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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Delicious! House of four with different pallets and everyone loves it! I use heavy whipping cream instead of evaporated milk and I add slices of smoked sausage as well. We’re meat eaters. Once finished my husband likes to drizzle syrup on his. I drizzle some green pepper sauce on mine. Highly recommend this dish!
That all sounds so delicious, Kristy!
I love this recipe and it is my go-to for a great sit down brunch. I am wondering if you have ever modified this recipe to mix it all in a bowl and bake it in muffin tins for grab-and-go individual servings?
I have never tried that Susie but I think it’s a great idea! I would grease or line the muffin wells, fill each well ⅔ full and bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until they are set. I would love to hear how they turn out for you!
I finally followed through and used the recipe to make egg casserole “muffins” so we could transport breakfast this week. It worked wonderfully and the recipe made 36 individual servings. My hash browns were frozen so the baking time was closer to 32 minutes. I made them last night and this morning they were a big hit with just 30 second in the microwave to warm and out the door they went! They’ll be a regular beside the normal casserole which is our “go to” brunch item that everyone loves.
I am so happy to hear that, Susie!
Made this with regular milk and it was delicious! It did well in the fridge for a couple days too and then I froze the rest. I was able to easily heat leftovers up in the microwave!
how long can I store in the frig before baking?
It can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Easy and excellent! I’ve made a cooked immediately and overnight in the fridge for brunch next day. Both fantastic!
Nice flavors! I think the cooking time should be less than 55 mins, I would recommend checking it with a butter knife at 40 min. my fault for not vhevking it closer– but I was making your banana bread and fruit salad with this recipe! All together a nice recipe
I made this with Almond Breeze nondairy milk, duck eggs which are supposed to be healthier, and cubed hash browns. I used APPLEGATE brand of precooked turkey sausage, and everything turned out great. Thank you for the recipe.
I have a ‘big’ supersized sheetpan (20″ x 14″).
I’m wondering if I can size up for 12 people and use the pan — thoughts?
It’s for the groomsmen and a few guests at our son’s wedding this Saturday morning.
I have only made this recipe as listed so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. But you will need to increase the cooking time to ensure the center is fully cooked. You could also opt for making two 9×13 pans to have a better gurantee on how they will turn out!
Did you end up using the supersized sheet pan? Any adjustments? Thank you.
Can you bake it and refrigerate and reheat the next day? And if so reheating directions please
You can store the cooled casserole in the fridge after it’s been baked for up to 2 days. To reheat, let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before reheating at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Enjoy!
Step 6 says cover with foil. Step 7 says bake uncovered. Which is it?!
Cover if you’re storing overnight. Bake uncovered.
We love this casserole for Christmas morning! We cook the sausage and assemble it the night before then on Christmas morning all we have to do is take it out of the fridge and put it in the oven and it cooks while we open presents. It’s become a Christmas tradition!
This turned out SO fab!! The only modification I made was leaving out the sausage because I’m veg, but otherwise followed it to the letter and it was perfection. I actually made it the day before so that we could easily cut pieces and microwave them in the morning since we eat so early already. Love love love and saving this recipe forever!
I make this with Morningstar Farms veggie chorizo sausage! Yummy!
This was perfect for Christmas morning and everyone loved it! Popped it in the oven while we opened gifts and it was ready when we were! SWP Employee
So I made this and it came out SUPER watery. I followed the recipe exactly. Any ideas?
Hmm, I’m not sure Kay. Were your hash browns thawed before adding to the dish?
The veggies have water in them.. I partially cook the veggies on the stove top first to reduce moisture level….
Yikes.. It’s been cooking for 1 1/2 hours and it’s runny in the middle. It’s not suppose to be that way, right? It was sitting on the counter, from the frig, for more than 30 minutes. Anyone else have that problem? First time for me making it.
Sorry to hear that, Bonnie. Sounds like you did everything right, maybe another reader has a suggestion!
Can you use diced hash browns if you don’t have shredded?
Yes, diced hash browns will work just fine!
Do I freeze this casserole uncooked or cooked
You can bake it and then freeze it or freeze it before baking with great results. It can also be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.
I have made this many times and its a hit! I am making this for Christmas but they only have the frozen hashbrowns in stock right now. Any tips on using frozen hashbrowns? Thanks!
I leave the frozen hash browns out to thaw for an hour or so.
love this recipe!! thank you so much for posting it! I used it last year. I’m wanting to make this today or tomorrow so I don’t have to worry about it on Christmas morning. I’m gonna use the frozen hashbrown patties as well. Should I add them in frozen since I won’t be baking it until the next day?
thanks again!! Merry Christmas!
You can add them frozen if the casserole is sitting in the fridge until the next day. You can also fry them a bit in a pan before adding to the casserole if you prefer a crispier hash brown. Either way, I would let the casserole sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes in the morning before baking. Let us know how it turns out, Ashley!
I always add diced ham too and when it’s finished, add shredded cheese, green onion and crumbled bacon to the top. I also have sausage gravy on the side for anyone who wants to add that to theirs if they want.
Hands-down, one of the best breakfast casseroles, I’ve tasted! And my family agrees!