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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Can this be made using the “Simply Potatoes” brand shredded potatoes? I have some I have to use soon.
Yes, that will work perfectly!
This is great! We have 8 chickens and sometimes too many eggs, so this recipe uses a lot of them up. I use it all the time. Thank you!
This looks delicious but thinking of subbing spinach for peppers!
Think this would work?
If the spinach is cooked (or thawed) and squeezed dry I think it’ll work just fine. Let us know how it goes!
I’ve made this as written and it’s amazing (my mom is obsessed with it especially), and I also have started making it using “root vegetable” hash browns from Whole Foods, and those are made with shredded potato, carrot, and sweet potato. It turns out amazing that way too, and has been a godsend since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes a month ago! What a wonderful low-carb dish, packed with veggies, that I can make ahead (and even freeze) to help make life easier in the mornings. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hello,
This looks delish but I am contemplating baking these in muffin tins, how long do you think I need to bake them if i do that way?
Hosting a brunch in January my guess is that portion control will be something people are working on and then freezing leftovers sounds easier.
Thanks so much.
I’ve only tried this as written so I can’t say for sure but I would suggest about 18-20 minutes. Let us know how it works out for you!
Can I shred and use real potatoes?
I’ve only made this with cooked/defrosted potatoes. I would be concerned that raw may not cook through. If you do try it Tammy, please let us know how it works out for you!
I have use real potatoes twice now and it turned out amazing both times. I shredded my potatoes and rinsed in cold water twice to remove the starch. Then I added them to a pot of cold water and brought them to a boil for 5 minutes. I drained them patted them dry and then used them. They were amazing! Everything else with the recipe is so good!
Thanks for sharing Diana!
Are you supposed to bake it covered? I wish instructions were a bit easier. I cook all the time, but had to look in multiple places trying to figure out the steps
This is baked uncovered.
I just found this site and haven’t tried any recipes as yet but the recipes all look good and I will starting using them.
Thanks Karen! We hope you enjoy them!
Thank you! Made this before and everyone LOVED it.
I was wondering though if I could cook the hash browns a little before to get them a little crunchy, think that will work?
I haven’t tried it. While they might get a little crunchy, the egg mixture will soften them once you add it and it cooks through.
I have been making this casserole for over 20 years and always have cooked the hashbrowns with the onions, peppers and garlic first. It gives them a better taste in the casserole.
I forgot to defrost the hash browns and did use cubed instead of shredded and it still turned out great. I popped it in the oven, finished opening presents and it was ready to enjoy! Thank you for a delicious Christmas morning breakfast that didn’t leave me stuck in the kitchen all morning. SWP Employee
Merry Christmas Samantha! So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I made this for Christmas brunch. My son-in-law raved about it! I plan to make it every year.
Made this Christmas morning and it was absolutely amazing!! I prepared everything Christmas Eve and let it sit overnight. My Dad said it was the best breakfast casserole he has ever had. I added ham, sausage, sweet onion, mushrooms, red/green peppers and of course plenty of cheddar cheese This will be my go to for breakfast gatherings. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe
Hi
Can I use diced hashbrowns for this recipe?
Yes Stephanie, as mentioned in the post, you should cook them first. Enjoy!
I accidentally bought hash browns with peppers and onions but it was a great mishap. I added a yellow pepper because that is all I had. Topped half cheddar and half pepper Jack slices on the other side. I added ham because it’s a favorite. Perfection! I love the versatility of this recipe. Soooo good!
This recipe was extremely easy, looked festive for Christmas, and was a crowd pleaser. I may make it every Christmas now. Thank you!
Thanks for the recipe. I followed it exactly except my peppers and onions were from a frozen mix. Delish, moist, easy. We all loved it.
Made this exactly as written and it was a huge hit, very tasty!
One word…
DELICIOUS
Made this for Christmas Day! So easy to prep Christmas Eve and it turned out so tasty! I did put my spin on it and caramelized the onions before mixing them in! I also forgot the cheese on top, but we didn’t miss it. Next time I think I’ll cut the cheese in cube chunks, they make pockets of melty cheese! I usually do that with my quiches.
Easy and tasty! I used heavy cream (what we had) and vegetarian sausage. I agree a good amount of salt is required, I used a tsp. I wasn’t too into the layered aspect though so next time I will mix the potatoes with the veggies and sausage before adding the egg mixture. I did not need to use tinfoil and like a golden cheese, but do think the whole dish cooked slightly quicker than recommended (check the eggs).
Very good ! Don’t eat pork so used sweet italian chicken sausage. Also used potatoes O’brian for the hashbrowns.
Made this today and directions didn’t mention covering with foil when baking. Looks over cooked and had 12 minutes left in the timer. Hopefully it cooked through and tastes ok
This should not be covered. The cheese on top will become browned and a little bit crisp.
I think try and place a sheet of aluminum foil the last 15 minutes or so. Just lay on top. Otherwise the cheese and eggs can get overdone. That’s what I do.