BY
Let’s Assemble!:
Bread
This easy overnight casserole starts with bread. While most similar casseroles call for dried out french bread, I actually recommend basic everyday soft white sandwich bread fresh from the bag. You’ll cut off the crusts, butter one side, and place the pieces butter-side-down in a 9×13 baking dish.
Cheese
You’ll need a lot of cheese! I call for a mix of Jack and Cheddar. That’s my favorite combination, but in a pinch I’ve also used Colby Jack, and it would also be great with some pepperjack in there. Experiment if you’d like to, but the classic way is terrific! My one tip: I do not recommend pre-shredded cheese in a bag for this recipe. Shredding directly from a block of cheese will produce better results.
Sausage
There are always a lot of questions when I have recipes that call for sausage of any kind. It’s probably because there are so many different types: breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, sausage in links, sausage in castings, sausage in tubes, sausage in 8 different sections of the supermarket! You’ll find this sausage in the fridge section, usually near the bacon. Avoid sausages with flavors like maple. I only use Jimmy Dean because that’s what my Mom always used and we like the flavor the best! It looks like this (you may use their low-sodium/low-fat version if you prefer):
Green Chilis
You find tiny cans these near the jarred salsa at the grocery store. I don’t bother draining the tiny can, just use your hands to grab the chilis from the can and sprinkle onto the casserole, the juice that comes with it is just fine
Egg mixture
Finally you’ll whisk together eggs, milk, and some spices and seasonings. Stir the egg mixture immediately before pouring on top of the assembled casserole. Otherwise all the spices will all gather in one spot and drop onto one single piece of casserole!
Refrigerate and Bake
It then goes in the fridge overnight (no, you may not skip this step) and in the morning you just pop it into the oven and have a gorgeous breakfast or bunch in under an hour!
What to serve with Overnight Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole:
- We love serving this with a platter of fresh fruit.
- For a fun special drink, try our Sparkling Citrus Punch or Virgin White Peach Sangria
- Want some other overnight ideas? Sometimes we’ll do one sweet and one savory and serve this Overnight Sasuage and Egg Casserole along side this Overnight Strawberry Lemon Croissant French Toast (SO good!) or Cinnamon Rolls (see overnight directions in notes.)
Check out our index of dishes for Breakfast and Brunch for more great holiday ideas!
Overnight Sausage and Egg Casserole
Description
An easy overnight casserole with crumbled sausage, eggs, and cheese.
Ingredients
6–8 slices plain white sandwich bread
Very soft butter for buttering slices
2 cups shredded jack cheese (not pre-shredded from a bag)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (not pre-shredded from a bag)
12 oz pork sausage, crumbled and browned (I use Jimmy Dean)
1 4-oz can green chiles
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Instructions
Start by removing the crusts from your bread and lightly buttering one side.
Place bread butter side down in a 9×13 baking dish. You want the bottom of the pan covered with no big gaps, so cut up some pieces like a puzzle to cover the whole pan.
Grate your cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the bread. Spread the browned sausage on top of that. Open your can of green chilis and use your hands to sprinkle them over the top of the casserole.
In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk eggs. Add milk and then seasonings and whisk to combine well. Give the mixture a final whisk before immediately pouring evenly on top of the assembled casserole.
Cover well and place in the refridgerator overnight.
In the morning preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake (uncovered) for 50-60 minutes. You’ll want the center to be puffed and set and the outside edges to be golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the microwave.
I am so making this for Christmas Morning. Thanks!
we are doing breakfast casseroles for Christmas brunch and I was not sure what to bring, I found your recipe and will be making it, thanks so much for sharing, I love reading your website, you make cooking so much more fun! keep them coming!
Thank you for posting this. I wanted to make some sort of breakfast casserole, but didn't know which to try. I have total faith in your recipes, so this one is it!
So what else do you have on Christmas morning? We are trying to plan our menu and I would like everything to be cooked beforehand. Thanks!
I stumbled upon your blog recently and I'm in love with it! Thanks for the great recipe, I'll try it Friday morning!
We're all counting on you to not seriously injure yourself. Your functioning hands are very important to us! 🙂
This is the perfect Christmas morning breakfast. Thanks for sharing your mom's special recipe.
Merry Christmas!
My mom actually does fresh cinnamon rolls and an egg, sausage, and grits casserole for Christmas morning! We'll have to try this one… sounds scrumptious!
WOW this looks so good! I want to make it for my hubby on X-mas vacation! WOW definitely making Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, thanks for all the yummy pictures/recipes! 🙂
What a great family tradition! My husband and I have started talking about what traditions we can start when the little ones come and this is a great one! Not to mention the wonderful recipe, yum yum!
I love overnight anything breakfast recipes. This one looks fantastic. I make these for Christmas morning as well. They are so nice to just put in the oven first thing in the morning and then after we are done with some of the presents we take a break and eat. No cooking really Christmas morning. My favorite one is a french toast with sugar and more sugar. Anything with sugar can not be bad. Yum.
So funny – I was just about to search your site for this recipe! I always check your site first, for recipes that I'm searching for (yes, over Martha's 🙂 Your recipes NEVER disappoint!
Lisa