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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Comments
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Another fantastic recipe! It was easy to prepare and so flavorful. I made this for a teacher breakfast at my daughter’s school and so many people asked for the recipe.
I have no sausage on hand but tons of bacon. Could I use bacon instead of sausage, and if so, how much?
Hi Taryn, I think this would be best with sausage but if you’d like to use the bacon you have on hand, I’d suggest about 8 ounces. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I have made a few of your recipes before without fail, they come out great. Made this for the first time for a brunch and yep, it was great! I used breakfast sausages instead which I found easier to cut up into chunks as they’re small and added fresh sage. While it wasn’t dry, I may add an extra egg and half & half next time. Thank you for the recipe!
This is my first time making this. It was really good.
Always a hit for Christmas morning breakfast and work putluck! I’m thinking of making two (or three!) trays of this for a work potluck for my husband next week, could I use seasoned stuffing cubes instead of sliced white bread to cut down on the prep work?
Hi Karen, I don’t recommend seasoned stuffing cubes here – sorry!
Oh no, I already bought some and started cooking, would it be horrible to use them?
Hi Karen, No not horrible – just better with fresh! How did it turn out?
Hi Jenn!
I love all your recipes! I only have one of your cookbooks but everything I’ve ever made has been a hit!
My question is this: I am not a fan of parsley – could I sub fresh basil with the same results? Or should I just omit the parsley?
Hi Christene, Sure I think basil would work nicely here. Please LMK how it turns out – and so glad you enjoy the recipes!
Thank you! Serving it to company tomorrow am!!! Making it now!
I did substitute basil for the parsley Jenn and it was DELICIOUS! Definitely a winner!!! We are Costco shoppers and they have an awesome spicy pork sausage that worked perfectly.
Thanks for being such an amazing chef!!
Hi – I need to transport this dish after cooking – probably a couple of hours before we eat it. Will it work to reheat it after cooking? Any suggestions are appreciated!
Hi Julie, Sure, I’d reheat it at 325 degrees. I’d keep it covered with foil and then remove the foil for the last few minutes to crisp up the top. Hope that helps!
Sorry if this was asked already but can you make this and freeze it. My niece is a school teacher and is looking for something to meal prep in the morning. She would take it into work and reheat in a microwave.
Hi Lori, I’ve never tried freezing this dish, and am not sure how well it would freeze with the eggs and dairy. That said, a number of readers have commented that they have frozen it successfully.
I haven’t made this yet, but it sounds delicious! Thinking I will substitute the bread for skillet fried potatoes. Thoughts?
Unfortunately, I don’t think that will work as the potatoes won’t soak up the egg mixture like the bread does. Sorry!
Hi Jen,
Question: was looking for your savory sausage bread pudding recipe.
Is this casserole the same recipe.
Thanks, Rose
Sorry for you any confusion — yes, it’s the same. I just changed the name. 🙂