Loaded with savory ground sausage, fluffy eggs, crusty bread, and lots of cheese, this delicious overnight breakfast casserole is easy to make ahead for a special holiday breakfast or weekend brunch. It’s one of my family’s favorite Christmas morning traditions, and made for customizing so it can become one of yours, too!
For as long as I can remember, I’ve made a breakfast casserole for Christmas morning. Some years it’s my sweet berry French toast casserole. Other years, it’s a savory hashbrown breakfast casserole. This overnight sausage and egg breakfast casserole is another savory option that’s easy to make the day before. Waking up to a delicious breakfast that’s ready to bake is almost as great as waking up to the presents under the tree.
With only five ingredients, including day-old bread, juicy breakfast sausage, melty cheese, fluffy eggs, plus simple spices, this overnight breakfast casserole is perfect for the festive season. Assemble, then cover the casserole and store it in the fridge overnight. It’s as easy as removing the cover and popping your breakfast casserole into the oven first thing.
Why I Always Come Back to This Overnight Breakfast Casserole Recipe
- Made for holidays. This overnight breakfast casserole is a Christmas tradition I’ve carried into adulthood. It’s a wonderfully easy breakfast to share as a family on busy holiday mornings! I’ve even made it for Thanksgiving, Easter, and Mother’s Day brunch.
- Minimal work in the morning. Refrigerate the casserole and let the bread soak up the flavors overnight. It’s ready to bake when you wake up.
- Only 5 ingredients. Of course, there’s the option to add more ingredients you have kicking around in the fridge, from fresh veggies to different proteins.
- Room to customize. An overnight breakfast casserole, like a quiche, is super adaptable and welcomes extras like diced bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, bacon, and more.
Ingredient Notes
One of the best things about this overnight breakfast casserole recipe is that you only need a few ingredients. Find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Bread – Similar to the bread I’d use for a French toast casserole, I recommend day-old, sturdier bread in this egg and sausage casserole, like the sourdough loaf from Pepperidge Farm. A classic white bread loaf, or even sandwich bread, works perfectly if it’s a bit stale, as it’ll better soak up the egg custard.
- 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.
How to Make This Overnight Breakfast Casserole
If you don’t wish to prepare your casserole the night before, it’s fine to bake right away, too. It just may not have quite the same depth of flavor or texture as when the ingredients soak overnight in the fridge, but it’ll still taste great! Here’s how to make it.
- Assemble the ingredients. Cube the bread and scatter it in the bottom of a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Layer the ground sausage and shredded cheese on top.
- Add the egg mixture. In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk the eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt, and pepper together to make the custard. Pour the eggs over the casserole.
- Cover and refrigerate. Wrap or cover the casserole tightly, and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
- Bake. When you’re ready, bake the casserole under foil at 325ºF for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 15-25 minutes, or until the eggs are set. The exact baking time may vary depending on how “done” you like your breakfast casserole. To check for doneness, use a fork or knife to test how soft the middle is.
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 overnight sausage and egg breakfast casserole is perfect by itself, these are some ways you can turn it into a full brunch spread.
- Sweet breakfast dishes: Serve with homemade pancakes, apple fritters, or blueberry muffins.
- Savory sides: Crispy bacon, or I love these crowd-friendly grape jelly smokies made in the crockpot.
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
Overnight Breakfast Casserole
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Ingredients
- 6 slices bread (cubed*)
- 1 pound sausage (browned and drained)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon 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℉. 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.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Enjoy!
Can you use sausage links?
It would work. You could just cut them into little pieces.
I had some homemade cranberry sauce left-over… no, not from Thanksgiving. We finished that and loved it so much that I made more recently. Anywho, I had a little left, so I added it to this bake. I like to add left-overs to recipes. Hope it will taste ok… fingers crossed.
Ima add porotabella mushrooms. Do you yall think I should sautee them before I bake or just bake raw?
I would probably saute them a bit first.
Very moist and very good. I added some seasoning to it since the last time I made it, it was a little plain. I added Galirce and onion Powder and Italian Seasoning for a little extra kick!
Thank you life love and sugar for the recipe that truly brings me back to childhood holidays. You reminded me that this recipe is so easy, it doesn’t require a special occasion to fix. Eggscellent recipe 🙂
I love your recipe because you use dry mustard. It adds so much! I use frozen O’Brien hashbrowns because we like the little bit of peppers and onions. I’m actually making it for dinner!
I made the breakfast overnight casserole. I added to this recipe bell peppers, spinach. Delicious recipe! Thank you❤
We love celebrating Jesus Birthday….
My birthday is Christmas Day too! I have made this same casserole for so many years. I started when I was a young night shift nurse. I’d make it before I went to work the night before Christmas, refrigerate, then pop it in the oven in the morning when I’d get in from working my 7pm-7am shift. My family-even the married ones expect that every year for Christmas breakfast. I usually serve it with cinnamon rolls, fruit and Christmas punch.
Robin, what is your Christmas punch recipe? ☺️ My mom use to make a Christmas punch using Delaware punch as the main ingredient but haven’t seen that in the shelves in years.
Thank you in advance!
Michelle
I make this about once a month for a quick and easy breakfast option for my husband and me. I portion out individual servings and we eat it throughout the week. Always tastes just as good on day 3 or 4 as it does in day 1!
I would like to premake this recipe and then freeze it for a couple of weeks before baking and serving. Any comments other than simply covering with plastic wrap and alum foil before freezing?
I’ve honestly never tried freezing something like this prior to baking it, so I’m not sure.
For a little more nutrition, I added some fresh spinach to the sausage at the end to wilt it and added sliced Roma tomatoes on top! Soooo good
Yum! Glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use ground pork in this recipe instead of sausage, will it taste the same? Thank you.
It won’t taste the same, since sausage has seasoning in it. But you could use regular pork.
Question – should I bake covered or uncovered? Thanks
I’m probably a little late in responding, but I just updated the instructions to make that more clear.
Can you freeze the leftovers?
I haven’t ever tried it, so I’m not sure if it affects the texture or not.
My wife is not a sausage eater, I would like to substitute bacon, how much do you think I would need
Having not tried it, it’s hard to say. My initial inclination is to use the same amount, which would be a pound of bacon. If that seems like too much though, feel free to reduce it.
Sausage and egg casserole! How long to bake 2 casseroles for 12 – 15 men
I’m not sure. But you would probably need to add more time.
This was excellent! I made just a couple tweaks; I added 1 tsp onion powder to the egg mixture, and I was feeding a pretty good size group so I increased to 16 eggs and 2 3/4 cup milk bc the ratio in the recipe didn’t cover the bread in the pan, and took a full hour to cook. It filled up my 9×13 perfectly. RAVE reviews this morning!