Sausage and Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
A press-in hash brown crust holding sausage, cheddar, and baked eggs together, built to go from the fridge straight into the oven on a busy morning.
- Serves
- 8
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Written
Method
-
Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
-
Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbles, until no pink remains, then drain.
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Toss the hash browns with the melted butter, half the salt, and half the pepper, then press into the bottom of the dish in an even layer.
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Bake the hash brown layer until the edges just start to turn golden, about 15 minutes.
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Scatter the sausage and half the cheddar over the hash browns.
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Whisk the eggs, milk, and the remaining salt and pepper together, then pour evenly over the sausage and hash browns.
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Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight if assembling ahead, or continue straight to baking.
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Top with the remaining cheddar and scallions, then bake uncovered until the eggs are puffed and set with no jiggle in the center, 30 to 35 minutes (add 10 minutes if baking cold from the fridge).
-
Rest 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Notes
The par-bake on the hash browns is the one step worth not skipping — press them in raw and pour the eggs straight over, and the bottom layer steams instead of crisping, so you get a casserole with a mushy floor. Fifteen minutes uncovered is enough to set the crust before it goes back under the eggs.
Bacon or diced ham both work in place of the sausage, and pepper jack swaps in for the cheddar if the table wants some heat. It holds and reheats well in squares, so it’s as good for meal-prepping a week of breakfasts as it is for a crowd on a holiday morning.