A Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole is perfect when you need to feed a crowd first thing in the morning.
This breakfast casserole recipe is a full meal with eggs, sausage, peppers, and hashbrowns all topped with cheese and baked until perfect golden brown.
Best of all, prepare ahead of time and in the morning, just pop it into the oven. Serve with a fresh fruit salad, and keep the coffee coming (or mimosas)!
Ingredients in Breakfast Casserole
Hashbrowns – I use shredded hashbrowns, but any style of hash browns work well in this recipe, or even leftover home fries or roasted potatoes!
Sausage – I prefer pork sausage (like Jimmy Dean’s breakfast sausage). Swap it out for turkey sausage, ham, or crispy bacon (or even leftover ground beef from last night’s tacos)!
Veggies – I add bell peppers to this casserole but add whatever veggies you have on hand. Mushrooms (cook them first so they don’t get watery), asparagus, or even steamed broccoli are great.
Cheese – Shredded sharp cheddar cheese is our favorite, but pepper jack cheese or other bold flavorful cheeses work well. Save a little for the top to get a nice golden layer of cheese.
This hash brown casserole recipe is very forgiving; you can change the add-ins according to your preferences or what you have on hand. Try leftover meats, veggies, and cheeses of all kinds. Just chop or shred and toss them into the mix.
How to Make Breakfast Casserole
Frozen hash browns make this breakfast casserole super easy to whip up.
- Spread thawed shredded hash browns in the bottom of a baking dish per the recipe below. Mix in cheese, sausage, and pepper/onions.
- Whisk eggs, milk, and seasonings in a large bowl.
- Pour over the hashbrown mixture.
Bake Now or Make Ahead
The great thing about this hash brown breakfast casserole recipe is that it can be baked right away or prepared ahead and baked before brunch. It’s perfect for holidays like Christmas morning or even Easter.
Cook it now or refrigerate overnight Once prepared, bake right away or you can cover, refrigerate overnight, and bake this breakfast casserole fresh in the morning.
To Bake Now Pour the egg mixture over top and bake. Unlike strata or french toast, you do not need to wait as there is no bread to soak up the mixture. So just make and bake.
To Bake Later Cover the mixture tightly and refrigerate for up to 48 hours (or 3 days if using pasteurized egg product). Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking (while preheating the oven).
This bakes at 350°F for 55-65 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If you’ve let it sit overnight, it may need a few extra minutes if it’s still quite chilled from the fridge.
To prepare in the Crock Pot, I recommend our slow cooker breakfast casserole.
Just like egg muffins, leftover breakfast casserole is perfect for busy weekday mornings. Keep leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or the oven.
Yes, you sure can! This will last in the freezer for up to four months. Wrap individual pieces and store in freezer bags. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or the oven.
More Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casseroles
If you’re tired of the same old breakfast or want a meal to prep ahead, you’ll love these breakfast casserole recipes. They’re perfect for reheating throughout the week or for a special holiday breakfast and best of all, they’re all prepped ahead of time.
Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 ounces shredded hash browns thawed
- 1 pound sausage cooked, crumbled, and drained
- ¼ cup onion finely diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided use
- 8 eggs
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 ounces, or 1 ⅓ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or your favorite herbs/spices (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (if baking immediately). Grease a 9×13 inch pan or a 3qt baking dish or spray with cooking spray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains. Drain fat.
- In the prepared dish, add the hashbrowns, cooked sausage, onions, bell peppers, and 1 ½ cups of cheese. Gently mix the ingredients together and spread evenly in the pan.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, evaporated milk, salt & pepper, and Italian seasoning to a large bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the hashbrown mixture and sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
- Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate overnight if desired, or bake immediately.
- Bake uncovered for 55-65 minutes or until cooked through.
Video
Notes
- The casserole can be assembled and baked immediately or covered and refrigerated for up to two days before baking. If using pasteurized egg product, it can be prepared three days in advance.
- Sausage can be swapped for 1lb of bacon, cooked crisp. You can use any type of shredded cheese you have on hand.
- If the casserole is refrigerated overnight, remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. It may require an extra 10-15 minutes of cooking time.
- Evaporated milk can be substituted with 1 1/3 cups of light cream, milk, or non-dairy milk of your choice.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Casserole
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I loved this breakfast casserole! I could only find cubed hash browns. They worked great. Several posts asked if Egg Beaters could be substituted for the 8 eggs. The answer is yes. We love cheese, so extra cheese was added. I also sauteed the peppers and onion with the breakfast sausage. We’ll definitely serve this meal during the holidays.
My family loves this recipe!! I need to make a couple for a weekend coming up, should I cook then freeze casserole? Or freeze without cooking first? Thanks!
We bake it and then freeze it usually but other readers have frozen it before baking with great results. It can also be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 2 days. You will have to let us know how it turns out for you Kelsy!
So you cook the sausage and assemble it all, then freeze it, correct? When it’s ready to bake, do you allow it to thaw, or bake straight from frozen? I’d love a few more detailed steps on making ahead and freezing. Thank you!
Hi Jen, yes I follow this steps. When ready to bake I recommend taking it out and refrigerating overnight if possible. Enjoy!
it’s great. I made a spicy sour cream and maple syrup sauce to put on it. wow
What a wonderful & yummy casserole. Loved it. A question for you please, can I use egg beaters rather than eggs in this, as expecting company and want to take an easy route?
Thank you so much & Holly you are the BEST. Love Love all your recipes.
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but that should work just fine Ferryal! If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out.
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes!
As a 75 year old man that loves to cook for his family, I must tell you this was a home-run recipe. There were eight of us for breakfast this morning, and having fixed this the night before, it was a snap to slip this in the oven for an hour. One grandson had four helpings, and all of the men had two. These weren’t small helpings, and everyone complimented the dish. We used turkey sausage, because three of us have pork issues, but it was still amazing. I used extra of some of the ingredients to acommadate the number that came over. Thank you for sharing your recipes. I look forward to trying many more of them.
This made my day Steve! I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit and can’t wait for you to try more.
Can I use egg whites? Would I need to change anything?
While I’ve never tried it Susan, I think that would work just fine. Enjoy!
Has there been any confirmations that it works to freeze this a few days ahead of time and that it is still good when baked?? Have made this fresh and it was delicious but need to prep 3 for the weekend!!
We bake it and then freeze it usually but other readers have frozen it before baking with great results. It can also be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 2 days. You will have to let us know how it turns out for you Erica!