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Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Robyn Stone

Published Nov 26, 2024

This easy breakfast casserole recipe is made with eggs, sausage, and cheese and comes together quickly and easily. Makes the best make-ahead breakfast casserole!

The breakfast casserole recipe is always a family favorite. It is filled with eggs, sausage, cheese, and tender buttermilk biscuits . I’ve also included notes on variations that you may also enjoy.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Make Ahead ease. You can prepare this breakfast casserole in advance and store it in the fridge until ready to bake and serve.
Incredible flavor. The combination of ingredients includes all of our favorite breakfast items: biscuits, eggs, sausage, and cheese in every single bite.
Infinite variations. Use your favorite meat, vegetables, cheese, and bread combinations to make this your own.

How to Make Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

My mother first shared her make-ahead breakfast casserole recipe with me when my son Sam was a newborn. It was the recipe she always served on Christmas and Easter mornings and weekends when I was growing up, and it has been a staple recipe in my own house for over 20 years.

Through the years, I’ve tried various variations of this tested and perfect recipe by swapping out various breads, meats, veggies, and cheeses based on what I had on hand. This base recipe is the most loved by my family, but the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

Meat – I use ground pork breakfast sausage in this recipe. You can substitute it with other favorite breakfast meat, such as diced ham or cooked bacon .
Eggs – Use room temperature eggs so they incorporate into the casserole mixture more completely.
Vegetables – My base recipe uses onion and garlic. You can also mix in your favorite vegetables, such as spinach, bell pepper, and mushrooms.
Bread – I use baked buttermilk biscuits that I cut into cubes. You can also use your favorite store-bought biscuits (baked) or crusty bread, such as sourdough. If gluten-free, use a gluten-free bread.
Cheese – I use shredded cheddar cheese. You can also use your favorite cheese, such as gouda, feta, pepper jack, Colby, or Swiss.
Milk – I use whole milk or half-and-half to get the best texture in this casserole. You can also use your favorite dairy-free milk if needed.
Seasonings – You’ll need salt and pepper, but you can substitute and use Stone House Seasoning if you omit the minced garlic from the vegetables. I also like to use dry mustard, but it is optional.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Bread cubes in a 9x13 glass baking dish. - 3

Breakfast casserole mixture in a glass mixing bowl beside casserole dish of bread cubes. - 4

Unbaked breakfast casserole in a glass baking dish. - 5

Make the casserole. Cook the sausage and any vegetables, drain, and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, cube the bread and add it to a prepared baking dish. Mix the eggs, cooked sausage, vegetables, cheese, and seasonings. Pour over the bread cubes into the baking dish.

Wrap and store. Wrap the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.

Bake. When ready to serve, preheat the oven and bake until the center of the casserole is just set about 40 to 45 minutes and registers 160º F in the center when checked with an instant read thermometer. Let it stand for 10 minutes after removing from the oven before serving.

Baked breakfast casserole topped with sliced green onions ready to serve. - 6

Breakfast Casserole Recipe Variations

Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole – Omit the meat and add about 1 cup more vegetables. Proceed with the recipe as written.
Potato Breakfast Casserole – Omit the bread and use 3 cups frozen diced hashbrowns (found in the grocery store’s freezer section) or diced fresh potatoes cooked until browned about 10 minutes. Proceed with the recipe as written.
Half Recipe – Half the ingredients and prepare in a 9×9 baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Storage Tips

Leftovers. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350º F oven.

Make Ahead. You can prepare this breakfast casserole up to 24 hours in advance and keep it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Then, on the morning you are serving, just bake for about 40-45 minutes until the casserole is set. Remove it from the oven and allow it to stand at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Freezer Instructions. Prepare the unbaked breakfast casserole through step 4 of the recipe in a freezer-safe baking dish. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap topped with foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bake as directed.

To freeze the baked breakfast casserole , prepare the casserole in a freezer-safe baking dish. Cool completely after baking. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, topped with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the plastic wrap and return the foil cover to the baking dish. Bake at 350º F until reheated throughout, about 30 minutes.

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Here’s my Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole recipe. I think you’ll love it as much as we do!

Equipment

Skillet
Mixing Bowl
Baking Dish (9×13)

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound pork breakfast sausage , or other breakfast meat such as diced ham or diced cooked bacon
▢ 3/4 cup onion , diced (optional) (about 1/2 medium onion)
▢ 1 clove garlic , minced (optional)
▢ 4 cups buttermilk biscuits , cubed (about 4-6 baked biscuits) or another bread cubed such as sourdough
▢ 2 cups whole milk , or half and half
▢ 8 large eggs , room temperature
▢ 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese , or Feta, Gouda, Swiss, or Pepper Jack
▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
▢ 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard , optional

Optional Add-In Ingredients

▢ 1 cup chopped bell pepper
▢ 1 cup sliced mushrooms
▢ 1 cup chopped fresh spinach

Optional Topping

▢ green onion , sliced
▢ fresh parsley , chopped
▢ fresh chives , Chopped

Instructions

Prep the casserole dish. Spray 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray or coat it with butter and set aside.
Cook the sausage and vegetables. Crumble sausage in a medium skillet with onion and garlic (and other vegetables if using). Cook over medium heat until the sausage is browned and cooked throughout and the onion is tender. Drain and set aside.
Add the cubed bread. Arrange the cubed biscuits in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
Mix the casserole filling. Whisk the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and dry mustard in a mixing bowl. Stir in the shredded cheese, sausage, and cooked vegetables. Pour over the cubed biscuits.
Bake and serve. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the center of the casserole is just set and registers 160º F in the center when checked with an instant read thermometer. Allow to stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Video

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy! Robyn xo

Originally published 2018. Updated with step-by-step photographs 2023.