This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Make this cheesy breakfast casserole recipe for a tasty weekend brunch or the holidays! It’s got very few ingredients and is big on flavor. You can even prepare this casserole ahead of time so that mornings are that much easier!
Love easy breakfast recipes? Try these Spinach and Mushroom Egg Muffins next.
Why you’ll love it
If someone in your family isn’t really into breakfast, this hashbrown casserole will definitely change their mind. It has fluffy eggs, bell peppers, tender sausage, and of course loads of cheesy goodness. We love it for breakfast meal prep. If you make it on the weekend, you can eat it over the next few days!
It’s just the best to serve for special occasions, during the holidays, and especially on Christmas morning for breakfast since it feeds a crowd. Your family will look forward to it almost as much as opening the presents! Ok, maybe not quite that much, but this breakfast casserole will feed lots of hungry mouths, and it’s perfectly simple and delicious.
What you’ll need
- Hash brown potatoes – we’re using the shredded kind, but if diced is all you have, that’s ok too
- Sausage – we chose pork sausage for this recipe
- Onion – sweet (Vidalia) is our go-to for an aromatic base, but yellow works
- Bell peppers – we used red and green, but any colors are fine
- Garlic – for savory depth of flavor. Always freshly mince it.
- Eggs – yup, we’re using a dozen! That works out to one egg for each portion, so don’t worry if it seems like a lot.
- Half-and-half – in our opinion, it’s way better than milk.
- Cheddar cheese – for both inside the casserole and the melty topping
- Spinach – for a pop of freshness. Spinach and eggs go great together.
Pro tip
- I definitely recommend grating your own cheddar. It melts and tastes so much better than the bagged kind that’s coated with anti-clumping preservatives. It’s worth it. I use this Microplane cheese grater.
How to make a breakfast casserole
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Thaw the hash brown potatoes, and then transfer them to a 9×13 baking dish and spread in an even layer. Preheat the oven to 375F. In a skillet, cook the sausage meat until browned. Transfer it to the baking dish on top of the potatoes.
Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers in the skillet over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, and then add to the baking dish over top of the sausage meat.
In a large mixing bowl add the eggs, half-and-half, and salt. Whisk until just combined without overworking the mixture. Stir in the spinach and half of the cheddar cheese.
Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish, and smooth it all into a uniform layer. Top with the rest of the cheddar, bake, and enjoy.
How to make it ahead
- Complete it up until the baking step, cover it and refrigerate overnight, and then bake the next morning. Easy!
- You’ll likely need to add on extra time because it’ll be cold coming straight out of the fridge. I’d probably take it out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before baking, and then add an extra 15 minutes or so to the baking time.
- For freezing, I’d just assemble it, cover tightly, and freeze before the baking step for up to a month.
Substitutions and variations
- If you prefer not to have any greens in this breakfast casserole, feel free to skip the spinach. Also, if you’re not a fan of garlic in the morning, that can be skipped too, but the overall dish will be a bit less flavorful. It isn’t overpowering, though!
- Want to jazz it up? Try some green chilies for a Tex-Mex twist and a bit of a kick, or use spicy sausage meat. You can also add some hot sauce when serving for a bit of heat.
- Don’t need to serve a lot of people? You can halve the recipe (every ingredient) for an 8×8 baking dish. I’d bake it for a bit less time, checking for doneness 35 minutes into the baking time to ensure that it doesn’t overcook.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers of this hashbrown casserole will keep in the fridge for a few days in a covered container.
- To freeze leftovers, I’d do individual portions for up to 3 months, and then thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat in the microwave, or you could warm in the oven at 375F. Simply cover the baking dish with foil, and warm for 30 minutes or until it’s hot.
What to serve with breakfast casserole
- We love serving this breakfast casserole with a platter of fresh fruit or fruit salad.
- Try it with some Easy Oven Cooked Bacon. You can’t ever go wrong with bacon!
- Biscuits, bagels, or even a Simple Arugula Salad are all great choices for pairing with this casserole at a brunch spread.
I’d be thrilled to hear from you in the comments below if you have any comments or questions! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made this recipe.
Simple Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 20 ounces shredded hash brown potatoes see note
- 1 pound pork sausage see note
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 12 large eggs
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach chopped (optional)
- 2 cups grated cheddar divided
Instructions
- Thaw the hash brown potatoes in a colander (you can let them sit on your counter for an hour or so or thaw them in the fridge overnight).
- Once the potatoes are thawed, transfer them to a 9×13 casserole dish. Preheat your oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- In a skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks (about 8-10 min). Transfer it to the casserole dish and leave the remaining fat in the skillet (but if it's more than 1-2 tablespoons, drain the excess). If the pan is looking dry, add a tablespoon or so of olive oil.
- Add the onion, bell peppers, and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, then transfer to the casserole dish.
- In a large prep bowl, add the eggs, half-and-half, and salt. Whisk until just combined, then stir in the chopped spinach and half the cheese.
- Pour the egg mixture into the casserole dish and toss everything together then smooth into an even layer.
- Top with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the edges start to brown and the middle is set (insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it's done). Don't cook for too much longer than needed as the egg will dry out.
- Let it cool for a few minutes prior to cutting and serving. Season individual portions with extra salt & pepper if needed.
Notes
- If the hash browns are still slightly frozen, you should be ok, just ensure there’s no large frozen clumps. You may sub shredded hash browns for the diced kind.
- Use any kind of uncooked pork sausage. Italian sausage works as does breakfast sausage. I used Johnsonville Mild Italian for this recipe. Use either ground sausage meat or buy sausages and take the meat out of the casings.
- Depending on portion size and what else it’s served with, it serves 8-12. See blog post for freezing and make ahead tips!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
I have made this for multiple family holidays and brunches!! We love it! And it’s definitely simple to put together!!
That’s awesome!! 😀 Thank you!
This is the most delicious egg casserole recipe I’ve made. So flavorful. I actually made them in muffin tins so I didn’t have to slice them into serving portions. I lowered the cook time to 20 mins. and they were perfectly cooked and still moist. To cut down on prep time in the morning, I cooked the sausage, onions, peppers and garlic the night before. In the morning, I whisked the eggs and blended them with the other ingredients before putting it into the muffin tins and baking. This has become my go to egg bite recipe. Thanks Natasha!!
I love that idea!! Thanks, Beth!! 😀
Had this dish Christmas morning after preparing it on Christmas Eve. Easy to make & adaptable too. I made one small dish, using a dairy alternative for the half-and-half and then stuck to the recipe for the larger portion. I put peppers and spinach on one half mushrooms on the other half. I found it took a bit longer to cook, especially in the middle. Everyone loved it – thank you for the recipe. We will have this again.
So glad it was a hit, Sarah!
Olá, o que seria o metade e metade.
Half whole milk and half cream. 10.5% – 18% fat.
W I’ll try it with breakfast sausage …
This recipe is perfect as written or easily adapted for your family’s tastes. This is the S&L recipe I’ve made the most, and I’ve probably made 30 of the S&L recipes so far!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed this one (and 30 others!! Wow!!). Thank you so much, Michelle! Appreciate the review!
New Christmas breakfast! Used tasty taters instead of hash browns only because that’s all I had and it was awesome!
Fantastic!! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Hello!
My family isnt a big fan of sausage, could I sub bacon or ham or both you think? Love the idea of a make ahead casserole! Thanks!
I think that should be fine! 🙂
I’m looking forward to making this on Christmas morning! Instead of frozen hash browns can I shred potatoes myself (my local store is out of the frozen hash browns 🤦🏼♀️) if so, what type of potato do you recommend?
Hi Jenny! I think that will work just fine. I’d probably go with Russets, but Yukon Gold will work too. Hope you enjoy it, and merry Christmas to you!
Thank you for the advice! I used fresh shredded russet potatoes. The casserole turned out GREAT and everyone loved it!!
I’m thrilled to hear that! 😀
Made this a few Sundays ago, we do a Sunday Breakfast and our neighbour joins us the next Sunday he does Sunday Breakfast. Week about I did this as i said as per the Recipe It was a big hit from all comers ,who enjoyed it very much.
Will make it for other Family get togethers .
Many thanks Spence.
I love that! I’m so happy it was a hit, Spence. Appreciate you taking the time to write me a review as always. 🙂