Overnight Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/15/21
Overnight Sausage and Egg Casserole

The Spruce

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 8 servings

This overnight breakfast (or brunch) casserole is full of flavor, with eggs, bread, sausage, cheese, and seasonings. It's the perfect egg casserole recipe for a holiday or weekend morning meal.

One thing that makes this casserole and other similar casseroles so perfect for a busy weekend or holiday morning is that it is prepared the night before. All you have to do in the morning is remove it from the refrigerator, let it stand to warm up a bit, and then pop it into a preheated oven. Serve it along with fresh diced or sliced melon or grapes, or a warmed fruit compote mixture. Sliced tomatoes go nicely with egg dishes as well.

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Ingredients

  • 7 slices white bread, crust removed

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 pound ground sausage

  • 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

  • 6 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard

  • 2 cups half-and-half

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Overnight sausage and egg casserole
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  2. Lightly butter each slice of bread and then cut the slices in half. Arrange the bread slices in a 9 x13 x 2-inch baking pan.

    Butter bread slices and arrange on baking pan
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  3. In a large skillet or saute pan, brown the sausage. Use a spatula or spoon to break it up. Drain and pat with paper towels. Sprinkle the sausage over the bread. Top the sausage with the shredded cheese.

    Add cooked sausage and cheese onto bread
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  4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, dry mustard, and the half-and-half until well blended. Pour egg mixture over bread, sausage, and cheese.

    Pour egg mixture over sausage, cheese, and bread
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  5. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate overnight.

    Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate
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  6. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

  7. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

  8. Remove the foil from pan and bake the casserole for 45 minutes, or until it is bubbly around the edges and lightly browned on top. It might take a bit longer if it's still quite cold. A butter knife inserted into the center of the should come out clean when it's done.

    Remove foil from pan and bake
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  9. Remove the breakfast casserole to a rack and let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

    Finished sausage and egg breakfast casserole
    The Spruce

  10. Serve and enjoy!

Glass Bakeware Warning

For premade casseroles or leftovers that are in a glass baking dish and have been refrigerated, do not place directly into a hot oven as the glass can shatter. Instead, place any cold glass bakeware into a cold oven to warm up while it preheats. Or, allow the bakeware to rest outside of the fridge for 30 minutes to reach room temperature while the oven preheats.

Recipe Variations

  • Use Italian bread instead of regular white bread.
  • Milk is an excellent substitute for the half-and-half.
  • Feel free to replace the ground bulk sausage with turkey sausage or sliced sausage links, or replace the sausage with cooked and crumbled bacon or diced ham.
  • You can also replace the sliced bread with quartered or coarsely crumbled buttered biscuits.
  • Chopped steamed asparagus or broccoli florets would be a nice addition to the casserole, too, especially if you're making it for a brunch or lunch.
  • Or sauté 4 to 6 ounces of sliced mushrooms in a small amount of butter and add them to the egg mixture.
  • If you enjoy Tex-Mex flavors, add a 4-ounce can of mild chopped green chile peppers or 1/2 cup of finely chopped bell pepper along with 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion. Use a Mexican blend of cheeses or part pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar, and add a few teaspoons of chili powder or taco seasoning. This combination is excellent served with fresh or purchased tomato salsa.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
618 Calories
47g Fat
19g Carbs
29g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 618
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 47g 60%
Saturated Fat 22g 112%
Cholesterol 255mg 85%
Sodium 1326mg 58%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 534mg 41%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 485mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)