Quintessential Brunch Food
In my house, overnight breakfast casserole with sausage and cheese has been a longstanding tradition on New Year’s Day. Prepare the casserole the night before, let it soak and meld together, then bake in the morning. Amazing when served alongside a tall glass of well chilled orange juice and fresh fruit. Great for holidays and lazy weekends all year long, this is a quintessential brunch food!
What You Need to Make Overnight Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Cheese
- Sausage – Let’s talk about the first two ingredients in the name of the recipe. Choose a ground sausage flavor of your liking. I like to use the maple flavored, but you could also use a spicy Italian or the regular flavor as well.
- Cheese – I normally recommend shredding your own cheese, and still do. For the sake of ease, I used a shredded Colby jack and cheddar mix. The other cheese in this recipe is a parmesan. Completely optional, but I like the added salty flavor it provides on the top of the casserole.
- Eggs – Twelve of them to be exact. This is a lot of eggs, I know, but I think it’s the right amount to ensure the bread is completely saturated.
- Bread – Texas toast is just white bread that’s been thick sliced. I’ve made this plenty of times using up all the abandoned and unused breads in the farthest regions of my refrigerator. I once made it with a spare burger bun, whatever was left of a hot dog bun pack, heals of multiple loaves that no one would touch, some left over drying sourdough, etc. You get the point. I like the heals by the way, so under appreciated.
How to Make Overnight Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Cheese
The delicious aroma that will be in your kitchen as you prepare the filling will be a taunting preview of what’s to come. But hang in there! Dice the pepper and onion. Cook the breakfast sausage and veggies. Allow the sausage-veggie mix to cool a bit while you whisk together the egg mix. This will prevent the heat of the sausage from cooking the eggs.
Egg Filling
Start crakin’ eggs for the filling while you wait for your sausage and veggie mix to cook. Be sure to whisk plenty of air into the eggs. I used an immersion blender for the mix below, you can see all the bubbles. Mix in the milk which will extend the amount of liquid. Add plenty of salt, remember this is seasoning the eggs, but also the bread. Finally, fold or stir in the cheese. I only say fold because it won’t whisk very well.
Assemble the Overnight Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Cheese
First, prepare a 9×13 casserole dish by coating it with oil or, as I’ve done below with butter. I use a paper towel to spread the butter to all the side, corners, and bottom. Then, tear up each slice of bread into four roughly equal pieces. Overlap them a bit to give the egg mixture places to pool. Next, pour the sausage-veggie mix evenly over the bread. Use a measuring up to ladle the egg mix into the nooks and crannies with precision. Be sure to cover all pieces of bread. Top will the last scoop of shredded cheese, grated parm and cover. Refrigerate overnight.
Time to Bake!
After soaking overnight, place the casserole covered in a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, then remove the foil. Bake for another 10-15 until the top is melty and begins to get a golden bake on the edges. Remove, and allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. A great main course or served with fresh fruit. Not just for breakfast, this is a great weeknight dinner too. Depending on your appetite, this could make 6-12 servings.
Tips, Tricks, & FAQs
- Use Up Scraps and Leftovers. Reminder, this is a great way to use up stale bread, any partial veggies you have hanging around like a half unused onion or pepper, or any bits of cheese.
- Variations. Try a spicy Italian sausage, mozzarella, mushrooms, onions, and pepper or ham and Swiss cheese.
- Leftovers? Store leftovers for 2-3 days. This will deflate after it cools and reheats well in the microwave.
- Tip: Use a measuring cup to distribute the egg mix. A cup will allow you to better control where the mix flows and to ensure all the bread is covered.
Overnight Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Cheese
Equipment
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowl
- 9×13 casserole dish
- paper towels
- foil
- large skillet
- whisk
Ingredients
Sausage Mix
- 1 cup diced green pepper (1/2 large pepper)
- 1 cup diced white onions (1/2 large onion)
- 16 ounces maple flavored pork breakfast sausage
Egg Mix
- 12 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Other Key Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 8-9 slices Texas toast or other thick bread (sour dough, Italian. Day old bread is great!)
- 3 cups shredded Colby Jack/Cheddar cheese mix (2 cups with egg, 1 cup on top)
- 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prep Work – 5 minutes
- Prep. Gather all ingredients.
- Pepper. Wash and remove the stem and seeds from the green pepper. Dice the green pepper by slicing it into strips then, into smaller equal sized squares.1 cup diced green pepper (1/2 large pepper)
- Onion. Cut the onion in half, then cut off the ends – bottom and top, then peel the onion. Dice the onion by cutting the onion in half, then slicing the half into ribbons. Slice the ribbons into smaller equal squares.1 cup diced white onions (1/2 large onion)
- Cheese. Grate the parmesan cheese.1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Sausage Mix – 15 minutes
- Skillet. Add peppers, onions, and sausage to a large skillet.16 ounces maple flavored pork breakfast sausage
- Cook. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat into crumbles.
- Stir. Cook for 10 minutes or until all the pink is gone from the meat and the veggies are tender. Increase the heat slightly and cook for another 3-5 minutes, allow the sausage to brown. Stir once half way to brown the remaining sides.
- Drain. Remove the sausage mix from the heat. Carefully drain the excess fat and set the sausage aside.
Eggs – 5 minutes
- Whisk. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs for 1-2 minutes until frothy. I used an immersion blender, but you can whisk by hand, just get some air in there to make the casserole light and fluffy.12 eggs
- Combine. Add and whisk in the milk, salt, and black pepper. Then fold in 2 cups of shredded cheese until well combined.2 cups milk, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Assembly – 5 minutes
- Prep. Using a paper towel or rubber spatula, spread the butter around the casserole dish, bottom and sides.1 Tablespoon butter
- Bread. Tear up each slice of Texas toast into quarters and place the bread in the casserole dish. Overlap the pieces and evenly cover the bottom.8-9 slices Texas toast or other thick bread (sour dough, Italian. Day old bread is great!)
- Sausage. Spread the sausage mix over the top of the bread.
- Egg Mix. Pour the egg mix evenly over the sausage, covering all of the bread. Use a measuring cup if you like to make it easier to control where the egg mix goes.
- Cheese. Top the egg with the remaining cheddar cheese and add grated parmesan.3 cups shredded Colby Jack/Cheddar cheese mix (2 cups with egg, 1 cup on top)
- Cover. Cover the casserole and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Baking – 50 minutes
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
- Bake. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.
- Rest. Allow the casserole to stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
