This hash brown breakfast casserole is full of savory flavor and feeds a crowd! It can be prepped ahead of time for a super simple and satisfying breakfast to feed a crowd or to meal prep for the week!
Jump to:
- Better Than The Rest - Here's Why
- Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole: What To Know & Recipe Highlights
- 🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- 🔪 Here's Exactly How To Make It
- 🙋🏼 Top Questions I Get Asked About This Recipe
- Expert Tips
- 👩🏼🍳 More Comforting Casseroles from My Kitchen
- 🥞 Easy Morning Recipes You’ll Want to Try Next
- Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Better Than The Rest - Here's Why
✅ This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd and is perfect for a family brunch or breakfast or enough to meal prep for 1-2 people for the week.
✅ Completely customizable for preferences and variations!
✅ Meal prep friendly! Assemble this breakfast casserole with hash browns the night before and bake in the morning.
Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole: What To Know & Recipe Highlights
Sausage, eggs, and cheese are the perfect ingredients for this perfect protein-rich and satisfying breakfast! I also like to serve it for brunch or when I'm meal prepping.
- Shredded or Diced Hash Browns - You can use either shredded or diced hash browns for this recipe — honestly, both are delicious! Whether you grab a bag of frozen shredded potatoes or the chopped kind, they’ll both bake up beautifully and taste amazing in this casserole. Just use what you have or what you like best.
- Make Ahead Tip - You can make this casserole up to 24 hours before baking it. Once you’ve got everything mixed and ready to go, you can pop it straight into the oven or cover it and let it chill in the fridge until you are ready to put it in the oven and bake it. When you’re ready to bake, it only takes about an hour — super easy!
- Secret Ingredient - ground mustard. It's a game changer because it enhances the flavor big time!
- Meat Options - You’ve got lots of flexibility here. Instead of using ground sausage, try chopping up some sausage links — they work great! You can also swap the sausage for bacon or ham if that’s what you’ve got on hand. Want something spicier? Go with chorizo or a hot sausage for a nice little kick. And if you’re keeping things vegetarian, use a plant-based breakfast sausage or skip the meat altogether — it’s still delicious.
- Eggs Substitutes - If eggs aren’t an option for you, no worries! You can use about 4 cups of a liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) instead. It works just as well and still gives you that fluffy, hearty texture.
- Cheese Choices - The cheese is where you can really have some fun. Mix and match your favorites — mozzarella, Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar, Gruyère, or even Havarti all melt beautifully and add great flavor. Use one or combine a few for something extra tasty.
- Add Some Veggies - This version doesn’t include veggies, but you can absolutely toss some in if you’d like! Try adding diced red, green, or yellow peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, or even a few chopped jalapeños if you like a little spice. Just dice them up small and stir about a cup into the egg mixture — it’s a great way to sneak in some color, extra nutrients, and flavor!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Sausage: I use mild pork sausage that is sold in the tube. You can also use maple or sage flavored sausage.
- Eggs: this breakfast casserole uses 8 whole eggs.
- Hash browns: use whatever you like here...just make sure they are frozen when putting the casserole together.
- Cheese: I like a combination of mild cheddar cheese and pepper jack. For best results and flavor, grate a block of cheese instead of buying a bag of pre-shredded cheese. This will give it a creamier texture and better melt during the baking process.
- Half and half: adds extra creaminess and volume to the egg mixture.
- Seasoning salt: enhances the flavor of the ingredients.
- Ground mustard: adds a little color and intensifies the flavor while also acting as a natural emulsifier for the creamiest, fluffiest eggs.
- Salt and pepper: flavor enhancers.
👩🏼🍳 Scroll down to the recipe card below for all the details you’ll need to make this recipe!
🔪 Here's Exactly How To Make It
Step 1: Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray or butter. Add the frozen shredded hash browns to the casserole dish and evenly sprinkle the salt and pepper over top. Set aside.
Step 2: In a frying pan, cook the sausage over medium heat until it is no longer pink. 👩🏼🍳 Do not drain the meat. The fat from the sausage provides added flavor and moisture. Set aside.
Step 3: With a cheese grater, grate the pepper jack cheese until you have one cup, and repeat the same with the cheddar cheese. Set the shredded cheeses aside.
Step 4: Add the eggs, half and half, ground mustard, and seasoning salt to a large bowl and whisk until well combined.
Step 5: Add the grated cheeses and cooked sausage to the egg mixture and gently whisk until the mixture is combined.
Step 9: Pour the egg mixture on top of the shredded hash browns in the casserole dish
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👩🏼🍳 Expert Tip: You can immediately bake the casserole or cover it with aluminum foil and refrigerate it overnight before baking.
Step 10: Bake uncovered at 350°F for 50-55 minutes or until the egg is set and the outer edges are nice and browned. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Step 11: This breakfast casserole is so easy to make and will quickly become a family favorite! Enjoy this with biscuits, fresh fruit, or homemade cinnamon rolls for a tasty breakfast or brunch!
🙋🏼 Top Questions I Get Asked About This Recipe
Nope, you do not have to, nor do you want to thaw your hash browns. It will make the casserole soggy.
No, you do not have to cover this hash brown breakfast casserole recipe before baking. If you notice the top or edges are getting too brown before the egg mixture sets, you can add a layer of foil on top. Otherwise, just bake it uncovered.
Nope! You can bake it right away. But if you let it sit from anywhere between 2-24 hours, the flavors really soak into the hash browns and it's more savory.
Expert Tips
- Only use frozen hash browns for this recipe. Using freshly shredded potatoes can make your casserole soggy.
- If you want a thicker casserole, you can add an extra 1-3 eggs, although the baking time may increase by 8-12 minutes. Keep an eye on things here.
- Once baked and cooled, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat from the refrigerator, place the breakfast casserole in the microwave, covered, for up to 2 minutes in 30-second increments or until heated through.
- For longer storage, freeze individual portions in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil for up to 3 months.
- To reheat from frozen, remove the casserole from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Warm in the microwave for up to 2 minutes, 30 seconds at a time, until heated through.
👩🏼🍳 More Comforting Casseroles from My Kitchen
🥞 Easy Morning Recipes You’ll Want to Try Next
If you tried this hash brown breakfast casserole or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 12 ounces shredded hash browns, frozen
- 8 eggs
- 1 lb ground sausage
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup mild cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon seasoning salt
Instructions
- Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray or butter.
- Add the 12 ounces of frozen shredded hash browns to the casserole dish. Evenly sprinkle the salt and pepper over the hash browns. Set aside.
- Cook the sausage on the stovetop until no longer pink. Do not drain. Set aside.
- With a cheese grater, grate the pepper jack cheese until you obtain 1 cup. Do the same with the mild cheddar cheese. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk the 8 eggs, 1 cup of half and half, 1 teaspoon of ground mustard, and ½ teaspoon of seasoning salt together until well combined.
- Add in the grated cheeses and cooked sausage. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the egg mixture on top of the shredded hash browns in the casserole dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Bake uncovered at 350°F for 1 hour.
- Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Only use frozen hash browns for this recipe. Using freshly shredded potatoes can make your casserole soggy.
- If you want a thicker casserole, you can add an extra 1-3 eggs, although the baking time may increase by 8-12 minutes. Keep an eye on things here
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