Breakfast Casserole  Recipe (2024)

By Lidey Heuck

Updated Oct. 12, 2023

Breakfast Casserole Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Rating
4(527)
Notes
Read community notes

The breakfast casserole is a perennial favorite for good reason: It’s easy to make, crowd-pleasing and endlessly customizable. Frozen hash browns provide great texture in this simple version, but feel free to use leftover cooked potatoes, diced into ½-inch pieces, in their place. Fry up a pound of bacon or use ½ pound of cubed ham instead of the Italian sausage, and experiment with different shredded cheeses. Made as written, or with your own additions, this casserole is a dependable and delicious breakfast standby.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

  • Unsalted butter, for greasing
  • 1pound frozen diced or shredded hash browns
  • Olive oil
  • 1pound bulk breakfast sausage or Italian sausage, casings removed (or 12 ounces smoked bacon, cooked; see Tip)
  • 12large eggs
  • 2cups whole milk
  • teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 1teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½teaspoon black pepper
  • 2cups/8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar
  • Chopped fresh scallions or chives (optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

696 calories; 54 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 936 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Breakfast Casserole Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-13-inch ceramic or metal baking dish with butter. Set the hash browns out at room temperature to thaw slightly, breaking up any clumps.

  2. Step

    2

    Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned and starting to crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.

  3. Step

    3

    In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, Italian seasoning and pepper.

  4. Step

    4

    Place the hash browns in the prepared baking dish, along with the cooked sausage and the cheese. Toss until combined, then spread into an even layer. Pour in the egg mixture, making sure the hash browns are submerged.

  5. Step

    5

    Bake, uncovered, until the eggs are set and the casserole is lightly browned at the edges, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then top with scallions, if using. Cut into squares and serve.

Tip

  • If using bacon, fry the bacon strips in a large skillet set over medium heat, turning occasionally, until the bacon is crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then cut into ½-inch pieces.

Ratings

4

out of 5

527

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Wicko

It might be a good idea to bake the hash browns for 10-13 minutes in the bottom of the casserole and then add the egg mixture and finish baking. This crisps up the potatoes a little, giving a more layered effect to the casserole.

TYS>ATL>TPA>ATL>LAX>ATL

If there's water in the bottom of your pan after cooking this for 45 minutes at 350, there is a good chance that you have overcooked the casserole. When eggs are cooked perfectly, there is no water. Once they start overcooking the proteins constrict in the eggs and start releasing water. The best thing to do is take it out of the oven immediately and let it sit for a minute to reabsorb the water. Similar to cooking a steak.

Sharon

I have done this without the meat. Additions have been onions, colored peppers, diced broccoli, and a dash of hot sauce. It repeats well, but freezing and reheating did not.

Sue

Great recipe. Add onions and peppers for color and texture. Also can be prepared at night and baked the next morning.

laurie

I find baking bacon on sheet pan with parchment paper a more consistent cooking method. Less cleanup, also.

Carol G

As suggested, I pre-crisped the potatoes by layering them in the bottom of the pan and putting them in the oven as it heated up. This thawed the potatoes and got them started with the cooking. I also added onion and spinach. But I could also see it being good with nearly any veg. For those who had the watery issue, I suspect that it may be from adding too much milk. I like my eggs more firm and all of the milk in this recipe put it right on the edge for me. Next time, I’ll do maybe 1/3 less.

Katie B.

I am confused as to why the cooking newsletter describes hash browns as the topping, rather than the base...and then the photo shows cheese on top, though the recipe has it in the base under the eggs -- or is that what happens when it's cooked?

Cook Time Increased

I had to cook this a solid ten additional minutes to cook the egg. After 45 minutes, it was still runny at the bottom.

Doub

100 percent agree. The parchment paper is key

Maimeo

When cooking bacon that will be used crumbled, I use a kitchen shears to cut the uncooked bacon into small pieces, fry them up, and use a slotted spoon to put them on paper towels. Sliced pieces cook more evenly and quickly than strips that curl. There is also less splatter and easier cleanup.

Laine

We’ve served a similar recipe in our family that uses tater tots as the base. You can also add fresh diced tomatoes, chilis, bacon, mushrooms, etc to change it up. This is a nice recipe to prepare the night before and bake in the morning, especially on weekends or holidays like Christmas morning.

Jack Drinkem

Being a vegetarian who shouldn’t eat eggs (medical reasons), this is easily doable with materials that have become available recently, like faux-eggs and vegan faux-sausage. And it’s also not that bad for type-2 diabetic, with less than 30 grams of carbs! I look forward to making it, but I probably will season it differently with sautéed onions, crushed garlic and various herbs.

Charlotte Thacker

Swift’s Premium Sausage printed basically the same recipe in magazine ads about 35 years ago, and I and my now-grown sons have been serving it often ever since. Only real difference is that Swift called for only five eggs, and for 1 tsp dried mustard instead of the Italian seasoning.

Octoberation

Defrosting frozen hash browns helps the liquid-in-bottom issue; partially defrosted mine in oven 10 mins then continued recipe. Swapped garlic and herb mix for Italian blend. Baked nearly an hour; came out light and tasty, nice browning along the edges. This morning, I reheated for two minutes on med-low microwave setting. Consistency was as nice as the first serve. All we need is a crowd!

dimmerswitch

MLOREEN You ask what is Italian Seasoning. It is a preblended herb mix. Different brands sell it. I never use it, I just create my own from dried herbs, but my mom did in the day. Search for it by Cento, Spice House, McCormick and so on. Typically contains oregano, thyme, marjoram, sometimes basil or rosemary. Blends vary by seller. I just put together my own.

dimmerswitch

Never before have I used frozen hashed brown potatoes, but needing a casserole type dish for breakfast meal serving omnivore who are also celiac guests, I chose Ore-Ida hash browns (one of several brands that are gluten free), a top quality sausage that I knew to be gluten free (and from pigs raised in pasture by a local farmer) and this recipe, made just as written worked really well.

Dorothy

Italian Sweet Sausage is my go to in any breakfast casserole.

Annoferie

Why do you need to use frozen potatoes?

karin

I made this vegetarian by replacing the sausage with onion/mushroom/yellow bell pepper/garlic/sage. Sauté diced onions for ~10 min with a little salt, and then add diced pepper (cook for 1 min), add sliced mushrooms (cook until everything soft/toothy). Add minced garlic and a lot of powdered sage, cook until fragrant, salt and black pepper to taste. Pro tip: you can prep the veggies a day or two in advance and refrigerate until ready to assemble casserole!

Nutmeg

Needs more salt as it was kinda bland, that and the hash browns need a bit more structure to them. Otherwise, it's fine! I used fully thawed shredded hash browns and baked at 350 for 40 minutes, no watery issue that others were having.I'd definitely crisp the hash browns up before putting in all the other stuff, without the added texture it's kinda just slop without any slop foundation. Maybe toss the hash with salt and butter and toss it in a 450 oven while prepping the sausage and eggs.

PCK

I used Simply Potatoes refrigerated hash browns. No need for thawing or worrying about watery potatoes. Great to use for latkes, as well.

Cali

Loved this recipe! After baking, I sliced into squares and wrapped each in parchment paper, then froze. Made an easy grab-and-go breakfast that is quick to reheat in the mornings before work.

hains

I am curious if I could use grated sweet potatoes to improve the nutritional value. Your thoughts?

Katie

Made to serve 15 kids with various food preferences. Cooked with cheese on top rather than mixed in and turned out great. Less picky eaters added hot sauce or salsa since seasoning was limited.

Brushjl

I had no problems with the texture, it baked perfectly. Even though I used hot Italian sausage, the dish was a bit bland.

lauren

I made this ahead of time for Christmas morning and froze it before cooking it. Every single person who ate it raved about how good it was. Delicious!

Adam

I made hash browns (entire bag, almost 2 lbs) in a non stick skillet in oil, tried to get them crispy. Used all of it…had to increase the eggs to 15.

Vince

This was really good and easy for Christmas morning. I pre made everything and combined all but the eggs. I agree the hash browns could have been browned before, probably in the same glass pan before adding the eggs as they were pretty soft.

ki

Crisp hash browns first with broiler. Next time might use potato square hasbrowns for more crispness. We kept the meat on the side and did it with sautéed green and red bell peppers for Christmas morning. Onions too. Layered it like lasagna hash browns, veggies, cheese (felt like a lot putting it on but ratio tasted perfect), then egg mixture. Our oven works fast so we took it out way early (like 35 mins total)

emma

This recipe is great, forgiving and very customizable! I found that the outsides were cooking faster than the insides and I didn’t want it to get too dark. I started with 30 minutes at 350 degrees, then turned down the oven to 325 degrees for another 15 minutes (checking after 10 minutes). It came out great and was a huge hit with my family!

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Breakfast Casserole  Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are 5 components of a casserole? ›

Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese. But making a casserole is not an exact science, and you can definitely break away from this formula. Check out some fun side-dish casseroles and desserts below!

What is John Wayne casserole made of? ›

That's right, the iconic John Wayne Casserole is named after none other than the actor himself. Typically, you'll find that most recipes call for refrigerated biscuits or Bisquick, onions, red bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, sour cream, mayonnaise, ground beef, tomatoes, taco seasoning, and Cheddar cheese.

What is breakfast casserole made of? ›

Have you ever made a breakfast casserole? The basic ingredients are eggs, cheese, milk, and bread. It's the easiest thing in the world to put together. We have a sausage breakfast casserole on the site that is one of my favorites.

Why do you have to refrigerate breakfast casserole overnight? ›

The casserole is covered and refrigerated overnight to allow the liquid ingredients to be absorbed into the bread. This is a perishable mixture and should be cooked the morning or day after assembly.

What is the oldest known casserole? ›

Macaroni and cheese is the oldest written casserole recipe found in 1250.

What is Jackie Kennedy casserole? ›

A simple homemade side dish recipe with egg noodles, sauteed onions and a simple sour cream sauce very much like Beef Stroganoff or Noodles Romanoff. Sonya Tesch. Dinners.

What is the most popular casserole dish size? ›

"The standard size of a casserole dish is 9 by 13 inches. However, due to varying shapes, they are often measured by volume, with three quarts being average,” says Contrino. “It is important to note that if a recipe calls only for a casserole dish, it is most likely asking for a 9- by 13-inch rectangular size.

What ethnicity is casserole? ›

The word casserole is derived from a French word that means 'saucepan'. Apparently, casseroles originated as communal pots that people shared for meals. The oldest recipe for a casserole, around 1250, consisted of pasta sheets cooked in water, layered with grated cheese and spices.

Why is my breakfast casserole soggy? ›

Incorrect oven temperature - Casseroles that are baked at an oven temperature that is too low may not cook evenly, resulting in a soggy top and a firm or crunchy bottom. Too much liquid - Casseroles that have too much liquid may not be able to absorb all of the moisture, leading to a soggy top.

What is the difference between a quiche and a breakfast casserole? ›

Egg Casserole

They are heartier than a quiche, leaning more towards a strata in texture. If you are dairy-free, you can use almond, cashew, coconut, hemp, rice, soy milk, or any other non-dairy milk you prefer.

Why is my breakfast casserole dry? ›

Probably 2 things: you're not using enough sauce, and you're baking it uncovered. Possibly the sauce you're using is too dry as well.

Can you leave raw egg mixture in fridge? ›

If you've got raw egg yolks or whites left over from a recipe which you don't want to waste (let's face it, why would you?), you can store them in the fridge as long as you plan to use them within the next few days.

Is it safe to eat cooked eggs left out overnight? ›

Never leave cooked eggs or egg dishes out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or for more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90° F. Bacteria that can cause illness grow quickly at warm temperatures (between 40° F and 140° F).

Can you make egg casserole 2 days ahead without? ›

Cover the casserole and store it (unbaked) in the refrigerator overnight or up to one day. Bake in the morning, according to recipe instructions. To freeze breakfast casserole prepare the recipe and add to your pan. Cover well with plastic wrap and then tinfoil and freeze for 2-3 months.

What are the main components of a casserole? ›

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

What are the five components of a dish? ›

Here's an introduction to balancing the five key flavours in your cooking. Sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami are five taste elements that build our overall perception of flavour.

What are the 5 components of cooking? ›

So I was wondering today if its essential to have all salt, spicy, sweet, sour and umami in every dish we cook.

What are casserole dishes made of? ›

“A casserole dish and a baking dish are the same thing, an oven-safe piece of cookware, usually made of ceramic, porcelain, or glass,” says Anthony Contrino, Emmy-awarded culinary producer and food stylist. "They can come in various shapes, with the most common being rectangular, oval, or square.

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