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 cheese, 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 weekend guests, 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 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!
“Always a hit for Christmas morning breakfast and work potluck!”
What You’ll Need To Make The Breakfast Casserole
- Sausage: During the holidays, many grocery stores offer sausage in bulk, eliminating the need to remove casings. Alternatively, you can remove the meat from its casings 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: Provides a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor.
- White sandwich bread: Serves as the structure of the casserole, absorbing the egg mixture and giving body and texture to the final dish.
- Grated sharp cheddar cheese: Adds a rich, tangy flavor and also gives the casserole a cheesy, creamy texture. I love cheddar here, but any good melting cheese such as Monterey jack, Colby jack, gouda, or Gruyère will work nicely.
- Fresh parsley: Lends color and fresh, herby flavor.
- Large Eggs: Bind the ingredients together, creating the custard-like base.
- Half-and-half: Enhances the creaminess and richness of the egg mixture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by cutting the bread into cubes, then set them aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it into small clumps, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl, leaving the grease in the pan. Lower the heat to medium, add the onions, and cook with 1 tablespoon of butter, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Combine the onions, sausage, bread cubes, grated cheese, and parsley in a large bowl.
Spread the breakfast casserole mixture into an even layer in 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 a few hours, or overnight. (You can also freeze the casserole for up to two months at this point.)
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
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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 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 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 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.
- Note: The cook time is based on cooking the bread pudding directly out of the refrigerator. If it's left to sit out at room temperature before baking, check for doneness after 45 minutes.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: To freeze the casserole before baking, assemble it according to the recipe, but don't bake it. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. It can be frozen for up to two months. When you're ready to bake, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.
- Reheating Instructions: The best way to reheat the casserole is in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), cover the casserole with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out, and heat for about 20 minutes, or until warmed through. For individual portions, a microwave can be used, heating in 30-second intervals until hot.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 669
- Fat: 44 g
- Saturated fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 1098 mg
- Cholesterol: 251 mg
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! LOVE this recipe and make it every Christmas! I just made it (Sunday, 12/22) and I’m wondering what you would suggest in terms of timing so it will be best on Christmas Day (Wednesday, 12/25.) Should I bake it tomorrow morning and reheat on Christmas, or freeze now and defrost the night before? Thanks for your help!
Hi Emily, So glad you enjoy it! You could go either way, but I’d probably freeze it now and defrost the night before.
Are you doing Italian sausage or breakfast sausage?
Hi Dani, I’ve made this with many types of sausage and it’s great with all of them. That said, my preference is Italian.
Love your recipes and want to make this one for Christmas day. Would it be alright to add a little spinach to this recipe? What would be the best way to add it? Also frozen or fresh baby spinach?
Hi Jane, You could definitely add a little spinach to this recipe. I would use well-drained frozen spinach and add it to the cooked onion mixture.
Thank you. Happy holidays!
If making half recipe in a 9 x 9, or 8 x 8 pan, do you reduce the baking time, and if so, by how much? Or does it stay the same?
Hi ZC, It may cook a bit faster – I’d start checking for doneness around 45 minutes.
Hi Jen, Rose again
Can the casseroles be made 2 days in advance and just be refrigerated?
I’ll be making 4 and another girl is making 2. Thanks Jen
Hi Rose, Yes I think that’d be fine but I wouldn’t push it any longer than that. Enjoy!
Hi Jen,
Question: I’ve been asked to make this casserole for 50-60 people and I need suggestions how to make that much. Size of pan etc, baking time, triple quadruple recipe. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Rose Kidd
Hi Rose, That’s a lot of breakfast casserole! I’d make six or seven times the recipe. They sell disposable aluminum pans that are 21 x 13″. You could fit a double batch of the casserole in each of those. I think the bake time should be around the same but keep an eye on them. Hope everyone enjoys!
Thank you Jen for the suggestions. The casserole will be the main dish; it is everyone’s favorite!!!!
Jen, followup question
Better to freeze casseroles before or after baking. Thanks so much.
You can get away with either, but I’d freeze before baking.
Could I substitute diced potatoes for the bread to make it gluten free?
Hi Kat, I don’t think that will work as the potatoes won’t soak up the egg mixture like the bread does, but you can use gluten-free bread.
Hi Jenn—
Could I substitute store-bought whole wheat bread? (Love your recipes!)
Thanks,
Carol
Sure, that’s fine (and so glad you like the recipes)!
Jenn,
Do you think this could be made with ham instead of sausage? If so how much would you recommend?
Thanks, Staci
I think this is best with sausage because it adds so much flavor and moisture. That said, you can get away with using ham, but I’d use more butter as well as that will add additional flavor and moisture.
Hi Jen, I am a HUGE fan of your recipes. Wondering if this casserole can be made without meat and want changes would you make?
Hi Alice, So glad you like the recipes! I think the flavor would fall a little flat as the sausage adds so much to the casserole. Instead, I’d try this spinach strata — it’s also delicious.