Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Active Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

Servings:

If you're feeding a large crowd for breakfast or brunch, look no further than this crowd-pleaser, Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole. Made with sausage, hash browns, and plenty of cheese, this is one the family (and the neighbors will appreciate).

Southern Living Sausage Hash Brown Casserole in the dish with a serving taken out and two glasses of orange juice — Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Ingredients for a Sausage and Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

The ingredient list is short, so if you're making this for a holiday morning, we know you'll appreciate the streamlined addition to your shopping list.

In addition to frozen hash browns, you'll also need two kinds of ground pork sausage—hot and sausage with sage. Two types of pork sausage make this hash brown casserole extra flavorful and hearty. Drain the cooked sausage well, and blot with paper towels so the finished dish won't be greasy.

Add to that the ingredients for the casserole's eggy mixture: eggs, Cheddar cheese, and whole milk. To finish off the flavors, grab the salt and pepper and a bit of fresh parsley for some color and freshness.

How To Make Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

The full recipe is detailed below, but here's a quick outline:

Cook the sausage: Start by browning and crumbling the two types of sausage in a skillet and removing any excess grease. We recommend even patting dry the sausage with a paper towel to remove as much grease as possible.
Cook the hash browns: Some people will put the thawed hash browns right into the casserole mixture, and that's fine if you choose to do this. But cooking the hash browns first will remove moisture and add extra flavor. If you skip it, the casserole could be a little soggy.
Combine ingredients: Stir together the sausage and hash browns, then add them to a mixture of eggs, milk, and cheese. Pour into a pan, top with more cheese, and bake until golden and bubbly. Right before serving, sprinkle on the fresh parsley.

Can I Make This Breakfast Casserole in Advance?

Certainly! Making this casserole the night before is a great way to make your mornings a little less hectic. However, we don't recommend you put the whole unbaked casserole in the fridge.

Instead, keep the sausage-hash brown mixture separate from the milk mixture until right before you bake the final dish. This will keep the hash browns from absorbing a great deal of moisture from the egg mixture.

Once baked, enjoy this dish within 3 days. Be sure to keep it stored tightly in an airtight container.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my hash brown breakfast casserole soggy?

Did you put frozen or raw hash browns into the breakfast casserole? That's likely your culprit. Cooking the hash browns not only adds flavor and color, it cooks out a lot of the moisture. If you skip that step, the water could leak out during baking and make the dish too soggy.
Do I have to thaw frozen hash browns for a casserole?

For some recipes, you may not need to thaw the hash browns, but for this one, you do. Frozen hash browns will leak moisture during cooking, which could leave a soggy, sad mess behind.

For the best results, let the frozen hash browns thaw overnight in the fridge, then thoroughly pat them dry to remove as much moisture as possible before cooking them to crispy.

What To Serve With This Breakfast Casserole

This one-dish breakfast is nearly complete on its own, but if you want to add a few things to the plate, consider these recipes:

Editorial contributions by Kimberly Holland.

Ingredients

1 pound pkg. ground pork sausage with sage (such as Jimmy Dean)
1 pound pkg. hot ground pork sausage
1 (30-oz.) pkg. frozen shredded hash browns
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
6 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1⁄2 cups), divided
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Cook the sausage:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook sage ground sausage and hot ground sausage in a large skillet over medium-high, stirring often, until they are crumbled and browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; drain well on paper towels.

Brittany Conerly; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
Cook the hash browns:

Working in batches, cook hash browns in a large nonstick skillet according to package directions; omit salt if called for on package. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1⁄2 teaspoon of the pepper.

Brittany Conerly; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
Assemble and bake casserole:

Stir together sausage, hash browns, and 1 cup of the cheese in a bowl.

Brittany Conerly; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

Spoon into prepared baking dish. Whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl.

Brittany Conerly; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

Pour over sausage mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1⁄2 cup cheese.

Brittany Conerly; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

Bake in preheated oven until set, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and chives.

Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Torie Cox