Sausage Breakfast Casserole Recipe
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This was amazing; I was in disbelief for the first few bites. I added about a teaspoon of parsley flakes since I had put them in a different breakfast casserole before.. Glad I did! ~Amelia
Big, comforting breakfast and brunch dishes are perfect for holidays and this breakfast casserole is one I make very single year for our holiday brunch. My family has been gathering more and more for holiday brunches and I love an easy dish that is hearty and tasty.
One of the requirements of a good holiday breakfast recipe is that I can make it ahead of time to save myself time in the morning. I made sure this recipe can be made ahead and walk your through it below.
For my breakfast casserole, I combine three breakfast classics in one recipe: the eggs, sausage, and biscuits. I also made sure to include more ideas on what to serve with this casserole too.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Tips and Substitutions
Biscuits – Frozen southern style biscuits are the best to use just make sure to pull them out and spread them on the parchment paper to thaw while cooking the sausage. You can also use refrigerated biscuits but cut them into smaller pieces because they are sometimes larger.
Breakfast Sausage – You can use pork or turkey sausage, both work well! Just make sure you don’t use brats, Italian sausage, or anything else – just breakfast sausage. It’s sometimes labeled country sausage. It’s easiest to get loose ground breakfast sausage but if it’s not available, get links or patties, take off the casing (links), and break it up.
Dairy – You will need both whole milk and heavy whipping cream for this wonderfully thick and rich breakfast casserole! If the heavy whipping cream is not available, use 1 3/4 cup of half and half instead of milk and heavy cream combo.
Full list of ingredients needed is in the recipe card.
How to Make Sausage Breakfast Casserole
EXPERT TIP: Make sure to thaw the frozen biscuits before making the casserole. You will need to start preparing ahead of time. 30-45 minutes is usually enough time to thaw the biscuits on the counter.
Prepare Before Cooking:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Remember that the type of baking dish you use can slightly affect the baking time. For example ceramic baking dish usually takes longer and metal ones take less time.
- Take biscuits out of the freezer and let them thaw on a parchment paper lined cutting board. They should be thawed pretty quickly and it usually gives me time to gather the other ingredients and whisk the eggs and prep other breakfast stuff.
Cook Sausage and Assemble Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Let’s start by cooking onions and sausage: preheat a cooking pan, add some oil, and sauté diced onions until transparent and start to get golden brown. Add the breakfast sausage and break it apart as much as you can. Don’t worry, you can break up more clumps as the sausage cooks through. Once the sausage is completely browned, take the pan off heat.
- Cut each biscuit into fourths (more if they are larger) and lay the biscuit quarters in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, in one even layer. Try not to overlap them because you want each bite to contain even amounts of biscuits, sausage, and eggs.
- Spread cooked sausage and onion mixture over the biscuits. Again, try to keep everything evenly spread.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, heavy whipping cream, salt, and pepper together until smooth. Slowly pour the egg mixture all over the biscuits and sausage. Move all over the dish so the eggs are evenly distributed.
Baking the Casserole
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature in the center of the casserole reaches 165°F. The edges of the breakfast casserole will be bubbly and golden, the biscuits will be puffed and raised quite a bit, and your kitchen will smell amazing!
How To Make It Ahead Of Time
- You can prepare my sausage biscuit casserole the night before and bake it in the morning.
- Assemble the casserole up to the baking step. Cover it up with plastic wrap or foil and carefully place it in the refrigerator.
- The next morning, take the casserole out of the fridge and take off the wrap or foil. Let it warm up on the counter for about 30 minutes, then preheat the oven. Bake until it’s raised, golden brown on top and thermometer inserted in the center reads 165°F. Bake time shouldn’t be affected much, may be only by a couple of minutes.
Sausage Breakfast Casserole Variations
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar is my favorite with breakfast sausage. After adding the sausage, spread 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar over the biscuits. Use a spoon to nestle some of the cheese between the biscuit pieces so it’s better incorporated. For an extra cheesy top, sprinkle another 1/2 cup over the casserole about 10 minutes before it’s done baking.
- Sausage: Pork or turkey breakfast sausage both work well here. Stick with breakfast sausage (sometimes labeled country sausage), not Italian sausage or brats.
- Bell peppers: Dice 1 large bell pepper, any color, and add it to the pan with the onion. Sauté until the pepper softens, then add the sausage and continue with the recipe.
- Mushrooms: Slice 8 oz baby bella mushrooms and cook them with the onion until they’re browned and the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Then add the sausage.
- Spinach: Once the sausage is browned, stir in 3 oz chopped baby spinach and cook for a minute or two, just until it wilts.
- Vegetable note: Sauté any vegetables before you add them, so their moisture cooks off in the pan and you don’t end up with a watery casserole. And, when adding vegetables, drain off excess juices left in the pan before spreading the sausage mixture over the biscuits.
What To Serve with This Breakfast Casserole
- Meat: I always have more meat options, even though there is sausage in the casserole. So you can serve some holiday ham, like my orange glazed baked ham, or bacon.
- Side vegetables: Another good idea is to get something refreshing since the casserole is so rich. So serve some fruit and veggies or make a simple vegetable side like sauteed Brussels sprouts, haricot verts, or honey roasted carrots.
- Potatoes: another great side dish so you can make home fries or oven roasted potatoes.
- Gravy: To enhance the sausage flavor even more, try serving this breakfast casserole with some sausage gravy.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of baking, either in the same baking dish covered tightly with plastic wrap or foil, or in an airtight container.
- Freeze baked leftovers for up to 2 to 3 months. Cut the casserole into individual pieces, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer bag or airtight container and label with the date. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. If you’re short on time, you can reheat frozen pieces without thawing, just plan on a longer reheating time.
- Reheat single slices in the microwave on a microwave-safe plate, covered, until hot all the way through. For a larger portion, place it in a baking dish, cover loosely with foil to keep the top from drying out, and warm in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, a little longer for a full pan.
More Savory Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
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Sausage Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 25 oz frozen southern style biscuits (grands)
- 1-2 tbsp cooking oil avocado oil, olive oil, or canola oil
- 1 1/4 lbs raw breakfast sausage preferably ground but you can break apart patties
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Take biscuits out and let them thaw on parchment paper lined cutting board. They should be thawed in about 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375℉ and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Preheat medium cooking pan and add oil.
- Add diced onion and sauté until transparent and start to brown.
- Add breakfast sausage, break it apart, and cook until it's cooked through. Break apart clumps as the sausage cooks.
- Cut each biscuit in fours and layer the biscuit quarters in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Keep them in one even layer.
- Spread cooked sausage and onion mixture over the biscuits.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, heavy whipping cream, salt, and pepper together until smooth.
- Gently pour the egg mixture all over the biscuits and sausage.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature in the center of the casserole reaches 165°F.
Video
Notes
- Adding cheese: feel free to add some shredded cheddar as a layer over the sausage and nestle some between the biscuits.
- No heavy whipping cream? You can use half and half instead of the milk and heavy whipping cream mixture. (So use 1 3/4 cup of half and half.)
- Storing: refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of baking, covered tightly in the baking dish or in an airtight container, for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing: wrap individual baked pieces tightly in plastic wrap, then put them in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 to 3 months, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheating: microwave single slices, covered, on a microwave-safe plate. For larger portions, cover loosely with foil and warm in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, a little longer for a full pan.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in November 2018.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This was great. Great cheese-free breakfast casserole option for our picky eater. Thank you!
I’m so glad it was a hit with your picky eater! Thank you for trying it and taking the time to let me know! 😊
Hi, does this freeze well?
This is amazingly good. A keeper recipe for sure. Thank you for sharing it with us!!
Thank you so much!! 😊 That truly means a lot! I’m so glad you loved it
Can I use canned Refrigerator biscuits?
Yes, use the regular or if you get the extra large ones cut them into more pieces.
This was amazing; I was in disbelief for the first few bites. I added about a teaspoon of parsley flakes since I had put them in a different breakfast casserole before.. Glad I did!
Yum! Glad it turned out well, Amelia!