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.
Do I cover it to bake?
It is baked uncovered
It looks like a lot more than 1/2 a teaspoon of seasoning and a lot less than 2 cups of cheese in the video…
The recipe in the video is the same as the written recipe. Enjoy!
Everyone should watch the video! It shows you exactly what to do. Merry Christmas, Holly. I love your site. Just finished putting the casserole together for Christmas morning. First time making.
My family is excited!
Enjoy the recipe Mary and Merry Christmas to you and your family too!
I am going to try this for christmas Morning VEGAN style!!!
I do have backup items in case it flops!
Using JUST EGGS for the egg substitution
Using Daiya Cheddar cheese
Using Impossible Sausage patties subsitution
Almond milk for evaporated milk…
Onion- red pepper – hash brown potatos
I will let you all know how it goes!!!!
DAIRY FREE –
Made this for the first time for my Great grand daughter, Destiny and her growing family.
While they were out visiting other family her grandpa and I made it, and then refrigerated overnight while we cleaned the kitchen.
The next morning, what a breeze it was to bake breakfast. We simply popped it in the oven while we drank our coffee.
No big messes to clean up in the morning. If you are on the fence about trying it, go for it. If us 60 year olds can make it you can too!
Thanks for helping to make our retired life even better! Happy New Year !!!
This was good, but it would have been helpful if the directions were clearer. Your video shows you mixing the potatoes, cheese, and veggies, but nowhere in the written text does it say to mix everything. It says to place potatoes on the bottom of the casserole and then add veggies. The way it’s written sounds like it’s supposed to be layered.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Beth! They can be either layered or mixed. If you’d like to layer, simply sprinkle each ingredient across the hashbrowns or stir them up if you’d prefer.
Do you think I could use broth or almond milk in place of cow’s milk? My hubbie is sensitive to milk. TY!
While I haven’t tried it, I can’t see any reason a non-dairy milk wouldn’t work. It may change the flavor a little bit. Please let us know how it works out for you!
What goes first in the first layer? The hash browns, then the sausage ? Lastly the egg mixture? Plan on making the for Christmas breakfast.
I mix the hashbrowns, sausage, onions, peppers and some of the cheese in the bottom of the pan. They don’t need to be layered, I mix them up. After mixing the eggs, evaporated milk and seasonings, pour it over the hashbrowns mixture. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese on top and bake.
Where does the other cheese go? It’s mentioned in the recipe and this comment to reserve ½ c of cheese but it never says where you add the rest of it. do you mix it with the potatoes? I just assembled this as per the recipe, and now I’m about to pour the egg mixture on, but I have not added any cheese yet to anything… I guess it’s all going on top!
Step 5. Place remaining ingredients in a 9×13 baking pan. The cheese is part of the remaining ingredients. Enjoy the recipe!
HI Holly! Very excited to make this for my family! If I make it today, will it still be good on Christmas morning?
Thanks!
Yes, this should be fine made 2 days ahead of time.
Hi! So happy I found this recipe to try for Christmas morning! If making the night before do I add the eggs before I refrigerate or in the morning before baking?
Thanks so much!
Yes, the eggs are added the night before. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
I’m making this for Christmas morning but plan on baking the day before. What are the directions for re-heating in the oven.
You’ll want to bake it just until heated through, 350°F for about 25 min.
Thank you bunches Holly. Merry Christmas
Update: I made this for Christmas and it was perfect! I made two 8×8 pans. One with no cheese. One with no veggies. I cooked half a pound of sausage and half a pound of bacon and split it between the two. I used the full amount of veggies in the one pan and it was not overwhelming. I only used 4 eggs for each pan and then added in 2 more for both since it didn’t seem like enough. Next time I will use a full 8 eggs per pan. My brother is tall and skinny and barely eats anything. He went back for seconds. There was only one small piece left of both at the end of breakfast. My husband asked me later that night to make another one. Thank you Holly for sharing this wonderful recipe. I will be making this every Christmas and then some.
Do you think it would be okay to substitute cut up biscuit for the hashbrowns?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure how it would work (but it does sound delicious)!
Hi, I printed your recipe for 4 servings but the bake time is still the same. I was planning on cooking in an 8×8 pan.
I would suggest 35-45 minutes for an 8×8 pan or until set.
I made this for a surprise birthday brunch party over the summer. It was definitely a crowd pleaser and easily altered to accommodate different additions. ’ll be making this again for my family Christmas morning. Thanks for posting a great and easy to assemble casserole!
Can you use bacon instead of sausage?
Sure you can!
I would love to to try it
Looking forward to making this for Christmas brunch. Can it be made with frozen hash brown patties?
I haven’t tried it but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let us know how it goes!
Yes i used hashbrown Patty’s instead of shredded hashbrowns seem to come out better
I always make this casserole with frozen hash brown potatoes. I let them thaw out first before assembling.
How about tater tots? Can that be used same way?
I haven’t tried it with tater tots but I do think it would work.
My question is if I can use the square ore ida hash browns with the onion and diced green pepper already added.
Yes, those will work just fine.
Are the hash browns cooked first before mixing with other ingredients or just used thawed out of the bag?
Hi Sandra, they are just thawed and then added in step 5. Enjoy!
I haven’t tried this yet but it looks yummy and easy too! Could you please tell me how to layer the ingredients after you put the potatoes into the casserole dish? I don’t see any directions regarding that in the recipe itself; although I see in your discussion on the recipe that it mentions adding the cheese, sausage and then vegetables. Is that how I would layer the ingredients…. in that order? Sorry, to be so needy, but would just appreciate knowing the actual order so I don’t mess up the recipe when I try it. Thanks so much! :)
I mix the hashbrowns, sausage, onions, peppers and some of the cheese in the bottom of the pan. They don’t need to be layered, I mix them up. After mixing the eggs, evaporated milk and seasonings, pour it over the hashbrowns mixture. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese on top and bake.
Let us know how it turns out for you.
Thanks so much for the clarification…. I appreciate the help; and as I said I’m so sorry to be needy and have extra questions for you. I’ll let you know how much we liked it when I make it. :) :)
Ask all the questions you’d like and I’ll do my best to help you out! I can’t wait to hear how it goes for you!