Make this Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole recipe to feed a crowd. It's loaded with sausage, egg, and cheese for a hearty breakfast. Prepare this easy breakfast recipe the night before and impress your guests.
This Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole is a recipe for a crowd
Breakfast casserole season is fast approaching! Are you looking for easy and quick breakfast recipes to feed a crowd?
Here's a hearty and filling Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole that the entire family will love. This casserole can feed 8-12 people, depending on how you cut it.
It's a simple and comforting breakfast recipe that is perfect for the holidays, when friends and family might be visiting and staying as house guests. This casserole is so good that you'd be proud serving this breakfast on special days like Christmas morning or Thanksgiving morning too.
This Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole is so easy to make! Because it's a make ahead recipe, you can prepare this breakfast the night before and save your energy in the morning for waking up.
How to make Sausage Egg Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Equipment you'll need to make this breakfast casserole recipe:
- Large skillet
- Big mixing bowl
- Casserole dish (9x13)
In the large skillet, sauté the onions, peppers and sausage until everything is cooked through. In the large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and black pepper together.
Grease the large casserole dish. First, layer on some big croutons like these. Next, layer on the cooked sausage mixture. Last, layer on the shredded cheese. Pour on the egg mixture. Cover and allow the Egg Sausage Breakfast Casserole to sit in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, you'll just need to pop the casserole dish in the oven. How easy was that? And just like that, your guest will be raving about the best Sausage Egg Breakfast Casserole.
Quick tip on baking this Egg Sausage Breakfast Casserole
One tip on baking this breakfast casserole -- don't undercook it. When you think it's done, pull it out of the oven and insert a knife in it. The knife should come out clean, and the casserole should be set in the middle.
If the cheese is browning too quickly in your oven, you can cover it with a piece of foil for the last bit of baking. But crispy cheese is delicious on top too, so you'll want some of it brown!
The secret ingredient this sausage egg cheese breakfast casserole is big croutons! While many breakfast casseroles use bread, this recipe is made without bread. Why use croutons?
Use croutons instead of bread in this sausage breakfast casserole recipe
1) It saves time. How lazy am I that I don't even want to cube bread?! I'm almost embarrassed.
But then I think about having to slice and cube bread, wash up the cutting board and knife, and wipe down the worktop, I am not ashamed one bit that I use croutons in this casserole.
Open a pack of croutons and dump them in the casserole dish. My toddler can do a lot of damage in the time it takes me to cut a slice of bread.
2) Croutons can live in the pantry. I can always have a bag of croutons handy to make this recipe. I don't have to worry about bread going bad or stale.
2) Croutons give you the perfect texture. This is probably the most important reason. Croutons soak in the perfect amount of the egg custard.
Croutons help you make this breakfast recipe quickly, and taste amazing
The one regret to these photos is that I didn't get a clear picture of when I cut right through a crouton. You can get a glimpse of it in some of the photos, but sorry there is no close up to show you.
Look in the photo below though. Look in the pan. I know this is not a great photo, but you can see that smooth edge of the casserole in the bottom right corner. That's where I sliced right through a crouton. It becomes a custard pillow.
When I say that every single bite is loaded with sausage, egg and cheese, I mean it. Every single bite of this breakfast casserole is packed with flavor.
This big breakfast is loaded with sausage egg and cheese in every bite
- There's an entire pound of sausage meat in this casserole.
- You also need eight large eggs.
- Top that all with a cup and a half of shredded cheese. One cup might have been more reasonable. Two cups was decadent. Don't be shy if you want it decadent.
You make this breakfast casserole by first layering the croutons, sausage, and cheese. Then pour the egg mixture over it all, covering everything and letting it soak in the mixture overnight.
That way, all the ingredients are evenly dispersed in this sausage egg cheese casserole. No matter how you cut it, all your guests will get a large serving of sausage, egg and cheese.
You can use homemade sausage in this recipe
You can use store bought sausage in this recipe, but I love using my homemade breakfast sausage mix. If using my homemade breakfast sausage recipe, skip the step on shaping the sausage patties. Just add the sausage meat directly into the skillet after mixing, and sauté it.
You'll only need half the homemade sausage recipe, so you can cut the recipe in half. But better yet, make the other half of the recipe into sausage patties and freeze them for another breakfast.
Looking for a breakfast recipe to feed a large group?
Do you need a breakfast to bring in for a work potluck? Would you like to host brunch parties? Maybe you have family visiting for the holidays and need breakfast ideas for a large group?
This Sausage Breakfast Casserole Recipe is a crowd pleaser. But if you can't make this for whatever reason, here are other breakfast casserole recipes on The Worktop.
I really hope I'm able to help you find a breakfast big enough to feed your group. Happy cooking!
Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole
Print Recipe Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound sausage meat
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 1 medium green pepper - diced
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- ½ teaspoon sea salt salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups big croutons
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Sautee the onions and green peppers in a large skillet on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, until they start to soften. Add in the sausage and cook until the sausage meat is cooked through, breaking the sausage into about blueberry-sized pieces.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and ground black pepper together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish. Layer the croutons evenly on the bottom. Layer the sausage mix on top of the croutons. Evenly layer the grated cheese on top of the sausage mix. Gently pour the egg mixture on top. Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, at least 8 hours.
- In the morning, preheat the oven to 325°/160°C. Remove the cover and place the casserole in the middle of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn the heat up to 350°C/176°C. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, until the egg is set. To check, insert a knife in the middle of the casserole and it should come out clean. If the casserole is browning too quickly, cover with a foil for the last bit of baking time.
- Let the casserole sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Becca says
Prepped this tonight for my mom's Mother's Day brunch tomorrow and it's sitting in the fridge - will bake it in the morning. I didn't have croutons, so used white cubed bread that I let dry out a bit. Hope that's ok! Used Applegate apple chicken sausage - got a nice dark brown on the sausage before chopping it up. It looks like it's going to be fantastic. Serving the casserole with mimosas, zucchini bread, and chocolate dipped strawberries.
Ed says
Hi. I was just wondering why this needs to be set aside overnight before cooking. thanks
Tina Jui says
Hi Ed, you need to set it aside to allow the croutons to soak in the custard. If you are short on time, you can try cutting down the soaking time. Or, here's a breakfast casserole that doesn't require overnight soaking.
Cherry says
Has anyone tried to cook it in microwave that has grill function (but not oven)
Susanne says
What a delicious and easy to make casserole. I used a slightly larger lasagne pan, so I put in a total of one dozen eggs and a dash more milk. Also used Trader Joe's seasoned croutons so I didn't add additional salt. The results were fantastic.
Lisa says
I too only let it sit 1.5 hours with no trouble. Added mushrooms because my husband loves them. It was a real man-pleaser if you will. Great recipe. Easy.
Heather says
I am excited to try this- I insisted on using it for our holiday brunch instead of the usual casserole we have because I wanted the veggies. It's in the fridge now and looks like it's going to be amazing! Croutons are a great idea- can't wait to see how it turns out.
Rochelle says
Hi.
I am wondering if I can make this ahead and freeze this and if so should I freeze it before or after I bake it?
Loy says
Can you use hash browns instead of croutons.
Tina Jui says
Hi - I'm sure you can, but I haven't tested it using the exact ratio of milk and eggs needed. You might love this breakfast casserole though. It's similar, but with tater tots instead of croutons.
Stacy says
I really liked this recipe! I ended up making it the day I served it. Decided to mix all ingredients all together and let it soak for about 1 1/2 hours- still turned out great! Yummy! Thanks.
Tina Jui says
Hi Stacy, thank you for the comment. Good to know that a 1 1/2 hour soak works well for the recipe too!
Dena says
Did you leave it out to set? Or refrigerate?
Phil says
Do you drain the grease from the sausage once it's cooked in the pepper and onion?
Tina Jui says
Hi Phil, I do not. I usually use my homemade sausage recipe, which isn't too greasy though. Different sausage brands vary, so keep an eye on it and use your best judgment. Enjoy!
Robin Bush says
Have you ever tried canned diced potatoes in it? Walmart was out of hashbrowns last night