Easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This is the casserole that carries Christmas morning, houseguest weekends and every brunch where the cook would also like to sit down. Sausage, eggs, cheddar and hash browns go into one dish the night before, and the morning asks nothing of you but a hot oven and a pot of coffee. It anchors our Breakfast collection for exactly that reason.

The overnight rest is not just convenience — it is the technique. Dry hash browns and bread-free egg bakes can come out uneven, with wet pockets and rubbery edges. A night in the fridge lets the eggs soak evenly into the potatoes, so the baked casserole sets up in clean, custardy layers that slice like a frittata. Our Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake runs on the same make-ahead logic, at the sweet end of the table.

Bake it in your best-looking dish and bring it straight to the table. Add fruit, toast or a pot of grits alongside and breakfast for eight is genuinely handled.

Thaw and squeeze the hash browns

Frozen hash browns carry more water than they look like they should, and that water has nowhere to go in an egg casserole except into your breakfast. Thaw them, spread them on a clean towel, and press and squeeze until they feel dry and fluffy rather than damp and clumped. Ten minutes of squeezing is the difference between a casserole that slices cleanly and one that weeps onto the plate.

Brown the sausage properly, and keep the drippings decision simple

Cook the sausage until it is properly browned in spots, not just gray and cooked through — those browned edges are most of the flavor in a dish with this few ingredients. Drain off all but about a teaspoon of the fat: a little keeps the casserole rich and seasoned, while the full amount makes the eggs greasy and can stop the center from setting cleanly.

Ingredients

• 1 lb pork breakfast sausage (450 g)
• 10 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk (480 ml)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder (3 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (1.5 g)
• 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns (560 g), thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 100 g)
• 1 medium bell pepper, finely diced (about 120 g), any color
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (226 g), divided
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, to serve

Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Brown the sausage. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it into bite-size crumbles, until well browned in spots and cooked through. Drain off all but about a teaspoon of the fat and set the sausage aside to cool slightly.
2. Whisk the egg base. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks and whites are fully combined and no streaks remain. Whisk in the milk, salt, pepper, mustard powder and garlic powder until even. The mustard will not make the casserole taste like mustard — it sharpens the cheese flavor, the way it does in a good mac and cheese.
3. Layer the dish. Grease a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish. Spread the squeezed hash browns in an even layer, scatter the onion and bell pepper over them, then the sausage, then half the cheddar. Pour the egg mixture slowly and evenly over everything, tilting the dish gently so it settles into every corner.
4. Rest, overnight if you can. Scatter the remaining cheddar over the top, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. The overnight version bakes up with the most even, custardy set — but a half-hour rest still gives you a good casserole if the plan came together this morning.
5. Bake. Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Let the cold dish sit on the counter while the oven heats, then bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, until the center is just set — it should jiggle only slightly when you nudge the dish — and the top is golden with crisp cheddar edges. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
6. Rest and serve. Rest the casserole for 10 minutes before slicing; the eggs finish setting as it stands and the cuts come out clean. Scatter with green onions and serve hot, with fruit and toast alongside.

Nutrition estimate

Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

Storage & reheating

Leftovers keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat well: warm individual slices in the microwave for about a minute, or reheat the whole dish, covered with foil, at 325°F (163°C) for 15 to 20 minutes. Baked slices also freeze for up to 2 months — wrap them individually, thaw overnight in the fridge, and reheat as above; the eggs stay tender if you do not overheat them. Nutrition figures are estimates from standard ingredient data and vary with brands and substitutions.

Easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Recipe by Shahid Imran, FryDaily editor · Published 18 October 2026

Eggs, sausage, cheddar and hash browns in one dish — assemble tonight, bake tomorrow.

Yield: 8 servings  ·  Scale: 1x2x3x

Prep15 minutes

Cook45 minutes

Total1 hour

Servings8 servings

Calories420 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb pork breakfast sausage (450 g)
• 10 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk (480 ml)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder (3 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (1.5 g)
• 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns (560 g), thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 100 g)
• 1 medium bell pepper, finely diced (about 120 g), any color
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (226 g), divided
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, to serve

Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.

Instructions

1. Brown the sausage. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it into bite-size crumbles, until well browned in spots and cooked through. Drain off all but about a teaspoon of the fat and set the sausage aside to cool slightly.
2. Whisk the egg base. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks and whites are fully combined and no streaks remain. Whisk in the milk, salt, pepper, mustard powder and garlic powder until even. The mustard will not make the casserole taste like mustard — it sharpens the cheese flavor, the way it does in a good mac and cheese.
3. Layer the dish. Grease a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish. Spread the squeezed hash browns in an even layer, scatter the onion and bell pepper over them, then the sausage, then half the cheddar. Pour the egg mixture slowly and evenly over everything, tilting the dish gently so it settles into every corner.
4. Rest, overnight if you can. Scatter the remaining cheddar over the top, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. The overnight version bakes up with the most even, custardy set — but a half-hour rest still gives you a good casserole if the plan came together this morning.
5. Bake. Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Let the cold dish sit on the counter while the oven heats, then bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, until the center is just set — it should jiggle only slightly when you nudge the dish — and the top is golden with crisp cheddar edges. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
6. Rest and serve. Rest the casserole for 10 minutes before slicing; the eggs finish setting as it stands and the cuts come out clean. Scatter with green onions and serve hot, with fruit and toast alongside.

Calories: 420 kcalProtein: 22 gCarbohydrates: 16 gFat: 30 gSaturated fat: 12 gSodium: 780 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 4 g

Recipe by Shahid Imran · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.

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