If you’ve ever hosted brunch for a crowd, you know how chaotic the kitchen can get — eggs scrambling, pans sizzling, toast burning. That’s why this Sausage Breakfast Casserole has been a go-to for years. It’s hearty, flavorful, and best of all, it feeds everyone at once.
Sausage Breakfast Casserole Ingredients
This casserole has everything you want in a breakfast — fluffy eggs, melty cheese, golden potatoes, and savory sausage with a pop of green chilies for flavor. It’s the kind of recipe that makes your kitchen smell incredible before anyone’s even out of bed.
Our breakfast bundt cake and breakfast crescent ring are two more hearty and delicious breakfast recipes to start your day out right.
You’ll need:
- 5 cups potatoes O’Brien*
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound mild sausage
- 3 green onions
- 32 ounces Egg Beaters Original or 14 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 (10-ounce) can RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
- 2 cups shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend
Substitution for Potatoes O’Brien
The five cups of Potatoes O’Brien is equal to one (32-ounce) bag of frozen diced potatoes. If you cannot find “O’Brien” potatoes, you can add ½ cup diced red bell pepper and/or green bell pepper and 1 cup of diced onions to the skillet to cook with the sausage.
Ingredients Substitutions
Eggs vs Egg Beaters: Both work beautifully. We recommend Egg Beaters – as you would need 14 eggs for this recipe .when I’m cooking for a crowd because they pour easily and bake evenly.
Salt: omit the regular salt, garlic & onion powders and replace it with 2 teaspoons of seasoned salt)
SAUSAGE: Any sausage will work for this easy recipe depending on your preference. Pork sausage, spicy hot sausage, or mild sausage would all work.
Why This Recipe Never Fails
This Sausage Breakfast Casserole is one of those recipes that becomes part of your family’s tradition — the one you pull out every Thanksgiving or Christmas morning — or even Sunday brunch.
It’s simple, adaptable, and consistently turns out delicious. Once you master the layering and cooling steps, you’ll never have to worry about mushy or bland casseroles again.
So go ahead — prep it tonight, bake it tomorrow, and enjoy your morning coffee while breakfast practically makes itself.
Expert Tips for Perfect Breakfast Casserole
1. Cool the sausage before mixing it in.
If the sausage is too hot when combined with the eggs, it can start cooking them early, leading to uneven texture. A quick 10-minute rest makes all the difference.
2. Don’t overmix the eggs.
Whisk until just combined — you’re aiming for a creamy, not frothy, mixture. Overmixing can make the casserole puff and then collapse.
3. Tent with foil if browning too fast.
Around the 45-minute mark, check the top. If it’s looking deep golden but still wobbly in the center, cover loosely with foil. This lets it cook through without overbrowning.
4. Rest before slicing.
It’s tempting to dig in right away, but letting it rest 15–20 minutes helps it set up — so you get clean, picture-perfect slices.
Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 cups potatoes O'Brien, thawed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound mild sausage
- 3 green onions
- 32 ounces Egg Beaters Original, or 14 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 1½ teaspoons salt (or omit the regular salt, garlic & onion powders and replace it with 2 teaspoons seasoned salt)
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 10 ounces RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
- 2 cups shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of butter. Set aside.
- To thaw the potatoes, measure out 5 cups and place them in the fridge until thawed. Or to thaw quickly, place in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on 50% power for 2 minutes at a time until they are just thawed (they should still be slightly cool, you don’t want to cook the potatoes). Set aside.
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, break up the ground sausage and cook until the sausage is brown and cooked through. Turn off the stove, remove the pan from the heat and let the sausage cool slightly.
- Transfer the cooked sausage and onions to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess fat from the sausage.
- In a medium mixing bowl, pour in the eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and milk. Drain the tomatoes and add to the mixture.
- Chop the whites and greens of the green onions and add to the egg mixture. Then stir in the shredded cheese.
- Layer the sausage on top of the potatoes and pour the egg mixture on top, spreading it out evenly over the top. Shake the pan just a little bit so it settles in between the potatoes.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour until brown and the center is no longer jiggly. Check at the 45-minute mark to see if it is getting too brown. If so, tent it with a piece of foil.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 20 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- The 5 cups of potatoes is equal to 1 (32-ounce) bag of frozen diced potatoes. If you cannot find “O’Brien” potatoes, you can add ½ cup diced red bell pepper and/or green bell peppers and 1 cup of diced onions to the skillet to cook with the sausage.
- If you are substituting diced yellow onions for green onions, you can cook them with the sausage in the skillet.
Nutrition
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you love a stress-free morning, this casserole is your friend.
Make ahead (fridge): Assemble it fully, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, take it out while the oven preheats, then bake as directed. You may need an extra 10 minutes if it’s cold from the fridge.
Freeze unbaked: Wrap the unbaked casserole tightly with foil and freeze up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
Freeze baked: Bake, cool completely, then slice and freeze individual portions. Reheat in the microwave for 1–2 minutes or in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Storing Leftovers
Cover with plastic wrap and store leftovers of this sausage and cheese breakfast casserole in the fridge for up to three days.
Serving Ideas
You can absolutely serve this as-is, but here are a few favorite pairings:
- Fruit salad or orange slices to balance the richness.
- Toast with our strawberry freezer jam.
- Salsa or hot sauce for those who like a little heat.
- A dollop of sour cream if you’re feeling indulgent.
More Breakfast Casserole Recipes
- Crockpot Breakfast Casserole Recipe
- Crockpot Cinnamon Roll Casserole Recipe
- Biscuit and Gravy Breakfast Casserole Recipe
- French Toast Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Comments
Toni Thomason says
I LOVE breakfast casseroles and I cannot wait to dig into this one.
ricky green says
looks good
Treena says
I usually make a large one of these and freeze it. Always great to grab for breakfast when your in a rush and my daughter enjoys it in her lunch bag.
Martha paiz says
If I donโt use the egg beater. How many eggs can I use.
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Martha – I haven’t done it using eggs instead. Google is telling me it’s one egg for every 1/4 cup of Eggbeaters, so I think that would be about 16 eggs. Enjoy!
Julie says
This was so good. Adding it to my favorite recipe book
Diane Lamain says
This recipe was easy to follow and didnโt require a lot of time to prepare. It was such a hit with my breakfast guests. You could easily customize it with a spicy sausage, hot peppers, or favourite veggies like mushrooms. I will definitely make this one again!