Make Ahead Sausage ‘n Cheese Breakfast Casserole (With Video)

This easy Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole is loaded with savory sausage and cheese. It takes minutes to put together, can be made the night before and baked in the morning. It’s the perfect breakfast or brunch casserole for Christmas morning or any morning for that matter.

When refrigerator space is at a premium, I like to dump the prepared casserole mixture into a ziploc bag, seal the bag and place it in a much smaller refrigerator space than an actual casserole dish would take up. The next morning, I transfer the mixture to my baking dish and pop it in the oven. I like to use a springform pan, but you can use whatever casserole dish meets your fancy. After about an hour, I have an amazing Breakfast Casserole that delights even the pickiest of eaters.

This Breakfast Casserole recipe is quite versatile. Rather than sausage, use bacon or ham. Want some vegetables? No problem – add some sautéed mushrooms, blanched broccoli, fresh spinach, etc. 

Ingredients for Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

I used the following ingredients for this awesome Breakfast Casserole: Breakfast sausage, eggs, half and half, dry mustard, salt, freshly ground black pepper, seasoned croutons and extra sharp cheddar cheese.

I used croutons rather than the more traditional bread to simplify the recipe. You can use whatever croutons you like, but I used cheese and garlic Texas Toast croutons. For the sausage, I used Jimmy Dean hot sausage, but a mild sausage would also work.

Starting with the Sausage

As a first step, I browned and crumbled the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until all of the pink was gone. This took about 10 minutes. Then, I drained the cooked sausage on some paper towels to remove as much of the grease as possible. Because I was going to add it to eggs, I let the sausage cool for about 15 minutes before assembling the mixture.

Putting the Breakfast Casserole Mixture Together

After the sausage cooled a bit, I cracked the eggs into a large bowl. Then, I added the half and half, dry mustard, salt and pepper to the eggs. Next, I whisked the custard until everything was nicely combined.

Once the liquid ingredients were well mixed, I added the cooked sausage, croutons and cheese. I stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon until everything was well combined.

Normally, at this point I would have transferred the mixture to a casserole dish. However, because my refrigerator space was quite limited, I decided to dump the mixture into a ziploc bag for easier placement in the refrigerator. After sealing the ziploc bag, I placed it in the refrigerator. 

The Next Morning

The next morning, I removed the ziploc bag from the refrigerator and dumped its contents into a greased 9-inch springform pan. I used a silicon spatula to smooth out the mixture. The reason for using a springform pan for this casserole was for both presentation and ease of serving. 

I popped the Breakfast Casserole into a preheated 375°F oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, the eggs were nicely set and the top was a golden brown. Before serving this amazing Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole, I sprinkled the top with sliced green onion tops.

To say that the casserole was delicious is an understatement. As a side note, any leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated for about a minute in the microwave! Yum!

For additional Christmas breakfast or brunch ideas you should check out my:

• Sous Vide Bacon and Gruyère Egg Cups
• Classic Eggs Benedict
• Sausage Bread
• Sausage and Cheese Crescent Ring
• My Mother’s Southern Cheese Grits with a Modern Twist