Make morning mealtime a breeze with a make-ahead recipe for Overnight Egg Casserole with Breakfast Sausage.
Breakfast can be a hectic endeavor, whether it’s a busy weekday morning or a last-minute weekend brunch for 2 or 20 of your friends. The answer to the chaos? Make the meal ahead of time! And that’s why I love this hearty egg casserole loaded with onions, peppers, breakfast sausage and cheddar cheese, plus cubed French bread, which means this really is a whole meal in a single dish.
The best part of this entire recipe? The casserole is made a day in advance, stashed in the fridge then baked off right before your guests arrive. The result is a hearty, cheesy, flavor-packed breakfast casserole that resembles a savory bread pudding. Whip up a fruit salad to serve alongside it and last-minute guests have never been more welcome!
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Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk ground breakfast sausage
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 large green pepper, diced
- 1 large red pepper, diced
- 8 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups whole or non-fat milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 pound white, whole wheat or French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 7 cups)
Instructions
- Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with unsalted butter and set it aside. Line a plate with paper towels.
- In a large sauté pan set over medium heat, cook the breakfast sausage, breaking it apart into pieces. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the paper towel-lined plate.
- Add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and peppers and cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl then add the sausage to the bowl and stir to combine.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper then stir in the cheddar cheese.
- Arrange the bread cubes in an even layer in the greased baking dish then add the sausage mixture on top, spreading it across the bread. Pour the egg mixture on top of the sausage mixture then cover the dish securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
- When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and discard the plastic wrap. Let the casserole sit at room temperature for 30 minutes then place it on a baking sheet and bake it for 35 to 45 minutes until the eggs are fully cooked. Slice and serve.
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
This takes waaaayyy longer than 45 minutes to cook. I followed the recipe to a T.
Hi there – Did you allow the casserole to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking?
Would almond milk work instead of whole or non fat?
Hi Lauren – I have never tried this recipe with almond milk but it *should* work. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Hi Kelly ~ I’m wanting to try this recipe, however I have a sister that does not like soggy anything. Does the bread come out soggy? TIA
Hi Chris! Nope! The bread is perfectly cooked through with a slight crispiness on top. Enjoy!
Hi Kelly. This looks amazing! I’m wondering – since several in my household can’t eat eggs, is there a substitute for them? Thanks
Hi there! I’ve never tried this recipe with an egg substitute as it would lead to an entirely different recipe with a different taste/texture. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
This is the best breakfast casserole I’ve made! It’s perfect as written, but I’ve also tried it with a couple variations that I’ve tried and that work well. The first is adding bacon, bc it’s there anything that isn’t better with bacon? I’ll use the whole pound of sausage as called for, as well as half a package of bacon, cooked until crispy and coarsely chopped. My other subtle change is to put all ingredients into the crockpot rather than a 9×13. Then proceed per the recipe, with overnight in the fridge. The crock can be baked just like any other cookware, so I bake it per recipe instructions (usually closer to the 45 minute mark). But then I can pop it in the warming part of the crockpot and take it to work, and it stays deliciously warm until it’s gone.
Wow! Thank you so much for your comment, Tricia! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, and I love your variations!
Would this recipe still work without the bread?
Hi Kara – I’ve never tried this recipe without the bread, so I can’t guarantee what results you’ll get.
Enjoying this as I type. Easy, delicious, and so pretty! I does taste like a savory bread pudding. Thank you for the recipe. ❤️
So glad you enjoyed the casserole, Sabrina!