This sausage egg breakfast casserole is the bread-and-custard brunch bake: browned sausage, cubes of bread, eggs, cheddar. It does not use hash browns — that is a different URL. If you want a make-ahead sausage breakfast that cuts into squares, stay here.
Print
Sausage Egg Breakfast Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Description
Sausage egg breakfast casserole with bread, cheddar, and a milk-egg custard. From Olivia at Flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) breakfast sausage
- 6 cups (about 240g) day-old bread cubes, 3/4-inch
- 2 cups (226g) shredded cheddar, divided
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon (14g) butter, for the dish
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking it up, until no pink remains. Drain the fat.
- Scatter the bread cubes in the dish. Top with the sausage and 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard. Pour over the dish. Press the bread so it soaks. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar.
- Bake 40 to 48 minutes until the center is set. Rest 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
Assemble up to 12 hours ahead and refrigerate. Add 8 minutes if it goes in cold. Use sturdy bread — sandwich slices go mushy. This is not the hash brown breakfast casserole.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Bread strata, not potatoes
Hash brown breakfast casserole is potato-based. This sausage-egg bake is bread and custard. Two brunch searches, two URLs.
Substitutions
Italian sausage works if you drain it well. Croissant cubes make it richer. Pepper jack can replace half the cheddar. Turkey sausage is leaner; add a teaspoon of oil to the skillet so it browns.
Mistakes to avoid
Do not use fresh, squishy bread. Do not skip draining the sausage. Do not cut it the second it leaves the oven or the squares slump.
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat squares at 350°F for 12 minutes. Freeze baked portions up to 2 months.
Nutrition (estimated)
About 360 calories per serving if cut into 10. Estimate only, not a lab test.
FAQ
Can I make it overnight?
Yes. Cover and refrigerate. Bake from cold and add about 8 minutes.
What bread works best?
Day-old French, Italian, or sturdy sandwich bread. Avoid very soft slices.
Can I leave out the bread?
Then you are closer to a crustless quiche. Use that recipe instead of forcing this one.
Is this the hash brown casserole?
No. Hash browns have their own page. This one is sausage, egg, and bread.