Sausage & Egg Breakfast Casserole

Who doesn't love a cheesy breakfast casserole? This easy egg casserole without bread features sausage, cheese and potatoes and makes a wonderful weekend breakfast for a crowd! Serves 16.

Breakfast Casserole with Sausage recipe

The holidays are upon us and it's time to plan out those menus! Are you ready?

I feel like breakfast often gets left out of the planning. Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas dinner get all of the pomp and circumstance, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

With everyone home for the holidays, it's so important to have a few easy recipes for a crowd up your sleeve.

Enter this cheesy and delicious Sausage and Egg Casserole. It feeds 16 people (or 8 people twice) so it's a great one for crowds.

Pair it with some fresh fruit salad, some cranberry orange muffins and a side of bacon, and you've got a hearty breakfast for a group.

Love breakfast casseroles? Don't miss this ham and cheese breakfast casserole or this vegetarian breakfast casserole.

Why you'll love this recipe

Everyone in your family will adore this easy breakfast casserole recipe.

• This recipe makes a big batch — everyone gets a slice!
• This easy egg casserole is an absolute cinch to make. You can put it together in about 10 minutes and it's on the table in under an hour. Kids will love helping with this one!
• It's filled with everyone's favorite breakfast foods: eggs, sausage, potatoes and cheese!
• Made without bread, it's gluten-free and can be made dairy-free as well. Feel free to make it with plant-based sausage crumbles for a vegetarian version.

An egg casserole feels so much more special than scrambled eggs or fried eggs. This sausage & egg casserole is perfect for Christmas morning or anytime you have overnight guests!

It's also a good one to make and share with anyone needing extra support. It can easily be re-warmed in the microwave. (See my Meals for Others series.)

Breakfast casserole vs. frittata

Frittatas and breakfast casseroles are both basically egg pies filled with goodies like meats and veggies, but there are some differences.

An Italian dish, frittatas are kind of like giant round omelets, according to Thrillist. They are usually made in a cast-iron pan or skillet.

Similar to a crustless quiche, the eggs in a frittata are well-beaten well with milk and cream to create a more custard-like finish, then mixed with fillings and baked. They are light and fluffy and taste best fresh.

Breakfast casseroles, on the other hand, are much heartier. Usually served in a casserole dish, the egg mixture is usually combined poured over layers of meat and veggie fillings, then poured over a base of starches like potatoes or bread. Unlike frittatas, they can be made ahead of time.

There's also a type of egg casserole known as a strata, which is an egg casserole poured over cubed bread to create a savory type of bread pudding. (The recipe below is definitely not a strata, as there's no bread — just potatoes!)

Ingredients

You only need 6 simple ingredients to make this quick and easy breakfast casserole.

• pork sausage
• eggs
• milk (dairy-free milk works fine)
• shredded potatoes (we like the Simply Potatoes brand)
• cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Feel free to use your favorite cheese or cheese blend such as Mexican cheese, pepper jack cheese (for a kick!) or mozzarella. A few crumbles of feta or goat cheese would be good too. You really can't go wrong here.

You could also use tater tots instead of shredded potatoes, or start with a base of leftover potatoes like hashbrowns or cheesy potatoes.

Not sure what kind of eggs to get? This guide to buying eggs is excellent. We like to buy happy eggs when we can, especially for special meals like this, but always buy the best eggs you can afford.

Egg casserole fillings

If you'd like, you can add in other mix-ins. In fact, breakfast casseroles are a great way to use up veggies and other leftovers. Here are a few ideas:

• sausage
• potatoes
• bacon
• ham
• diced bell pepper
• leftover stuffing
• diced onion
• spinach
• mushrooms
• cherry tomatoes, halved
• green onions
• fresh herbs

You can also add some toppings for a pretty presentation or to serve on the side. Try some chopped chives or parsley or serve it with a side of blender salsa.

How to make Sausage & Egg Breakfast Casserole

This egg casserole is so easy and I bet you can make it in less than 10 minutes, maybe even five.

First, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13-inch baking sheet and set aside.

In a pan over medium-high heat, brown the sausage. Drain the grease. (I pour mine on a paper towel-lined plate to catch the grease.)

While it drains, crack all the eggs into a bowl. Add the milk and whisk together well.

Stir in the sausage, potatoes, cheese, salt and pepper and pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the eggs are set and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Slice into squares and serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

What to serve with breakfast casserole

Breakfast casserole can be the star of the show or a savory side, especially to a sweet main dish like Sweet Potato Pancakes or Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls.

If this sausage, egg and cheese casserole is the star, you might serve it alongside a small sweet like Cinnamon Apple Muffins or Blueberry Muffins.

You'll need something on the fresh side too, like Creamy Christmas Fruit Salad.

And don't forget the coffee! For a special occasion, it might be fun to offer boozy coffee for the adults, like Irish Coffee with Hazelnut Whipped Cream.

Check out these ideas for easy breakfast sides to serve with this recipe!

More special breakfast recipes

• Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Muffins
• Make Ahead Breakfast Frittata Muffins
• Cranberry Orange Scones
• Breakfast Burrito Bowls
• Roasted Bacon Breakfast Potatoes
• Strawberry Orange Scones

If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.