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Made with ground sausage, eggs, bread, and lots of cheese, this Overnight Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole is the perfect breakfast for holiday mornings or weekend brunch. Easy to prepare & loved by the whole family!

Every Christmas for as long as I can remember, we’ve had this breakfast casserole for breakfast. We also tend to have it for Thanksgiving, Easter and any day it seems appropriate. Shoot, my husband would happily have it all year long. There are so many versions out there, but this is the one I use and love. It’s wonderful to wake up in the morning and have it ready to go straight into the oven. On Christmas, we often pop it the oven, then open some presents while it bakes.
Why You’ll Love This Overnight Breakfast Casserole
- Perfect for the holidays. I’ve been having this overnight sausage and egg breakfast casserole on holiday mornings since I was a kid and have carried the tradition into adulthood. It’s a wonderfully easy breakfast to share as a family on busy holiday mornings!
- Minimal work in the morning. After the ingredients are assembled, the whole casserole is covered and stored in the fridge overnight. Baking it the next morning couldn’t be easier!
- Savory breakfast flavors. This overnight breakfast casserole is made with bread, sausage, cheese, and eggs. It’s definitely a hearty and savory dish!
What You’ll Need
One of the best things about this overnight breakfast casserole recipe is that you only need a few ingredients. You can find the exact measurements needed in the recipe card below.
- Bread – See notes below.
- Sausage – Any breakfast sausage will work here. I use a Jimmy Dean log. Brown and drain before assembling the casserole.
- Cheddar cheese – Freshly shredded cheese melts the best.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Milk – 2% or whole milk will give you the best texture in the casserole.
- Spices – Dry mustard, salt, and pepper. You don’t need a lot, but the flavor will be lacking without them.
What Type of Bread Should I Use?
I don’t use fresh bread from the bakery in this one, like I would a French toast casserole, because I don’t want anything too firm or crunchy. I want the eggs and sausage to shine in here. I tend to use a regular loaf of bread, like a white bread.
Tips & Variations
- Adjust the baking time. The exact amount of time your casserole needs to bake will depend on how runny or soft you want the eggs. If you prefer them runny, you may want to bake for a little less time. You can check by using a fork or knife in the center to see how soft it is.
- Try other meat. Bacon or ham would work in place of the sausage (or even in addition to the sausage).
- Add some veggies. Try adding diced onion or bell peppers to the casserole. You can cook them with the sausage. Mushrooms would also be a good addition.
- Cover with foil. To prevent the breakfast casserole from browning too quickly in the oven, cover the pan with foil for the first 30 minutes or so.
Serving Suggestions
While this casserole is perfect by itself, we often serve it with something sweet. Overnight French Toast Casserole is amazing (and I have an apple, pumpkin and cake batter version, too). You could also try some apple fritters or blueberry muffins!
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Store leftover sausage and egg breakfast casserole in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep it covered tightly with plastic wrap or foil or transfer to an airtight container.
- Reheat. The entire baking dish can be reheated in the oven, covered with foil, until heated through. Individual servings can be reheated in the microwave.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Easy Fluffy Homemade Waffles
- Berry French Toast Casserole
- Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Overnight Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serve 8-10
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with ground sausage, eggs, bread, and lots of cheese, this Overnight Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole is the perfect breakfast for holiday mornings or weekend brunch. Easy to prepare & loved by the whole family!
Ingredients
- 6 slices bread, cubed*
- 1 lb sausage, browned and drained
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Spread the bread evenly into the bottom of a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle the sausage and cheese evenly over the bread.
- In a large measuring cup, combine the eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt and pepper.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the ingredients in the pan.
- Cover and chill overnight.
- Prior to baking, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until set. Cover it loosely for the first 30 minutes or so, then bake uncovered for the reminder. You may need to bake it for a little more or less time depending on your oven and how soft or “runny” you prefer the eggs to be. I don’t really like it to be runny, but I also don’t want it to dry out. To check it, use a fork or knife to stick in the middle and see how soft it still is.
- Remove from oven when done and serve warm.
*I like to use a little bit sturdier bread. Often I use the Pepperidge Farms Sourdough loaf.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 402
- Sugar: 2.6 g
- Sodium: 878.2 mg
- Fat: 26.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.5 g
- Protein: 22.6 g
- Cholesterol: 210.3 mg
Enjoy!
Do you use breakfast sausage or mild Italian sausage?
I use the jimmy dean pork sausage roll and cook and crumble that.
Can this be made 2 nights ahead?
I’ve honestly never tried it. I’m not sure.
My Mom made this breakfast casserole since the early 80’s,I’m in fact making it right now for dinner. The only difference is I add 3 C milk and 7 pieces of bread. I add green onion.
I love this casserole and it’s great for Christmas morning.I wonder how diced ham would be?
I’m glad you enjoy it! I would think ham would be great!
I forgot to grease my glass dish. It’s in the refrigerator to bake tomorrow. Any advice? Should I try to put it into another greased dish or take a chance?
It’s fine. It might stick a little, but it’s not really going to affect the casserole.
Does the bread have to sit out over night to dry out a bit as it does when you are making stuffing or do you cut it into 1″ pieces right out of the package?
You don’t need to let it sit out to dry out, I just use it right out of the package.
Hi! I just had to tell you that not only do I absolutely love this recipe so much and make it every Christmas, but Christmas is also my birthday too!!! Happy birthday and Merry Christmas!!
How fun! Happy belated birthday! 🙂 Glad you enjoy the recipe!
I forgot to butter, my baking dish. Is it going to stick?
Maybe a little, but it should be fine.
How long in advance can you make this?
I haven’t prepped it more than 6-8 hours in advance (overnight). You could probably make it a little more in advance, but technically cracked eggs shouldn’t sit in the fridge for more than 48 hours.
How could you incorporate hashbrown? Could one use hashbrowns in lieu of sour dough cubes?
You could try that. I also have a Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole.
Looking forward to making this for an EAGLES tailgate. Crust on or crust off?
Do you mean the bread that’s in the recipe? I leave the crust on.
Just pulled it out of the oven this morning while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade! It smells amazing!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving morning easy to make and a great holiday breakfast love it
So glad to hear that!
Hi, my husband made this last Christmas the night before and it was delish. I can’t remember but what cheddar is best ? Is there a particular yellow or white and can it be a block that you shredded yourself? What do you use ? Thank you
I use shredded sharp cheddar, but you could use any kind you like. You can shred it yourself or buy it already shredded. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this recipe many times and love it, but I have a question: Can this be made ahead of time and put in the freezer to serve at a future time? If so, should it be baked ahead of freezing? Would freezing make it lose quality? I have company coming for Thanksgiving, and I will be out of town until the night before Thanksgiving. I’m trying to made as many things as possible ahead of time.
I honestly having experimented with freezing it. I think you could freeze it either before or after baking and it should be fine. My preference would be to bake after thawing, so it is more freshly baked.
You can freeze it! I freeze any leftovers by wrapping cooled bake in a damp paper towel then placing in a ziplock bag and freeze. Not sure how long as doesn’t last for more than 2 weeks in our freezer. When you take out of freezer you place in microwave for about 1 minute. Unwrap paper towel and serve. Taste as great as fresh.
I love this recipe! It’s my go-to for brunch and have shared with so many people. I do buy a Cuban bread and use that it works perfectly.
I’m so glad it’s been a hit!
I imagine bacon could be used instead of sausage. Maybe pre-cook it a bit first?
That should be fine. And yes, you should probably pre-cook it, like the sausage.