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)!
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.
Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 ounces shredded hash browns thawed
- 1 pound sausage cooked, crumbled, and drained
- ¼ cup onion finely diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided use
- 8 eggs
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 ounces, or 1 ⅓ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or your favorite herbs/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.
If I can’t find frozen hashbrowns, can I just shred potato?
I personally haven’t tried this Alanna, 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.
Any changes to cooking time or other ingredient amounts of omitting the meat?
I would follow the recipe as written and it will still turn out delicious even without the sausage Dana. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
last night I assembled this. We were planning to serve it for a B-day today. However guest woke with a cold. Wondering if I could freeze the uncooked caserole and just bake fresh when we next get together? Question is, can I freeze uncooked? Thank you
I haven’t tried freezing the whole casserole uncooked, but I do freeze eggs which are stable, so I think it would work just fine.
When you’re ready to use it, thaw it in the fridge overnight, and give it a stir before baking. You may need to increase the baking time a little bit. Ensure that the eggs are fully set by inserting a butter knife in the center, it should come out clean. Let us know how it works out!
made this sunday for breakfast and it turned out awesome, followed recipe no tweaking
What size pan would you use if you wanted to double the recipe?
If doubling this recipe I would use 2 9×13 pans to ensure proper baking.
Best breakfast casserole I have ever made or eaten. Took it to women’s Bible study and there were only crumbs left. This will be the only breakfast dish that I will make from now on. THANK YOU for sharing.
Easy and a crowd pleaser!
This breakfast casserole is delicious! My husband and I both love it! I pretty much follow it exactly. Today I didn’t have any green bell peppers, so I used red, yellow and orange sweet peppers. It tastes great reheated also! This is my go to breakfast casserole.
Hi i made this recipe but found my eggs were still runny after baking for 1 hr, i did add extra cheese on top, could that have been a factor? Maybe it didn’t have enough ventilation?
I haven’t had this issue so I can’t say for sure. Did you use frozen hashbrowns without thawing them first? That can make the casserole a little runny.
Hello! How long would you reheat this for if you fully cooked the night before and want to serve the next day? What temp would you reheat at?
To reheat, I would let it sit on the counter while the oven is preheating to 350°F then pop it in for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. I would reheat uncovered but if the top starts to get too browned then I would cover it to keep it from browning further. Hope that helps!
Could I bake this in a bundt pan?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Charlene, but I think that should work just fine. I would check the casserole a little earlier for doneness. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Good but better tipped with sausage gravy or country gravy. I just picked up a can at the Dollar General.
Best way to freeze this recipe.? Put together and freeze without cooking.
Or cook first and then freeze.
I am wanting to make several small 1-2 person sizes in small foil pans
and freeze for later use.
I would cook this and then freeze it Christine. 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.
can I make this ahead and freeze? if so, do I cook from frozen?
We bake it and then freeze it usually but other readers have frozen it before baking with great results. You will have to let us know how it turns out for you Tabitha!
When you pour the eggs onto the hash rows is the eggs supposed to cover the hash browns?
The egg mixture will sink into the hashbrowns a little bit. To get a better idea of how it should look you can watch the video underneath the instructions. I hope this helps!
Could this be made as meal prep and eaten all week?
Hi Melissa, this makes great leftovers for the week. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or the oven.
Made one already and loved it! Making another the night before for a breakfast meeting. What temp do I need to warm it up at and for how long does it need to bake please
To reheat, I would let it sit on the counter while the oven is preheating to 350°F then pop it in for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. I would reheat uncovered but if the top starts to get too browned then I would cover it to keep it from browning further. Hope that helps!
Delicious casserole. The whole fam loves it.
This is delicious! I used a whole red bell pepper, because I don’t like green.
I started not to use the evaporated milk, but, I’m glad I did. Casserole is a keeper!!
Thanks, for the recipe!
Made this today and it was great! Made a couple minor modifications, added 1 t of salt and Italian seasoning, 1/2 cup chopped green onions including the green tops, a couple cloves of garlic and used 8 oz of sharp cheddar. Mine was done in 45 minutes.
Excellent recipe exactly as written. Made it for the first time for Christmas morning brunch and the whole family loved it.