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
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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 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.
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!
This is great with cooked chicken instead of bacon or sausage…also put buttered corn flakes on top. Really good for dinner…think of all the protein in this dish!!
Made this for my daughter to share with company. She said it was delicious! So happy it was since making a new recipe for someone else can sometimes not work out!
So glad it was a hit!
Best casserole dish ever. Tweaked it using seasoned croutons instead of bread crust and used Cosco’s Kirkland Coastal English chedder. Absolutely delicious!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
What type of bread do you use
Just a regular white sandwich bread usually.
If I double the recipe – how much longer do I cook it?
I’ve never doubled it and baked it in the same pan. If you’re using a 9×13 pan, it may not all fit. You might be better to make it in two separate pans. And it would definitely take a while longer to bake all in one pan. At least time and a half, maybe double. You’d want to keep an eye on it.
This is pretty close to the Christmas casserole passed down by my Grandmother. I’ve tweaked it a bit by substituting O’Brian potatoes in place of the bread….delicious!
Do you toast the bread before cutting/putting it in the casserole?
No, you don’t.
Question- do you toast your cubed bread before adding it to this recipe? Thank you!
I do not. Enjoy it!
Can I make two days in advance and put in fridge?
I haven’t ever made it that far in advance. I think the longest cracked eggs are supposed to be in the fridge is 2 days, so keep that in mind.
I lost my cookbooks in a house fire earlier this year and this is just like the recipe I make for Christmas morning! Thank you!!!
Oh no! I’m so sorry! I hope you enjoy the casserole!
Can I freeze this recipe??
I haven’t ever tried it. I imagine it would be ok.
When I poured my eggs over the sausage and cheese it’s soaked it right up should I put more eggs?
As long as you measured thing correctly, it should be fine. Did you use large eggs, not medium?
I love this recipe so much! It’s easy and can be prepped ahead of time so it’s bake and serve that day. Family thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Same recipe I had growing up as well. Every Christmas morning, and it’s also my birthday too, arent we lucky! I’m making it right now for Thanksgiving morning.
Ha! How fun! I’m so glad you enjoy it! We also had it Thanksgiving morning. 🙂
Clarify please, do I but & use pork sausage from Jones?,
First time making your wonderful recipe, only I don’t know what type of one pound of sausage to buy
I use ground pork sausage. Typically Jimmy Dean.
Can I freeze this and reheat? I assume I can make it, cook it as per instructions, let it cool, wrap in plastic/foil, freeze and then put in fridge night before I want to reheat it to serve?
I think that would be fine. I haven’t done it myself, but it should be fine.
Can left overs be frozen?
Yes, that’d be fine.
I love this casserole I make it all the time. Everyone loves it. Thank you so much for sharing this. It’s the best.
I’m so glad you enjoy it!