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’ve made this several times with leftover sourdough bread that my husband brings home from work. I’ve tried tons of variations and it always turns out fantastically! Thanks so much for this awesome recipe.
Hi Jenn! Your recipes look wonderful and I’m looking forward to trying more of them (the pasta e fagioli was a delicious success!). Anyways, I’d like to make this recipe ahead of time for my boyfriend on a weekend I am leaving town so he can just pop it in the oven. How far ahead of time do you think I could make it before it went bad or turned to mush? I read earlier in the comments that you didn’t think it would freeze well. Thanks!
Hi Melissa, I’d say no more than a day ahead. Hope he enjoys it 🙂
Jenn,
Apologies in advance for this not so bright question!
I love bread pudding, the sweet variety. I’ve never tried a savory version, but this looks fantastic. The catch is that I REALLY don’t like eggs – quiche/strata/etc. are just not my thing. At. All.
So, is this more along the custard lines of a sweet bread pudding and less like a quiche/strata?
Thanks,
pmm
I’d say it’s more like a strata — sorry!
Thanks, Jenn!
I wish I could overcome this egg thing! The pictures of this dish look amazing!
Jen, I’m going to make this for Christmas. For 8 people, is there any reason I couldn’t add 50% more of everything, still in the 9×13 dish?
Thanks so much for your blog. I love your recipes and have shared them and your site with many.
Hi Mary, I’m not sure it would fit; you could try and if it’s too small, just bake the extra in a smaller baking dish.
I made this over the Thanksgiving holiday (along with a few other recipes) and it was the favorite. It really is a cross between a casserole and a pudding. Leftovers can be saved and reheated in the microwave. This recipe is really delicious and worth keeping.
I made this the night before Thanksgiving to pop in the oven for breakfast since we were having a later dinner. It was delicious! I love make-ahead breakfasts for holiday mornings!
This was delicious. Prepared it up to baking last night, put it in the oven this morning & now my 3 teenaged boys are enjoying it before heading off to school. Thanks, Jen, for another easy, but delicious recipe. I’ve made 5 recipes from here since “finding” you in October. I’ll be adding a couple more this weekend when I make 2 cookie recipes from this site. (Sugar & Thumbprints.)
I made this casserole for a “breakfast for dinner” themed wedding for 180 people. Even done on a large scale it was absolutely delicious. Everyone enjoyed it.
Made this for Thanksgiving lunch
(instead of traditional stuffing) and everyone LOVED it! I used whole wheat bread instead of white, and turned out fine. My Mom requested I make this instead of stuffing next year. Love all your recipes, Jenn!!!
Can this be frozen after baked ? Trying to get ahead for Thanksgiving,,,,time is limited for me
Hi Diane, I haven’t tried freezing this dish, and probably wouldn’t recommend it with all the eggs and dairy. However, you can prepare it a few days ahead and bake before serving.
Thank you !!