Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Eggs is a super simple and delicious dish! This overnight egg casserole is incredibly versatile with a handful of pantry ingredients but so much flavor for your holiday morning!
Make-ahead recipes are a staple in my holiday meal planning, and breakfast is one of my favorites. This Make Ahead Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole is perfect for Christmas morning while the family opens presents or to graze on Thanksgiving morning before the big feast.
Packed with crumbled breakfast sausage, fluffy eggs, melty sharp cheddar cheese, diced red peppers, and cubed bread, this hearty meal is super filling and somewhat healthy, too!
I’ve made countless egg casserole recipes on holiday mornings and now that I think about it, I’m sure that’s because it’s what I grew up eating with my family on holidays. My mom always had a breakfast casserole ready to pop in the oven on Thanksgiving morning with a package of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls following as soon as the casserole came out.
My parents were never in a rush to eat breakfast on weekends or holidays so we often finished breakfast and ran right into the living room to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This casserole reminded me so much of my mom’s go-to recipe that I couldn’t help but get a little nostalgic for the good ol’ days.
Breakfast Casserole Ingredients
These are the basic ingredients you’ll need for this Make Ahead Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole, but the full list with measurements and steps are in the recipe card below!
- Breakfast sausage, like Jones or Jimmy Dean
- Eggs
- Milk
- Salt
- Day-old bread
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Black pepper
- Red peppers, optional
- Green onions, optional
How to Make Overnight Breakfast Casserole
The full step-by-step recipe is in the card below, but here’s some tips and tricks to make this simple sausage and egg breakfast casserole your first or 50th time!
- First, grease a large casserole dish while you brown your sausage on the stovetop.
- While the sausage cooks, whisk together your eggs, milk, and salt.
- Then, scatter half the bread cubes in your greased dish and cover with some cheese, pepper, diced red peppers, and sausage. Repeat with the other half of your ingredients for a second layer.
- Once you’ve assembled your two layers, pour the egg mixture over the whole dish, getting all the nooks and crannies. Cover your dish and pop it in the fridge overnight.
- When it’s time to bake, preheat your oven and let the dish come back to room temperature. Then, bake until the eggs are set. If it gets too brown before the eggs are done, tent it with foil!
That’s it! Garnish with green onions, more cheese, or whatever you prefer.
How Early Can You Make an Overnight Breakfast Casserole?
Make-ahead recipes are my favorite for holiday planning because you can divide the work and save yourself some stress!
You can safely make this Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole a full day before you plan to cook it, but I wouldn’t make it more than 36 hours early. The pre-baked casserole will start to dry out if it’s in the fridge for too long and no one likes a dry breakfast casserole!
You always want to keep this overnight breakfast casserole covered and refrigerated until you’re ready to bake.
How to Reheat an Overnight Egg Casserole
No matter how many people you’re feeding, casseroles always provide leftovers. This simple breakfast casserole is great leftover, but how do you reheat eggs without overcooking them?
If you’re reheating a refrigerated dish, let it come to room temperature before reheating it in a 350-degree oven. You also want to cover the dish with foil so it doesn’t lose extra moisture.
I recommend cooking for about 30 minutes if you’re reheating multiple servings, or until the casserole reaches 165° F internally. If you want a crispy top on your leftover breakfast casserole, flip on the broiler and let it broil for another couple of minutes.
If broiling, keep an eye on your oven! Food can burn quickly under the broiler but an extra couple of minutes under the broiler are so worth it!
You can also reheat this sausage and egg casserole on the stovetop! Add a little butter or oil to a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the casserole pieces to the skillet, and cover the casserole for a few minutes until warmed through. If your skillet doesn’t have a lid, foil will also work.
You can also always use a microwave, but I only recommend reheating eggs in a microwave as a last resort.
Tips for the Best Breakfast Casserole
- Cut the bread early. Much like bread pudding, this sausage, egg, and cheese casserole benefits from slightly stale bread. I like to dice the bread the day before I plan to make this and leave it in a loosely covered bowl on the counter. If you have a loaf of bread that’s about to be too crusty to eat, that’s perfect too! The slightly stale edges help the bread stand up to the egg and milk mixture.
- Make it your own. I love this overnight breakfast casserole with sausage, cheddar cheese, red peppers, and green onions. You can always change up the ingredients to fit your family. Cooked bacon, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, ground beef, onions, and garlic are all amazing options to switch it up. The best thing about breakfast casseroles is whatever you have can work! You can also always make this a vegetarian breakfast casserole packed with veggies.
What to Serve with Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole
Whether it’s brunch or breakfast for dinner, I love breakfast foods. There’s so many amazing savory and sweet options for the first meal of the day!
This sausage and egg breakfast casserole is a full meal by itself, but if you’re feeding a crowd, add this Corn Cheddar Scallion Strata to the table. It’s a great vegetarian option that can also be made the day before!
If you love a sweet French toast for breakfast, try this super simple make-ahead Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake! It’s got a savory taste with a sweet kick and is great leftover too.
Did you know you can make cinnamon rolls overnight too? These Dulce de Leche Overnight Cinnamon Rolls are super rich and the perfect Christmas morning treat.
If you need some drink suggestions to go with this casserole, iced or hot lattes are a nice change from your usual pot of coffee. Or, of you want to really spice things up on a holiday morning, a mimosa or Bloody Mary would be excellent too!
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Make Ahead Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole
Make ahead sausage and egg breakfast casserole is a fantatstic way to start a holiday morning! You'll prep this overnight egg casserole the night before, pop it in the oven in the morning, and enjoy a stress-free breakfast without a lot of hassle.
Ingredients
- 1 (12 oz) package ground breakfast pork sausage, like Jones or Jimmy Dean (thawed if purchased frozen)
- 10 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups milk
- 1 tsp table salt
- 6 cups cubed day old bread (any bread)
- 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup diced red pepper, optional
- Sliced green onion, optional
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch (3-quart) casserole dish with butter or baking spray.
- In large skillet over medium-high heat, break up the sausage and cook, stirring frequently until fully cooked and no longer pink.
- Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, milk, and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Scatter half of the bread cubes in an even layer into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese, half the black pepper, half the red pepper (if using), and half of the cooked sausage. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over casserole, making sure to get it into all of the nooks and crannies of the bread cubes.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 325° F. Bake uncovered for 55-60 minutes, or until eggs are set. If the top begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover the casserole dish with foil.
- Sprinkle the casserole with sliced green onions (if using) and serve warm.
Notes
adapted from My Baking Addiction
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