Enjoy a flavorful breakfast or brunch with this Italian Sausage Egg Hash Brown Casserole. It’s very make-ahead, making it a great way to start the day.
Love eggs? Got extras that need using? Be sure to check out our recipes for what to make with eggs.
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Do you wake up hungry each morning but find yourself not really wanting to expend much effort in the kitchen? Do you wish there was something quick and filling to start the day with? Have you wondered how to reconcile a love for breakfast with one’s own agenda to be out of the kitchen?
A make-ahead breakfast casserole is the answer. To be specific, this Sausage Egg Hash Brown Casserole.
Sausage Egg Hash Brown Casserole
This sausage egg hash brown casserole comes together super quickly. It can be made in advance as a casserole or as components that assemble in a flash. It serves a crowd without your having to stand at the stove messing.
In a word — or two — this is breakfast perfection.
There are lots of ways you can go with a sausage egg hash brown casserole to vary the flavors and keep it interesting.
- Add green chiles and cumin and go southwest.
- Add thyme and tarragon and call it a crustless quiche.
- Leave out the herbs and you’ve got something like a Spanish tortilla.
- Use Italian sausage and basil and top it all with tomato bruschetta? You’ve got an Italian breakfast mash-up.
How do you make sausage egg hash brown casserole?
This sausage egg hash brown casserole comes together super quickly.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a skillet saute the sausage and onion until the meat is no longer pink and the onion has become translucent.
- Beat the eggs and stir in the milk and spices.
- Layer the potatoes, sausage, cheese, and egg mixture in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until set. Serve hot or warm, with bruschetta if you like.
Can I use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hash browns?
If you prefer you can use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hash browns. Simply cook and shred the potatoes and layer them in the baking dish according to the recipe.
Can I use different sausage?
We’ve made this casserole a dozen different ways. Feel free to use whatever sausage you like as well as cooked bacon or chopped ham.
Can I make this dairy-free?
This casserole can be made dairy-free. Simply omit the milk and cheese. Increase the eggs to 12 to make sure you have enough custard to surround the fillings.
Can you freeze egg casserole?
Egg casserole is one of my favorite meals to freeze. It makes breakfasts (or lunches or dinners!) super easy to pull off.
You can freeze this dish in one of two ways.
To freeze the assembled casserole:
- Prepare the sausage and onion as directed. Chill it completely in the refrigerator.
- Assemble the casserole as the recipe instructs, but do not bake it.
- Instead, cover and freeze it immediately, for up to 6 weeks.
- To serve: thaw overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking.
To freeze this as a kit:
- Prepare the sausage and onion as directed. Package it in a ziptop freezer bag and chill it completely in the refrigerator.
- Package the hash browns and cheese in separate ziptop freezer bags.
- Place all three bags into one larger bag and label with egg and seasoning amounts as well as baking instructions.
- Store the kit in the freezer until ready to bake.
- When ready to bake, layer the frozen ingredients in the baking dish, add the eggs and seasonings. Bake and serve.
How long can you keep egg casserole in the refrigerator?
Once baked, refrigerate leftovers promptly. Do not leave the casserole at room temperature for more than two hours.
The baked casserole is good in the fridge for up to 4 days, making it a great dish for meal prep. Reheat for a quick and easy breakfast.
How much does it cost to make this sausage egg hash brown casserole?
We always assume that making it at home will cost less money than buying it elsewhere. This is often, but not always the case. Let’s see how much an egg bake really costs, shall we?
This casserole is made from some basic ingredients, ingredients that when bought at regular, non-sale prices break down as follows:
- sausage – $1.99 ($3.99/lb)
- onion – $0.38 ($0.75/whole)
- frozen hash browns – $1.00 ($1.99/32 oz)
- cheese – $1.20 ($4.79/lb)
- eggs – $2.20 ($2.99/dozen)
- milk – $0.19 ($3.09/gallon)
- seasonings – $0.02
Based on full price ingredients, this casserole costs $6.98, or 87 cents a serving. Not bad for a filling, make-ahead breakfast, but you can do even better!
HOW CAN YOU MAKE THIS MORE ECONOMICAL?
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Do a price comparison. I know that Costco is the best place to buy ingredients like eggs and sausage when there isn’t a great sale elsewhere. I keep track of prices so that I know who has the best deal where.
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. For instance, when I see a great price on eggs, I buy a lot. Same with cheese, sausage and hash browns.
- Use a lower priced alternative. Sausage out of your target price? You can sub a cheaper meat like ground turkey, beef, or pork. The cheese and milk can even be omitted completely and lower the cost of the dish.
- Make double! I purposely portioned the potatoes and sausage so that one egg bake uses ½ of a bag of frozen hash browns and ½ a package of Italian sausage. This makes it super easy to make a double batch and freeze one casserole for another night, thereby avoiding convenience items or restaurant fare. Freezer cooking is an easy way to save you money. 🙂
Tools I use to make this recipe easy:
This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- large skillet with lid – I have two of these since I love this model so much.
- Pyrex measure bowl – Great for measuring and mixing in one spot.
- whisk – Get one with a sealed barrel so you can’t throw it in the dishwasher.
- 9×13-inch pan – I love the ones that come with plastic lids for easy storage and stacking in the freezer.
Sausage Egg Hash Brown Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ lb bulk Italian sausage
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 1 16-ounce package frozen shredded hash browns no need to thaw
- 4 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (1 cup) mozzarella can be used
- 9 egg beaten
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- dash red pepper flakes
- salt
- black pepper
- Bruschetta for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onion until the sausage is no longer pink and the onion turns translucent.
- Meanwhile, layer the potatoes in the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Drain the meat mixture and spread it over the potatoes. Sprinkle the cheese over the meat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until set. Serve hot or at room temperature with the bruschetta on the side.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published March 15, 2018. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Michelle Carpenter
I did not have the full amount of hash browns left in the bag I had in my freezer but used what I had. I am excited to try this for dinner. My little man is ready to try it out too.
Jessica — thanks for another great recipe!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad to hear it.
Anne
We don’t have shredded hash browns in New Zealand …. What would be the equivalent in fresh grated potato?? Is it the same weight???
Jessica Fisher
Same weight in fresh potatoes would be fine. I’ve also used cooked and cubed potatoes. Either option, however, will not be freezer friendly. Do you have any frozen potatoes available there? Those would be best if you want to make this to freeze.
Sue Diamond
Hi, we don’t get frozen hash brown mix here in the UK. Assuming I could use grated potato but would I grate raw potatoes or cook them a bit first? Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
Our frozen hashbrowns are not cooked, however, raw potatoes will have a lot more water. I would recommend that you cook the potato and then shred or chop. If you’re planning to freeze it, though, the potatoes may get a little funky.
Christine
Prepping this for an easy and delicious Christmas morning. Thanks.
Jessica Fisher
Hope you all enjoyed it!
Susan
I made this with some left over ham from Easter that I had hanging out in the freezer. It was so good! My whole family asked me to make it again, which I will happily do because it was so darn EASY and TASTY!! I assembled it the night before and pulled it out of the fridge an hour before baking. Baked it as instructed – it came out perfectly!! Making it again for Mother’s Day brunch. Thanks for the great recipe – it’s a keeper!
Jessica Fisher
I made it with ham this weekend too. Love it!
Alice E
Okay, now I see the rating.
Alice E
Jessica,
I made the casserole using breakfast sausage and dehydrated hash browns last Sunday and it was great. We enjoyed it and the leftovers were handy as well.
Thanks again for a great recipe. Didn’t see anyplace to rate it but it gets 5 stars from me.
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!
Alice E
This sounds yummy and easy. I would probably substitute regular breakfast sausage, since my husband isn’t that fond of the Italian sausage. I’m assuming it would work, since you suggest subbing ground meat.
Have you ever tried this with chopped ham or bacon. They are my low cost choice usually, since I buy the ham on sale and freeze it in 2 slice packages to chop and use when making breakfast casseroles, pasta or soups. For two of us this works well. I do also use bacon, but I cheat and buy the chopped bacon off the salad bar. The price per pound is cheaper than buying the little packages of real bacon bits or even the huge package at Costco last time I was there. I just fill one of the plastic bowls with bacon, then repackage it in a freezer bag when I get home and take out what I want when I need it. This has the added advantage that I am not tempted by the smell of cooking bacon to have far more slices than are good for me while I am cooking the bacon. (grin)
I really like the idea of another breakfast casserole that doesn’t use bread. Thanks for all you do.
Jessica Fisher
Yes, your subs will all work really well. I would saute the ham and bacon first. I rarely use bread in egg casseroles, so you should be able to check out the others here for ideas.