Hash brown casserole with sausage and eggs

This Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is one of my favorite recipes to make for brunch with family or friends. All of your favorite breakfast ingredients in one dish, make-ahead and freezer friendly.

Hearty breakfast casserole recipes are something that I love but don’t get the opportunity to indulge in very often. Breakfast just isn’t a big deal in our house.

Mornings are hectic already so I tend to just stick to with the quick and easy basics. Eggs, smoothies, toast and fruit, those things.

But sometimes on the weekends or when we have friends and family visiting a breakfast casserole is just what I need. It’s hearty and filling, packed with two of my favorite breakfast foods – sausage and hash browns. And cheese, lots of cheese. ALL THE CHEESE!!!!! 

What's In This Article

• Why You’ll Love It
• What You’ll Need
• How to Make It
• Variations
• Storage, Make Ahead & Freezing
• More Easy Breakfast Ideas
• Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Why You’ll Love It

To keep this casserole recipe quick and easy, I use cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage and refrigerated hash browns. I’m talking real hash browns here, not the hash brown patties like those served at McDonald’s or home fries. Shredded potatoes.

This hashbrown breakfast casserole makes a great brunch to share with friends and family. Perfect for Christmas morning or Christmas brunch, Easter brunch or any time you need to feed a large group.

It’s definitely kid-approved too! And we all know how hard it is for that to happen. And, like all breakfast foods, it tastes even better when served with a mimosa or an orange crush!

This is an easy breakfast casserole is great because even though it requires baking time, the hands-on time is minimal, which means I get to relax with a cup of coffee or finish getting ready for the day while breakfast is cooking.

What You’ll Need

• Breakfast sausage – You want your sausage to be already cooked. You can use either sausage links or bulk sausage as long as you cook sausages and use the right amount weight wise. You can use more, if you desire. 
• Refrigerated hash browns – Using refrigerated (not frozen hash browns) cuts down on cooking time. If you want to use frozen, you will need to cook them according to package directions and then add them to the mix otherwise they have too much moisture.
• Cheddar cheese – I always prefer shredding my own cheese rather than buying the pre-shredded. The pre-shredded cheese has an additive in it that prevents a really good melt.
• Sour cream – To add to the creaminess factor, I like to put sour cream in my hash brown breakfast casserole.
• Seasonings – The seasonings for this casserole are really simple. We just use a blend of onion powder, fine sea salt and ground white pepper. You could also throw in some black pepper or garlic powder if you’d like to.
• Eggs – This is a breakfast casserole after all, so of course we need eggs. Always assume a recipe that calls for eggs needs large eggs.
• Milk or half & half – I highly recommend using full fat half & half and sour cream, the lower fats don’t gel as well. 
• Toppings and add ins – Feel free to make this hashbrown breakfast casserole recipe your own. Top with green onions, hot sauce or any of your other favorite things. You could even throw in some veggies like red bell pepper, onion or tomato. You can also serve these items on the side after cooking so everyone can customize their own dish.

How to Make It

1. Prepare oven and baking dish. Preheat oven and coat a 3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Eggs and milk. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and milk (or half & half). 
3. Rest of ingredients. In a large bowl, combine crumbled sausage, hash browns, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, sour cream, onion powder, fine sea salt, ground white pepper and egg mixture. Spread evenly into casserole dish. 
4. Add cheese. Top with remaining cup shredded cheddar cheese.
5. Bake. Bake, uncovered until cheese melted and lightly browned.
6. Let rest. Remove and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

For a tad more flavor, consider browning the potatoes before adding to the casserole. Brown potatoes have more flavor and texture than straight out of the bag, but if we are being honest, I usually don’t because I am being lazy.

Variations

• Make into muffins or cups – I would estimate it would make about 24 hefty egg muffins. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the egg is set and cheese is melted. If you are using a giant muffin tin, it might take up to 30 minutes. These are also super freezer friendly. 
• Cheese – Use whatever cheese your heart desires. You can even add more, use less or use a blend. Even add more cheese on top! Sharp cheddar cheese is my favorite, but you could use monterey jack or pepper jack for your cheesy goodness.
• Milk – I find that for these types of casseroles whole milk or half and half work best for texture and flavor. You can surely use skim or 1%, or even whole cream, if you’d prefer or that is all you have on hand. It is really a hard casserole to truly mess up. 
• Potatoes – I prefer hash browns, but feel free to use tater tots. They do need to be cooked (baked or fried) before adding to the recipe. Just some sort of potato and use the same amount. Sometimes these are referred to as Potatoes O Brien and has diced bell peppers and onions in them. These are fine to use too.
• Meat – I like pork sausage, but you could use turkey sausage in its place. If you don’t like sausage then a sausage hashbrown breakfast casserole might not be for you, but you could substitute crispy bacon, Italian sausage, chicken breakfast sausage or flavored chicken sausage (like apple smoked), smoked sausages or even browned ground beef. too.
• Veggies– Red pepper, chopped onion, fresh garlic, scallions, really anything you’d like in an egg bake, can be added, but I highly recommend sauteing them first to sweat out extra moisture.

Storage, Make Ahead & Freezing

Make- Ahead: You can assemble the whole casserole and put it in the fridge the night before so the next morning all you need to do is take it out and bake it OR bake it and reheat it when needed. 

I prefer to bake it fresh in the morning. Fresh is always better. However, be mindful to take the casserole out and let it warm while the oven is heating. It might also need a few more minutes to bake since it is starting at a lower temperature.

You can also make the whole casserole and just pour egg mixture over the top when ready to cook. I find this the best option before then the cheese and sausage don’t have time to settle to the bottom, making it more uniform throughout. 

Storage & Leftovers: If kept at the correct temperatures, in the fridge, an uncooked casserole will be good up to 24 hours before it needs to be baked. After baking, reheat to 160°F at the center. If refrigerated, it will stay good for 3-4 days. Leftovers can be reheated in the oven or the microwave.

Freezer Friendly: You can also freeze the cooked casserole. Bake it and then cut into squares. Package in an airtight container or plastic bag with as little air as possible. It will be good in a standard freezer for 3-4 months. 

Or you can freeze it whole by covering tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or bake it from frozen. Check out my whole post about how to freeze a casserole!

• Thawed– 20 minutes @ 350°F
• Fully Frozen– 50 minutes @ 350°F

I do not recommend freezing this casserole with raw uncooked eggs.

More Easy Breakfast Ideas

• Hash Brown Casserole
• Stuffed Breakfast Potatoes
• Chile Relleno Casserole
• French Toast Casserole
• Sausage Hashbrown Casserole
• Creamy Hashbrown Casserole
• Vegetable Breakfast Casserole
• Easy Instant Pot Yogurt

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This Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is loaded with delicious breakfast sausage, hash browns, and lots of cheese. One of the best breakfast casserole recipes for holiday breakfasts, Sunday brunch, or any other occasion.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Resting Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

Servings: 8

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Equipment

• 3- quart casserole dish

Ingredients

• 12 ounces breakfast sausage , cooked and crumbled
• 20 ounces refrigerated hash browns*
• 1 cup cheddar cheese , shredded, divided
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk or half & half

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk (or half & half).

• In a mixing bowl, combine the sausage, hash browns, 3/4 cup of the cheddar cheese, sour cream, onion powder, salt, white pepper and egg mixture. 

• Spread evenly into the prepared casserole dish. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

• Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until cheese melted and lightly browned.

• Remove and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

• If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Video

Notes

*Using refrigerated (not frozen hash browns) cuts down on cooking time. If you want to use frozen, you will need to cook them according to package directions and then add them to the mix. 

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