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.
Just made this amazing dish! First breakfast casserole and I loved it!
So good! Can leftovers be frozen?
Yes they can. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave/oven. The egg may release a little bit of liquid once thawed, this is expected.
This had good flavor but I couldn’t get past the texture. I like my hash browns crispy and this casserole was rather mushy except for the edges. I even thawed and drained the frozen hash browns before cooking. I might try the recipe one more time with a different brand of frozen, shredded potatoes. I used Great Value brand and they might be the reason for the weird texture.
The potatoes are covered with liquid (egg & milk), so regardless of brand, they will not be crispy aside from a little bit along the edges.
It says cook time 1:10 but another part in the recipe says 55-60 min. Can you clarify?
The baking time is correct as listed in the recipe (55-65min). The additional cook time includes browning the sausage.
Have you tried this casserole in individual muffin cups? I ask because I will be serving for a crowd that includes vegetarians. I wanted to offer assorted fillings.
Hi Connie, we have never tried this recipe in individual servings. I would recommend greasing the muffins tins and starting with 25-30 mins and increasing from there if necessary.
Can I cook this recipe at 375 instead of 350?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Brianna. It should be okay but I would keep a close eye on it because it may need a short bake time. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
This is terrible. There is NO taste. It looks good, but is very bland. I followed this recipe to the T. Just no taste. Needs butter, salt, more flavor. Don’t waste your Pennies!
I hope you try it again Kathy and maybe use more seasoning. Along with the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in the egg mixture I also sprinkled a garlic and herb medley as well as onion powder on top of potato, cheese and veggie layer, before I poured the egg mixture on top. The potatoes benefited from this and the smell when it was baking was wonderful and the taste, even better. Worth more than pennies.
Any tips as to why my casserole always has liquid at the bottom. I thaw and dry out the potatoes….I don’t use mushrooms….I can’t think of anything else would cause this. But it happens every time.
Hmmm, we haven’t had it turn out watery, sorry to hear that! Do you drain the sausage after cooking? That should help with the liquid.
Best breakfast casserole ever! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This was amazing ,I served it for a brunch and my family loved it! Seasoning was right on point!!
I didnt make it yet but looks really good and simple. Only thing i will swap out is 20 oz of shredded potatoes, cause I never use packaged hashbrowns.
Great recipe! I did not have sausage so I used bacon and instead of the frozen hashbrowns I used fresh shredded potatoes with a southwestern flavor. My family really likes spice so I also added some sliced jalapeños on top with the grated cheese! It was a huge hit!! I will make it with sausage next time and can see how easily this could be vegetarian. Thanks for the great recipe, this one’s a keeper
Looks delicious. Will add some chopped green chile!
Could this delicious recipe be made in mini muffin tins? If so, what baking temp and for how long?
Hi Caroline, we have never tried this recipe in individual servings. I would recommend greasing the muffins tins and starting with 25-30 mins and increasing from there if necessary.
Made this recipe for a girls trip. Added diced red and yellow pepper and cooked chopped mushrooms. I seasoned with Herbs d’ Provence. I used coarsely shredded frozen hash browns and they worked well, however, I did drain them after thawing as there was a LOT of water. I think this is a necessary step that is not included. I used more cheese too than what recipe calls for (cheddar and Monterey Jack). I cooked it ahead of time, covered with foil, kept it cool on ice, and then reheated for first morning of our trip. On the second morning I scrambled the leftovers in a skillet until heated through, and it was good that way too. Served it with hot sauce and/or salsa. Very good!
Sounds delicious…what seasonings are best to add and how much? Thank you!
Hi Joanne, we love adding 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning, along with some pepper and salt.
it would be really helpful if you could ad the (add to homescreen button) in the menu.
I add recipes in folders on my phone screen, most recipes have the option.
thank you
Thank you for the feedback Steve, I will look at adding this!
Outstanding recipe, but, to make it easier use the Potatoes O’Brien that already have the peppers and onions in it. Also, a pack of diced ham for the meat part works well.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing, Gordon.
I make this recipe often and it turns out amazing every time! We sometimes add in bacon as well!
Are you able to freeze leftover? thanks wonderful recipe.
Yes, leftovers can be frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Can you use square hash browns?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Sarah, but that should work just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Hi Sarah. I have used the square diced hash browns and it has turned out great both times. No need to thaw and I don’t have water in the bottom. The reason I took a chance on diced hash browns is because the Great Value brand doesn’t have a long list of unnecessary ingredients. Hope this helps.