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
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 came out great! Everyone wanted more but there was no more lol.
I did not love this recipe as much as others… honestly my husband and I found it super mushy. So if this because I made it the night before and then baked it that morning?
This is absolutely fantastic! I work at an amazing high school where a breakfast casserole shared with co-workers sparks a fulll-blown, building-wide contribution of many casseroles and sides. I always, always bring home an empty 13 x 9 with this recipe!
I recommend adding more eggs. I made the recipe once before using just eight and that was not enough liquid so this time I made it With 10 eggs. Next time I’ll make it with 12 because I would’ve liked to have had more of the eggy goodness. Other than that it’s a fabulous recipe.
My family loves this breakfast casserole! So easy to put together – and being able to prepare it in advance makes it convenient when you’re having a big gathering. One of my daughters has celiac so being gluten free is essential. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Hi Holly
I enjoy your recipes, but notice when I want to cut down serving size, your instructions don’t change quantities/measurements?
I only cook for 2/4 – the ingredients amount changes down, but instructions still use same size 9×13 dish, and in #3 it still says 1 1/2 cups. (but I only need 1 cup for my amount??)
The serving size will only reflect in the ingredients list, not within the written instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Hello! Can you freeze this?
You can freeze it well, just thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Hi: Could you shred fresh potato or sweet potato instead of frozen hash browns?
More of a fresh food fan….
I think it would work but would suggest partially cooking and cooling the fresh grated potatoes. Let us know how it goes!
This was absolutely delicious! I think I might try to make it next time with maple sausage? We’ll see how that tastes!
Been making this for a couple of years now for holiday breakfasts. Have to thank you always a hit and SUPER EASY!!! I ask the family if they’d something different and the answer is always no ❤️
I am a longtime fan of your recipes. I especially appreciate the opportunity to read through the comments to see how everyone puts their spin on the dishes you outline. For example, I sautéed the onion and peppers with sausage. This one is a protein-packed punch on a day (Easter) when there is a lot of sugar around. Thank you!
Thank you for following along, so glad you loved it Kate! I agree, I love seeing the different ideas everyone comes up with.
Love this casserole
IN HASHBROWN CN I PUT MUSHROOMS HOW MANY EGGS?
You can add mushrooms, I would suggest cooking and cooling them first so the casserole doesn’t get runny. You will need 8 eggs for this recipe.
I can’t wait to eat this. It looks like it’s gonna be yummy and easy to bake and also easy for leftovers.
My family makes an almost identical form of this recipe but we do it in a crock pot overnight, so instead of evaporated milk we use half and half. Long-time favorite of all of us! :3
That sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing, Skye!
Hi, I tried this casserole tonight and it was good. But it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us
I made the casserole in the glass pan and it turned out wonderful. I am organizing a community breakfast and was wondering if this can be baked in a foil pan? I would be easier for my volunteers to use a foil pan.
Thank you in advance.
I have only made this recipe as listed but other readers have made this recipe in foil pans with great results.
I had all ingredients ready to go and my 12 year old grandson threw it all together…easy to make. This is the first time making/eating this casserole and I LOVE IT!!! I love the texture…neither to soft nor too dry. It was appetite pleasing as it kept me from being hungry for a few hours (and I’m not little). In fact, it was my brunch meal for the next few days!
I like to follow recipes as printed for the first try. But I did personalize by adding some green chili before baking. After the first, meal I then tried some maple syrup before eating. I’m guessing with a bit of salsa this could be a breakfast burrito without the tortilla.
I’m in love with spendwithpennies.com recipes.
That is so sweet of you, Terry! I am glad you are enjoying them.
I absolutely love making this casserole. It’s easy to make and I always receive compliments! You know it’s goid when there is nothing left!!!!
this was delicious.made it for the family and would like to do it again for the relatives
what else woul you put on the plate… …..
Jane
We like to serve it with fruit salad on the side and toast.