Breakfast Casserole

There’s a lot to love about this classic breakfast casserole recipe: you assemble it the night before, tuck it in the fridge, and simply bake it in the morning. That makes it especially handy when you have houseguests, a holiday breakfast to pull together, or a hungry brunch crowd to feed.

The recipe also 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! After all these years, it’s easy to see why this one keeps getting passed along.

What You’ll Need To Make Breakfast Casserole

• Sausage: If you can find bulk sausage, it saves you the trouble of removing the casings. Otherwise, simply squeeze the meat from the links or snip the casings with scissors and peel them away. Chicken or turkey sausage works well, too. For a meatless breakfast casserole, try my spinach and cheese strata.
• Butter: Used for browning the sausage and sautéing the onion, adding a little extra richness and helping everything brown nicely.
• Yellow Onion: Cooking the onion in the sausage drippings gives it extra flavor and adds a little sweetness to the filling.
• White Sandwich Bread: Nothing fancy needed here. Soft white bread readily absorbs the egg mixture and gives the casserole its tender, custardy structure.
• Sharp Cheddar: I love the tang of sharp cheddar with sausage, but any good melting cheese works. Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, Gouda, and Gruyère are all good options.
• Fresh Parsley: Adds a fresh, herby note that balances the richness of the sausage, eggs, and cheese.
• Eggs & Half-and-Half: These form the custard that soaks into the bread as the casserole rests. Half-and-half gives it richness without making it overly heavy.
• Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

How To Make Breakfast Casserole

Prep the bread: Cut the bread into fairly even cubes so they absorb the custard at roughly the same rate.

Cook the sausage and onions: Brown the sausage in butter, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks; those browned bits add lots of flavor. Leave the drippings behind when you remove the sausage, then cook the onion in them until soft and translucent.

Combine the filling: Toss the sausage, onions, bread, cheese, and parsley together thoroughly. Aim for an even distribution so you don’t wind up with pockets of bread in some servings and all the sausage and cheese in others.

Make the custard: Whisk the eggs and half-and-half, salt, and pepper until completely blended. A smooth, uniform mixture will soak into the bread more evenly.

Assemble and chill: Once the custard is poured over the casserole, make sure the bread is evenly moistened, especially around the edges and corners. You can refrigerate the casserole for a few hours or overnight. (If you’d like to prep even further ahead, you can freeze the assembled casserole at this point.)

Bake until puffed and golden: The casserole is ready when the top is deeply golden, the edges are slightly crisp, and the center is puffed and set. It will settle a bit as it comes out of the oven—that’s normal. Serve it while it’s warm.