Breakfast Casserole
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In need of a brunch dish that’s both delicious and easy? My breakfast casserole, brimming with sausage and cheddar, is your answer. Simply assemble it the night before and bake it to golden perfection in the morning!
If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing, stress-free brunch option—perfect for houseguests, Christmas morning, or any special occasion—this classic breakfast casserole recipe is the answer. Packed with savory sausage and cheddar cheese, with a creamy center and golden crust, it’s as flavorful as it is easy to make. Best of all, you can assemble it the night before and bake it in the morning, leaving you free to sip coffee and enjoy time with your guests.
This recipe has a wonderful backstory: it came to me from my dear friend Kelly Santoro, who got it from her friend Corey, who got it from his mother—who first discovered it in an old spiral-bound church cookbook. Such is the path of a great recipe!
“This recipe has become a Christmas morning tradition in our family! So good.”
What You’ll Need To Make The Breakfast Casserole
- Sausage: During the holidays, many grocery stores sell sausage in bulk, eliminating the need to remove casings. If you have links, simply remove the meat by squeezing it out or snipping the casing with scissors and peeling it away. Feel free to use chicken or turkey sausage for a lighter option, or for a vegetarian version, try my spinach and cheese strata.
- Yellow onion: Adds subtle sweetness and depth to the casserole.
- White sandwich bread: Acts as the base, soaking up the custard and giving the casserole its structure. No need to use anything fancy.
- Sharp cheddar (or any good melting cheese): Cheddar adds rich, tangy flavor, but Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, Gouda, or Gruyère all work well.
- Fresh parsley: Brightens everything up with fresh, herby flavor.
- Eggs + half-and-half: Whisk together to form the creamy, custard-like mixture that holds the casserole together.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the bread. Cutting the bread into cubes about 1 inch in size, then set them aside.
Step 2: Cook the sausage and onions. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it into small pieces as you go, until it’s nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Scoop the sausage into a bowl, leaving the drippings in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium, add the onions and another tablespoon of butter, and cook until they’re soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Put the base ingredients together. Combine the onions, sausage, bread cubes, grated cheese, and parsley in a large bowl and toss well to combine.
Step 4: Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, salt, and pepper.
Step 5: Assemble. Spread the casserole mixture into a buttered baking dish. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours, or overnight. (If you’d like to prep even further ahead, you can freeze the assembled casserole at this point for up to two months.)
Step 6: Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for about one hour, uncovered, until the dish has puffed up and the top of the bread is golden brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
More Brunch Recipes To Feed A Crowd
Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 pound sweet or spicy pork sausage, casings removed
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 loaf (18 slices) white sandwich bread, such as Pepperidge Farm, crusts removed and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes
- 2½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- Scant teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking dish with butter.
- In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break the meat into small clumps, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large mixing bowl, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Turn the heat down to medium, then add the onions to the pan along with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook the onions, stirring constantly, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the onions to the mixing bowl with the sausage, along with the bread cubes, grated cheese, and parsley. Toss well, then spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread mixture. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Bake for about one hour, uncovered, until puffed and golden brown. Slice into squares and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’m planning to make this, but being from New Orleans, we use a lot French Bread (Po Boy loaf). I have a loaf that has dried out. What quantity of bread crumbs would be equivalent to the Pepperidge Farms loaf that’s used in the recipe?
Hi Carol, I’ve never measured the bread, but I suspect it should about be 10 – 12 cups. Hope you enjoy!
Made it the day before for Christmas morning brunch. It was fabulous!
Jenn! Thank you for making my holiday season! For a full week I needed to have prepared food for our family and I was able to make ahead and/or freeze many of my dishes. I knew once the family arrived, my grand parenting our three little ones would occupy my time. I made this Savory brunch main the night before Christmas and we enjoyed it with fresh fruit. Weeks ahead I made the Almond-Blueberry Granola bars to take as healthy snacks for our skiing crowd. I did the same with the Spinach Penne Pasta with Fontina dish and served it with meatballs and marinara. The Big Italian Salad was perfect with it and I made the dressing one week ahead. I did the same for the Black Bean, Corn, Edamame Salad and even assembled the ingredients ahead so it only needed to be dressed. The Pumpkin Bread was also frozen ahead for mid-morning nosh. Jenn is my go-to. Her recipes are always my starting point for menu planning. Many thanks to you!
❤️
I made this for Christmas brunch. Was a hit! Everyone loved it. thanks again for another keeper.
Merry Christmas!
I made this for guests I invited to watch an early morning sports game and it was perfect! I made the night before and put in the oven at half-time. Dish was perfect, delicious and ready right when game ended. Everyone loved it and I got to enjoy the game too! Made no changes to it.
I mistakenly bought wheat bread. Will this work?
Hi Julie, As long as you like the taste of wheat bread, it should be fine. 🙂
Hi Jen!
I love this recipe! I want to make it ahead of time for the weekend. Would it stay good for an extra day or two in the fridge before baking?
Thanks!!
Yes, it’s good for up to 2 days before baking. Enjoy!
Thanks so much!!
This is a definite 5-star recipe! I made it for brunch and we all loved it! Served with a nice cinnamon streusel cake and bloody Mary’s…yummy!
hi! Any idea how many ounces in the loaf of bread you used? Or which white bread it was? Pepperidge farm has several varieties, all diff oz! I’m using a bunch of scraps.
Thank you!
Hi Cassy, I believe the loaf I’ve used is 16 ounces. And the bag says Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich Bread. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this twice for my friends and coworkers. It is a HIT. I use sourdough bread, spicy sausage, and pepperjack cheese to give it an extra kick. I love this dish and will continue making it!