Breakfast Casserole
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In need of a brunch dish that’s both delicious and easy? My breakfast casserole, brimming with sausage and Cheddar cheese, is your answer. Simply assemble it the night before and bake it to golden perfection in the morning!
If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing, stress-free brunch option—perfect for weekend guests, Christmas morning, or any special occasion—this classic breakfast casserole recipe is the answer. Packed with savory sausage, tangy cheddar, and a creamy center topped with a golden crust, it’s as flavorful as it is easy to make. Best of all, you can assemble it the night before and bake it in the morning, leaving you free to enjoy time with your guests.
This recipe has a wonderful backstory: it came to me from my dear friend Kelly Santoro, who got it from her friend Corey, who got it from his mother—who first discovered it in an old spiral-bound church cookbook. Such is the path of a great recipe!
“It’s the perfect breakfast casserole. It’s quickly become my family’s go-to holiday or special event breakfast. So simple, so easy to prep, and so flavorful.”
What You’ll Need To Make The Breakfast Casserole
- Sweet or spicy pork sausage: During the holidays, many grocery stores offer sausage in bulk, eliminating the need to remove casings. Alternatively, you can easily remove the meat from its casings by squeezing it out or snipping the casing with scissors and peeling it away. Feel free to replace the pork sausage with chicken or turkey sausage for a lighter option; for a vegetarian version, try my spinach and cheese strata.
- Yellow onion: Provides a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor.
- White sandwich bread: Serves as the structure of the casserole, absorbing the egg mixture and giving body and texture to the final dish.
- Grated sharp cheddar cheese: Adds a rich, tangy flavor that complements the spices in the sausage, while also contributing to the casserole’s cheesy, creamy texture. I love cheddar here, but any good melting cheese such as Monterey jack, Colby jack, gouda, or Gruyère will work nicely.
- Fresh parsley: Lends color and fresh, herby flavor.
- Large Eggs: Bind the ingredients together, creating the custard-like base that solidifies when baked and gives the casserole structure.
- Half-and-half: Enhances the creaminess and richness of the egg mixture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by cutting the bread into cubes. Set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a nonstick large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break the meat into small clumps, until browned, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the sausage to a large bowl, leaving the grease in the pan. Reduce the temperature to medium heat, then add the onions to the pan along with 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook the onions, stirring constantly, until soft and translucent, about 5 min.
Add the onions to the mixing bowl with the sausage, along with the bread cubes, grated cheese and parsley.
Stir well, then spread the mixture into an even layer in the prepared baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread mixture.
Cover tightly with saran wrap and put in the fridge for at least a few hours or overnight. (At this point you can also freeze the casserole for up to two months.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for about one hour, uncovered, until the dish has puffed up and the top of the bread is golden brown. Serve immediately.
Video Tutorial
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Breakfast Casserole
In need of a brunch dish that’s both delicious and easy? My breakfast casserole, brimming with sausage and Cheddar cheese, is your answer. Simply assemble it the night before and bake it to golden perfection in the morning!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 pound sweet or spicy pork sausage (casings removed)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 loaf (18 slices) white sandwich bread, such as Pepperidge Farm, crusts removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- Scant teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter.
- In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break the meat into small clumps, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large mixing bowl, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Turn the heat down to medium, then add the onions to the pan along with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook the onions, stirring constantly, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the onions to the mixing bowl with the sausage, along with the bread cubes, grated cheese, and parsley. Toss well, then spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread mixture. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Bake for about one hour, uncovered, until puffed and golden brown. Slice into squares and serve immediately.
- Note: The cook time is based on cooking the bread pudding directly out of the refrigerator. If it's left to sit out at room temperature before baking, check for doneness after 45 minutes.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: To freeze the casserole before baking, assemble it according to the recipe, but don't bake it. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. It can be frozen for up to two months. When you're ready to bake, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.
- Reheating Instructions: The best way to reheat the casserole is in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), cover the casserole with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out, and heat for about 20 minutes, or until warmed through. For individual portions, a microwave can be used, heating in 30-second intervals until hot.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 669
- Fat: 44 g
- Saturated fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 1098 mg
- Cholesterol: 251 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Can you use baguette instead of sandwich bread? If so, how much would work? Thanks!
Hi Tanyia, Sure a baguette will work. And I’ve never measured the bread, but I suspect it should about be 10 cups. Please LMK how it turns out!
This is my favorite breakfast recipe for a group and I’ll be making it again this weekend. So easy to assemble ahead of time and so delicious. Thanks!
I have made this recipe several times over the past 2 years or so and it’s easily a favorite. I’ve always made it for group gatherings and it has gotten nothing but rave reviews. The first time that I made this recipe, I prepared it exactly as written. It was delicious, but a family member commented that he thought using a fresh, crusty bread would take it to the next level. Since that time I have always used fresh baguette instead of the sandwich bread and agree that it makes this bread pudding even more delicious! I use 4 heaping cups of roughly 1-inch slices of baguette. The last time that I cooked this I caramelized the onions and will definitely be doing that going forward. Jen, this is a phenomenal recipe and I love how easy it is to make simple substitutions to suit each individual’s preferences.
As a raging fan of your recipes, I hesitate to admit that I went a bit off the rails last night. In my defense…it was late and I had a work event the next morning. I combined this recipe with your spinach and cheese strata to yummy results.
Used this recipe basically with spicy pork sausage browned w/o oil then removed to paper towel to drain & then added to a big bowl per directions. Wiped same pan a bit & added a T. olive oil & 1 T. butter and cooked 1 diced onion for 3-4 minutes before adding 2 minced garlic cloves & about a cup+ of fresh spinach (chiffonaded?) for another 2-3 min. till well wilted. Added a bit of salt & pepper & added to bowl with sausage. Added cubed Italian loaf of bread (with crusts), cheese and parsley to bowl & tossed to mix. Put into prepared pan & then poured over (whisked) 6 eggs, suggested half and half, 2 t. Dijon and s&p. Didn’t look like enough liquid so I freaked a bit & whisked an additional egg with another cup of half & half & poured over the mix before wrapping & leaving in fridge over night.
Added another 3/4 C. of cheese over top before baking per directions in the morning. *Used a glass pan (if that makes a difference here) but bread pudding/casserole browned just past golden at about 45 min. & I (chickened out &) removed from oven at 50 min. A pinch over-browned but not bad & perfectly cooked inside.
Had to bring to work & didn’t serve it for about 1 1/2 hrs. (easily reheated in microwave) so it’s ok standing for a bit if you can’t serve right away. Would love to tell you about how ‘seconds’ reheated/tasted later in the day but… there weren’t any! Seconds (+) happened right then. 🙂
*Could easily customize this recipe w/ sauteed diced poblanos, red peppers, mushrooms, shard/ kale, etc. Such great, forgiving recipes! BTW- Love your book!! <3
So glad your version of this was a hit (and that you like the cookbook)!! 🙂
This is a very good recipe that was readily adapted to a vegetarian version. I was moved to try it by having some home-baked sourdough (about 500 g) that needed to be used up; I hadn’t had a savory bread pudding in years, and had never personally made one. Instead of the indicated sausage, I used one cup of sausage-style TSP, one cup of hot water, 2 tsp hot Italian sausage seasoning and 1 cup of leftover vegetable stew. It was quickly gobbled up by my family, and I have seldom seen my terrier more attentive (g).
Hi Jenn,
I wondered if the sausage you specify (sweet or spicy) is Italian sausage? I could not find a sweet or spicy sausage without Italian or other types of seasoning. I’m making your recipe for this Sunday brunch.
Hi Sharon, Yes, it’s Italian. Enjoy!
Should this be baked covered or uncovered?
Hi Callie, it’s baked uncovered. Sorry for the confusion!
Omg, I cooked this morning and my family couldn’t wait! I’m going to have to transfer to smaller pan because they took out a big section and now my pan has about 1/4 missing. They wanted more…I should have made two. It’s delicious!!!!
I am making this for Easter brunch potluck tomorrow. My family is more bacon fans than sausage though…I cooked up a 20 ounce package of thick cut bacon, removed most of the bacon drippings, and left some behind to sauté onions in. Using large, disposable pan and fit perfectly. Can’t wait to pop in the oven and serve tomorrow. Thanks for recipe!!
Jenn, this was a disaster for me. Made half the recipe exactly as written, but used sour dough bread (had some left over from grilled cheese sandwiches and wanted to use it up. Used an eight inch square pan as others have done. The egg and cream mixture was a baked layer in the bottom of the pan, hardly any liquid was absorbed by the bread which was dry and crusty on top. Looked beautiful, but didn’t work for me. Why?
Sorry to hear you had a problem with this, Carol! Did you let it sit in the refrigerator for at least a few hours after assembling it?
overnight
Hmmm… I’ve never heard of anyone experiencing that problem with this if they’ve let the mixture sit. It is possible that the bread wasn’t spread evenly along the bottom of the baking dish? If so that could cause the liquid to pool and not get fully absorbed.
“I made this recipe EXACTLY as written, but actually that’s a lie, I didn’t, and it was terrible! One star”
For my first review I felt I had to cancel out this one. I made it for the first time yesterday and did it exactly as written, not changing the quantity or the ingredients. All 3 of us who ate it thought it was delicious. Tbh, it felt very unhealthy pouring in that much half and half, given all the butter, cheese, and pork sausage already in the recipe. I wasn’t thinking about this fact while eating. In the future, for the sake of my cardiovascular health, I will try 2 cups of milk instead of half-and-half. If it turns out well then this will be a regular dish for us.
I made the recipe exactly as written, and served it to my co-workers at a potluck breakfast to celebrate a birthday. It was a huge hit. Even though I transported it about 20 minutes from my hot oven to the office, it stayed piping hot and delicious. The only downside was that its gorgeous puffiness deflated before we could dig in, but the flavor and texture were wonderful nonetheless. I will definitely be making this again, for my unhappy family who did not get to sample it! Another winner, Jenn!