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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Hi Jen,
Could I omit the cream since we are all lactose intolerant and could I use bacn instead of sausage due to allergies?
Thanks,
Veena
Hi Veena, It won’t work to omit the half-and-half here, but you could substitute lactose-free whole milk. And while I think this is best with sausage, you could get away with using bacon. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Thanks!!
I found lactose free half and half.
Veena
I love your recipes
Just made this for visiting family…a real hit. It took about 15 minutes to put together with the help of a sous chef granddaughter. If you live in Florida, I used Publix English Muffin bread torn into pieces… so good. Made it just as written but might think of using green onions next time for a bit of color. Thanks for the recipe! Mj
One more question! In some of the recipes you say not to brown the onions. Why?
When I say that in recipes, it’s because I want the the onions to be nice and tender, but not cooked too far beyond that point. And for garlic – if you brown it, it can take on a bit of a bitter flavor.
Hi Jenn!
Quick question… 95% of the bead we use around here is homemade. Is there a way to more accurately quantify how much bread I should use for this recipe? This time it is challah, if that helps at all 🙃 Thank you so much for the insight!! Your recipes are the best!!
Kristiana
So glad you like the recipes! 😊 I’ve never measured the bread once I’ve cubed it, but I suspect it should about be 10 – 12 cups.
No comment but a question, your thoughts on using croissants as a substitute?
Hi Ellen, you could use croissants, but it will be very rich.
Followed all directions. Had to bake longer than recommended as it was still cool inside.
Not much flavor and somewhat dry. Disappointed.
I love this recipe. I love how versatile it can be. I have made it as written but also with sourdough bread, jalepeno cheddar bread, stale baguettes, or whatever I have on hand. It’s delicious. Thank you Jenn.
I have a family of two, is there a way to successfully cut this recipe? I would love to avoid waste, we just could not eat a 9 X13 pan. Thank you
Hi Jamie, you can cut the recipe in half and use an 8 x 8 baking dish. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Wow! This breakfast casserole was so good! I made it twice this week for a family vacation breakfast. The first time I only let it sit for 30 minutes before baking. The 2nd time I let it sit overnight. Both were amazing, however, the one that sat overnight was definitely more creamy. Both were great and the family couldn’t say which was better, just different textures. Thank you for the amazing recipe! We also made your cheesecake. Your recipes are a staple in our house.
We love this recipe and have it every Easter! Thank you!
Grandson’s birthday party is the day before Easter so it’s a busy day. How would the casserole fair if I made it two days before I baked it instead of one?
Hi Sally, that should be fine (and so glad you like it)! Happy birthday to your grandson 😊