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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 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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So easy with dried hash browns or frozen. A huge hit at our house!
Can I use shredded potatoes instead of store bought hash browns?
I would suggest partially cooking them if using fresh potatoes. Use 1 pound of russet potatoes. Peel and quarter the potatoes and boil for 9 to 10 minutes or until almost cooked but still slightly firm. Cool and shred the potatoes on the large side of a box grater. Add an additional 1⁄2 teaspoon seasoned salt to the recipe.
Any thoughts on how long to bake this in big muffin tins? Thank you! Love your recipes!
I think that should work out well! I would use liners so that they come out of the muffin tin easier.
I grow some of my veggies, so I have frozen half pieces of green, red and yellow peppers, can I chop and throw them in frozen or place on paper towel to evaporate awhile? I don’t want a watery end result. Recipe sounds great. Can’t wait to make it for my family.
I would let them thaw and lightly drain just to be safe. Let us know how it goes!
I’m thinking of frying the hash browns a little to get a crispier bite. Is there any reason I shouldn’t do that? Will it ruin it?
I haven’t tried this Liv, I don’t see any reason you couldn’t. The egg will still moisten the hashbrowns so I can’t say for sure how crisp it will be. Let us know how it goes!
What temp do you bake on and can you freeze some for leftovers after baking?
Karina, bake this casserole at 350F. And yes this freezes well. Keep in an airtight container and freeze for up to 4 months.
came out great. I did thaw the peppers and patted with paper towels. was not wet. The family liked it.
Thanks for the recipe
Hi, I will be making this tomorrow. What oven rack do you bake it on, the middle or bottom rack?
I bake it in the middle.
I want to make this tonight but have diced frozen hash browns. . Have you ever made it this way?
Yes, diced hashbrowns will work well in this recipe!
Love this casserole! We make it every year for Christmas and my daughters request it for dinner all the time! I was wondering if I could add in cottage cheese to increase the protein content. Would I swap it for something or use less of something?
I think it would work, I’d suggest reducing the milk.
Delicious! I baked this for my family for a Sunday morning breakfast and everyone loved it! Thank you for this yummy and easy casserole recipe! Going in my recipe cookbook for sure!
Love this recipe. One breakfast casserole lasts a week for me. Thank you.
Do you think I could add frozen broccoli and if so would you thaw or cook first?
Hi Liz, since frozen broccoli is parboiled before freezing it should be fine to toss right in. I would chop it into smaller pieces before adding to the casserole. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Best recipe ever. I will make it often.
I’m looking forward to trying this wonderful recipe! I am planning to double it and use two 13 x 9 pans. I’d like to bake those at the same time, but how would that change the cooking time? Thank you so much!
It should be pretty close to the same as long as there is room for the air to circulate. You may need to add about 10 minutes.
This is an excellent recipe. Simple and delicious. I made it with all veggies. Increased the amounts of vegetables since no meat was added. Will make again.
I have made this twice, and it was good. I would like to make the suggestion to allow it to sit at least 2 hours before baking. The flavors and ingredients meld together and the finished product is more flavorful. The potatoes are softer as well.
Made this for church using venison sausage and it was a hit! I prepped it amd let it sit overnight then baked in the morning. it was easy and delicious
can you use real shredded potatoes instead of frozen ones
I would suggest partially cooking them if using fresh potatoes. Use 1 pound of russet potatoes. Peel and quarter the potatoes and boil for 9 to 10 minutes or until almost cooked but still slightly firm. Cool and shred the potatoes on the large side of a box grater. Add an additional 1⁄2 teaspoon seasoned salt to the recipe.
Can this be baked as mini muffins?
If yes, can it be mixed and added to muffin tins the night before?
It can be baked as mini muffins. I can’t see any reason why it couldn’t be filled the night before.
This was a hit with my family! I did not have sausage so I did not add that in. I did have peameal bacon so I cooked that up to serve on the side. I will definitely be making this again!
Can you name it without meat m?
Yes, it can be made without meat. If you’re adding extra veggies, I’d recommend cooking and cooling them first so they don’t make the casserole watery.
My grocery store was out of bell peppers at the time I was there, so I purchased frozen bell peppers and onions. How can I incorporate them in this casserole? Should I defrost and sauté? Should I steam them in the bag, then put them in the casserole? Or should I throw them in frozen? Thank you for your help!
Hi Courtnie, you should be able to toss them in frozen. They won’t need to be precooked before adding to the casserole.