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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I just made this. Are the hash browns supposed to get crispy?
I would have preferred that, but mine didn’t. It was still delicious topped with some salsa, though
They don’t really get crispy as they’re soaked in the egg/milk mixture. Glad you enjoyed it!
Easy and delicious breakfast casserole. I used cooked bacon instead of sausage and sprayed my glass Pyrex dish w/ cooking spray. Perfect for Sunday morning breakfast or brunch. Whole family loved it. I will definitely make this again!
If I am Going to freeze it, do I bake it first then freeze it or just make it and put it right in the freezer?
I bake it and freeze individual servings.
Hi Holly,
Mixing ham with sausage in this casserole, is that okay?
Yes, that would work just fine.
How long should the hash browns thaw? Is it baked covered or uncovered? Would I need to spray the pyrex dish first?
You can defrost them overnight in the fridge for for about an hour on the counter. This dish is baked uncovered. You can spray the pan if you’d like, I don’t usually though.
Instructions say to cover and refrigerate or bake… does that mean it should be covered when baking? Mine started browning very quickly while baking, but by the time I realized and added a cover, it was already hard…
I bake this uncovered so the cheese can get a little bit browned.
Thank you
I was wondering if I should brown the hash browns before putting the casserole together.
Hi Patty, we thaw the hashbrowns then toss them into the casserole without browning. If you try browning first, let us know how it turns out!
I always brown mine with a little chopped onion and it is fabulous this way!
Can you put this together day before, bake 1/2 way and then finish up the other 1/2 in the morning? this is the best casserole but i have never baked it 1/2 way through the day before. thanks!!
I haven’t tried baking if halfway but I would be concerned that the eggs wouldn’t set up properly if baked halfway.
That being said, if you’re short on time, this can be baked the day before and it does reheat well. I hope that helps.
I was making breakfast for dinner tonight but, instead of a traditional bacon, eggs & hash browns, hubby asked for a casserole. I decided to try your recipe & I was not disappointed! I used sausage & bacon. Hubby & I were silent as we filled our faces lol! We topped ours with a little bit of sour cream & it was AWESOME! I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks!
I put together the night before, cover and leave in fridge overnight, then pop in the oven in the morning. Always turns out well.
Made this and it was/is great! Could you cook it in a crockpot?
Yes, you can find my slow cooker breakfast casserole here.
It would be so helpful if you’d specify how much salt and pepper you use for this recipe since tasting beforehand it’s baked isn’t an option. I’m making this for a group tomorrow morning.
Hi Erin, depending on how much salt and pepper you enjoy you can leave it out or add in ¼ to ½ a teaspoon each to start. I love an extra peppery dish so I always add more!
Loved it. Once a month the scrappin Diva’s get together on a weekend and I made this and it was a hit. Everyone loved it. It will be made again on one of weekends.
I love this especially because it does freeze really well. Since there’s just me now, I really love doing a day of cooking and then tucking it all in the freezer for a few other meals down the road that only require a dish to reheat them. That way I get to spend my whole day doing all the things I love and still getting a great meal. The one thing I put in this recipe is one cup of sour cream that gets added into the bowl with the egg and milk mixture. I hold off putting the cheese reserved for the top until about 10 minutes before it’s supposed to come out of the oven. Seriously DELICIOUS, Holly!!! I LOVE so many of your recipes but my favorite for sure is Crock Pot Stuffing!!! I have shared this recipe so many times with friends and family, I’ve lost track. Everyone who’s tried it is HOOKED!!! LOL
That is great Sandra! So glad you love this recipe as much as we do It is seriously so addictive!
I thought this was going to turn out amazing because it smelled wonderful while baking. I followed the recipe and it was lacking flavor and the texture wasn’t great. It was hard to “salt and pepper to taste” because I couldn’t taste it before it was baked. Might be good tried again but adding some canned green chiles, more cheese and more salt and pepper.
I’m sorry to hear that Heather! So many of our readers have loved this recipe. For extra flavor try using a flavored or spicy Italian sausage meat! Green chilies sound delicious too, and I am firm believer that extra cheese is always the right decision :P
Does the pan need to be sprayed with cooking spray? I already made it ahead of time for a trip we’re going and now I’m scared it will stick. Is the bacon enough fat?
It should be fine without spray.
Please tell me where you got that 2 tone casserole dish! I love it! Great recipe too!
Isn’t it gorgeous, Renee?! It’s a ceramic pottery dish that you can purchase through Etsy!
Do you think it’s possible to freeze in individual servings for a take on the go day?
Definitely Denise. Once cooked and cooled, slice into individual servings and freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Directions about covering then baking are confusing. I had to look through the comments to verify! Bake uncovered.
so good i did something different. instead of onion i added dry onion soup mix to the pork with garlic pepper and italian seasoning omg my son is on bowl 4
I followed recipe to a T. Was bland and mushy and I ended up throwing most of it away.
How disappointing Suzanne! I can’t say for sure what went wrong for you as this recipe has 5 stars from most readers. It is intended to be soft (like an egg bake). I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.
Does this have to be covered while baking?
We bake this uncovered. Enjoy!