be keeping this in mind anytime i go on a trip with a group of people or when my job has breakfast potlucks
Has anyone ever baked this like 30 minutes , covered and refrig overnight then finish the baking in the morning?
I need to have this ready to take for a carryin at work and leave my house at 6 am, attempting to not get up at 4:30 to preheat and bake fully in the morning.
Anyone?
Hi Barb, I haven’t tried this method. You could also bake all the way through and then 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 you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Do you saute the onion and peppers also before mixing it all together or just the sausage?
No need to precook the onions and peppers before adding to the mixture Sonya. Enjoy!
I just made this tonight and it came out perfectly! I used the Simply Potatoes Hash Browns and a pound and a half of sausage. Very delicious. Thank you!
How much in grams is 20 ounces of potatoes ?
Hi Suzanne, unfortunately I am unable to provide metric conversions. There are many conversion tools available online. I hope that helps.
Can cubbed hash browns be uned instead of shredded
Hi Melissa, I haven’t tried it but many readers have successfully used frozen diced potatoes instead of shredded. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
I have tried these types of casseroles before and they never seem to turn out right. I decided to give it one my try using this recipe and putting it together it is explained in the comments. It turned out perfect! I put it in fridge overnight and threw it in the oven in the morning, doing exactly as instructed to allow 15 extra minutes cooking time due to it being refrigerated overnight. I couldn’t have asked for an easier recipe and better instructions. Thanks for posting and all your extra notes.
this sounds really good. was wondering if it can be frozen uncooked for later?
I haven’t tried freezing this uncooked although eggs freeze well so I do think it would work. I would suggest thawing in the fridge overnight. You may need to add some extra time for baking. Let us know how it goes!
I’ve made this before and it was a crowd pleaser. This time I need to double it. How long would the cook time be? Or should I suck it up and make 2 pans instead of 1 giant ☝️
I would suggest 2 pans to ensure that the center cooks through properly. Even with two pans, you may needs to add a few minute of cooking time.
Do you think I could make this in the instand pot? I’m without a stove and hosting friends over.
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Andrea. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Can I make this in a 12×12 pan?
I haven’t tried it but it should work just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Teresa!
Turned out perfect! Not watery. Very good consistency. I just did hash browns, sausage, egg & milk, cheese, plus salt and pepper. Not sure how much milk I used, maybe 1 cup. I was in a hurry to get something in the oven and didn’t measure! My 4 kids loved it and I will make this often. Thanks!
it is delicious, I left out the onion of course, used onion powder instead. so so good!
Very watry
If I wanted to change this recipe to 12 servings would it still fit in a 9×13 pan?
12 servings should still fit in a 9×13 pan but you’ll need to increase the baking time a bit.
Anyone ever try using real shredded potatoes as opposed to frozen ones?
I personally haven’t tried this Jodi, but other readers have used fresh shredded potatoes with great results! You might like to microwave or pan fry them slightly to soften a bit first. We would love to hear how it works out for you.
Holly, could re-hydrated hash browns be used in this recipe? Costco has containers that you add water to and let sit for 15 minutes before using. I prefer these as they do not take up freezer space.
That should work just fine Kaycee! I would rehydrate them, but no need to cook them. Enjoy!