This sausage hash brown breakfast casserole is the perfect dish for company! It’s great to make ahead the night before, so all you have to do is pop it in the oven the next morning. It makes a large pan, which means there is plenty when hosting family or friends. OR, it makes delicious leftovers too for easy weekday breakfasts! Hash browns, sausage, eggs, and cheese combine into a delicious meal-in-one! Although may I suggest serving some homemade muffins along with this savory casserole….brunch perfection!

I’ve mentioned this before, but I LOVE breakfast. I tend to gravitate towards more sweet breakfasts during the weekdays, which work well for on-the-go and packing for busy work day mornings. These chocolate peanut butter breakfast cookies or pumpkin pie overnight oats are some of my favorites. Have you tried them yet? If you’re not a fan of chocolate, there’s always these breakfast cookies or overnight oats too.

However, I love having more savory breakfasts during the weekends when I have more time (usually on Saturdays). I grew up on breakfast casseroles made with bread as the base, but I’ve discovered that I much prefer using potatoes! In my mind this also makes it more acceptable to eat these cheesy sausage, eggs, and potatoes with ketchup haha. #classy

My husband and I, along with a friend, went to visit my brother and sister-in-law recently over Saint Patrick’s day. My sister-in-law made this casserole for brunch, and I contributed cinnamon raisin bread and lemon poppyseed muffins. Plus we had a fresh fruit salad and crispy bacon…talk about the ultimate brunch spread! It was delicious. This sausage egg casserole is perfect to make the night before to save time! That way you can focus on sleeping in longer, spending more time with family and friends, or preparing other foods in the morning to serve alongside this casserole.

Ingredients and Substitution Ideas

Pork Sausage

I used ground pork sausage and cooked and drained it before adding it to the casserole. However, you could try using a ground turkey sausage instead! Or even pre-cooked sausage links to save time. Or pre-cooked chicken sausage links. Whatever you’re preference is and what you have on hand!

Hash browns

I used frozen, which couldn’t be easier. However, I’ve also used one pound of freshly grated potatoes. I cooked the hash browns before adding to the casserole. However, I’ve also tested it without even pre-cooking the hash browns and honestly I couldn’t tell much of a difference! If you do skip cooking the hash browns separately, I’d recommend leaving it overnight in the fridge to defrost…I haven’t tried baking it immediately with still-frozen hash browns.

Onion and Garlic

I love sautéed onion and garlic and think it adds so much flavor. HOWEVER, my brother-in-law doesn’t like onions…so I’ve left them out before too. If I was making this for myself I’d love to add green pepper too…but my husband doesn’t like peppers (WHY do they have to be so difficult?!) ? haha.

Eggs

Don’t really have a substitution idea here. ? You’ll need a dozen eggs for this recipe!

Cheese

Just like with this mac and cheese, I love using sharp cheese cheese for a stronger flavor. Really any cheese will work here! White cheddar, mild cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, gouda, havarti, provolone, etc…so many options!