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 made this for a Sunday breakfast with friends, and they loved it… so did I! Now they want me to share the recipe! I will definitely be making this again.
Excellent casserole, but the cook time is too long. I was glad I checked at 45 minutes and took it out of the oven.
Made this yesterday then put it in the fridge overnight before baking. Just got it out of the oven and it is OUTSTANDING! Veggies are not raw (maybe because it was in the fridge?). Flavor is the best of any breakfast casserole I’ve made yet. Thank you for this easy recipe!
Yay! I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Mary!
I couldn’t taste anything but milk, this was horrible. We’re dousing each portion in hot sauce to add some sort of flavor in an effort not to waste and chuck the whole pan.
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe Jess. We’ve made it many times with rave reviews so I am not sure what happened.
I have made this many times. Great make ahead recipe and delicious. Hits all the breakfast notes!
I have made this breakfast casserole many times. Delicious.
Would it be O.K. to freeze the casserole prior to baking to use the following week?
I usually made it for bible study and it is already made… can I freeze it and unfreeze to next week?
I haven’t tried freezing the whole casserole uncooked, but I do freeze eggs which are stable, so I think it would work just fine.
When you’re ready to use it, thaw it in the fridge overnight, and give it a stir before baking. You may need to increase the baking time a little bit. Ensure that the eggs are fully set by inserting a butter knife in the center, it should come out clean. Let us know how it works out!
Excellent–big hit with my family and easy to prepare. I cooked the sausage and added the peppers and onions at the end to achieve a light sauté. I stored that overnight in the refrigerator and then warmed it slightly in the microwave in the morning before adding to the rest of the casserole. This decreased my prep time without prepping the entire dish and finding room in my refrigerator to store it over night. Thank you for this delicious breakfast recipe.
I love your recipe. I’ve made it several times for over 100 people. I started sautéing the vegetables in butter and it added a special flavor. Also, I recently tried using chorizo to add a Mexican twist on the recipe and it went over very well. Thanks for this. It’s a keeper!!!
Very good! I tweaked a little. I added garlic, jalepeno, and used green onion, bacon, chicken sausage, and ham. I do think it may need more eggs though. Will make again and make some more adjustments.
Can this be frozen and reheated? Expecting a huge crowd on Memorial day and trying to make things in advance this weekend! Thanks
Absolutely! You can also make ahead and 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) and then bake as per instructions.
This was by far the easiest and best hashbrown casserole. For the onion I grated it instead of chopped and used broccoli instead of peppers. It was fantastic and everyone loved it. A keeper for sure.
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Brian!
Nope. The crunch and strong taste of barely cooked onions ruins this dish. I should have gone with my gut and sautéed them. A waste of ingredients. :(
My family loved it. I made 2 pans when my brother came home from the army ! so easy and good !
I forgot to thaw my hash browns but I added 10 minutes to the bake time and the casserole was perfect. I used turkey sausage instead of pork. Will make again and again!
I just made this and ended using kinders blend and used the refrigerated hash browns. I also substituted Mexican cheese instead of cheddar. I added pico and hot sauce on top after cooking and it was delish! Hopefully this will be good through the week for breakfast!
Just made this and it’s delicious! Used refrigerated hash browns less water and made sure the sausage was drained well. Added more pepper and seasoning. Turned out well!