Sausage Hash Brown Casserole (+Video)
This Sausage Hash Brown Casserole is the ultimate easy breakfast casserole! Eggs, cheese, sausage and hash browns are all you need for a delicious breakfast!
THE PERFECT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE RECIPE
This Breakfast Hash Brown Casserole is perfect for Sunday breakfast! It’s even better if you have a houseful of guests and need something easy but filling and delicious to feed them! This breakfast casserole fits the bill. You can even make it the evening before so it’s ready to pop into the oven in the morning!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You don’t want that extra moisture to make your casserole soggy. So make sure the hash browns are thawed and pat dry.
No, of course not. Use any of your favorite ground sausage. You can use sage sausage, hot sausage or even Italian sausage if you think you’d enjoy that flavor with this recipe.
Of course, you can add red, green or yellow peppers to this casserole. I would cook them with the sausage and onions so they soften up a bit.
What is so wonderful about casseroles is you can make them up the day before, put it in the fridge and it is sitting there ready for you when you wake up and all ya gotta do is bake it and you’re done. Same with freezing. Wrap it up well before cooking (so it doesn’t get freezer burned) and take it out and bake when ready. If you are baking this from a cold state or from freezing, you will have to add on to the cooking time given below.
Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan on the stove top (to keep it a bit more firm and crispy) or reheat in the microwave.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- frozen hash browns – you can shred your own potatoes if you prefer. You can also use the refrigerated hash browns. You just want to make sure you remove as much moisture as possible so the hash browns don’t end up soggy.
- pork breakfast sausage – use your favorite ground sausage here. A hot sausage works great as well if you like more of a kick. To make this quicker to make, you can use the already cooked and crumbled sausage (by Jimmy Dean) that you can find near the other sausage and bacon in your grocery store.
- onion – if you don’t like onions, just leave them out.
- eggs – the eggs are going to act asa binder. They will help hold all of this together but they are also adding delicious protein and great flavor!
- shredded cheddar cheese – you can use any type of shredded cheese. You can use pepper jack if you want more heat.
- salt and pepper – use any of your favorite seasoning here. It all depends how much spice you want to add. If you like a big kick of flavor, try using cajun seasoning.
HOW TO MAKE SAUSAGE HASH BROWN CASSEROLE:
Pat the hash browns dry with a paper towel. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Spray 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a skillet, cook onions and brown and crumble sausage.
Remove the cooked cooked sausage, turn the heat up to high and add in the hash browns. Pat them flat into the skillet. Allow them to brown then flip over and brown the other side. Then continue with the rest of the recipe. Note: this step is optional but I like the color it adds (it also helps dry out the hash browns a bit more.) In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, one cup of shredded cheese and salt and pepper.
In a baking dish, spread thawed hash browns into bottom of dish. Spread cooked sausage on top of hash browns. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage and hash browns.
Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheddar cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Take foil off and bake for additional 5-10 minutes. Just keep an eye on it to make sure the cheese doesn’t brown up too much.
Allow to cool for a couple of minutes then slice and serve.
Originally published: October 2011
Updated & republished: June 2023
Sausage Hash Brown Casserole (+Video)
Ingredients
- 30 ounce bag frozen hash browns, (thawed & patted dry with paper towels)
- 1 pound pork breakfast sausage (regular, extra sage or hot)
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 8 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Spray 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a skillet, cook onions and brown and crumble sausage.
- Optional: Remove the cooked cooked sausage, turn the heat up to high and add in the hash browns. Pat them flat into the skillet. Allow them to brown then flip over and brown the other side. Then continue with the rest of the recipe.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1 cup of shredded cheese and salt and pepper.
- In the prepared baking dish, spread hash browns evenly into bottom of dish.
- Sprinkle cooked sausage on top of hash browns.
- Next, pour egg mixture evenly on top of that layer.
- Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheddar cheese evenly on top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.
- Take foil off and bake for additional 10 minutes. Just keep an eye on it to make sure the cheese doesn’t brown up too much.
Video
Notes
- Make sure the hash browns are thawed and dried. Pat them dry with a paper towel. You don’t want that extra moisture to make your casserole runny.
- Frozen hash browns come in different size bags. I used a 30 ounce bag but a 2 pound bag will also work.
- You do not have to brown the hash browns. I like this step as it gives the hash browns some color and additional texture but it’s not necessary for this dish to still be delicious.
- Like most casseroles, this is perfect to make the night before to have ready to bake the next morning!
- This casserole can be frozen.
- For an additional kick of flavor, try adding about a teaspoon of cajun or creole seasoning into the egg mixture along with the salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
If preparing the night before and cooking the next morning, do you add the eggs in the morning before baking or how does that work?
No you would prepare it all and then cover and refrigerate before the cooking step. Then cook the following morning. You may have to add on cooking time since you’re doing it from cold.
Hello!
Wanting to make this breakfast casserole and then freeze it. Was looking for the cooking time from frozen but didn’t see it. How long do I cook it from frozen? Thank you!
Hi Donna! I would really love to answer that for you but I’ve surprisingly never cooked it from frozen. I need to try that out soon. I’m hoping maybe someone on here who’s cooked it from frozen can answer that for us. So sorry!
My family and I LOVED this casserole!!! We used spicy Italian sausage and it just tasted wonderful as part of our Christmas breakfast! Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Wonderful to hear – thank you so much Yasmin!
Quick and easy.
Perfect …best ive tried thanks.
Absolutely easy and delicious!
In this recipe, can you use fresh potatoes that you grate yourself? If so….should they just be cooked first? If so, how long do you recommend? We are trying to eat fewer processed foods and I have a HUGE 50 pound bag of potatoes on hand that I would like to start using .
I made this for Christmas breakfast 2019. My family LOVE the casserole. I added more eggs and browned the hash browns. This time I’m adding Canadian bacon. Making again tonight because the reserves is even better. Looking to eat if for breakfast all week.
It was delicious, will be making again!
Thank you so very much Tina!
I’ve made this with the addition of green canned chilies and bell peppers. Was an amazing combination! Thanks for this deliciousness!
This is going to be a Christmas morning tradition! Unbeknownst to me, someone had helped themselves to half of the breakfast sausage. Obviously no one was open on Christmas morning, so I used bacon to supplement. I browned the hash browns in some of the sausage/bacon renderings, and it baked while we opened presents. Everyone LOVED it! Next time I’ll add a couple more eggs, though. Thank you for the recipe
Ha! I love it Jewell! I also love how you worked with what you had on hand. I love the addition of bacon. Can you ever go wrong with bacon!? Ha!
Perfect Christmas breakfast!! While the oven was preheating, I stuck the frozen hash browns on a pan and let them sit in the oven to defrost and dry out. After I browned the sausage (Hormel cooked turkey sausage crumbles) and onion, I took the hash browns out. I set the sausage aside and added the hash browns to the sausage skillet with some olive oil. I just browned them a bit before transferring to the casserole dish. It turned out great!!! Only adjustment I will make next time is to add more eggs, possibly double them. Thanks for a quick easy breakfast dish!
Hi — You mention browning the hashbrowns first for more flavor. Would it work if you par-baked them in the dish to brown and then add the ingredients on top for the final bake? Or should you really skillet-fry them to crisp-up?
Thanks!!!
Hi Joe – I think that would work as well! Let me know how it all turns out for you!
This recipe sounds like something my husband will like I have a couple of Questions: (1) Can this be made ahead of time. cut in serving pieces, placed in the refrigerator and reheated in the microwave the next day. (2) can this be frozen after it is cooked, Thanks Mary Lou
Hi MaryLou, to answer your questions #1 – yes you could certainly do that. #2 – this casserole freezes well. 🙂
Easy and good – my favorite combination!
Thanks so much Barb!
I made this today for Easter brunch. I used regular Bob Evan’s mild sausage and only half of a 1 lb bag of shredded hash browns. I’m so glad I couldn’t find a 2lb bag as listed in the directions because it would have been way too much. Even with the amount I used, I felt they gave no flavor to the dish. The next time I will try browning them. My question is what step do you add the salt and pepper to? I added it to the eggs. I would also cut back a little on the cheese. Next time I will use 1/2 a cup to the eggs and half on the top. I couldn’t taste the egg. Everybody liked it. I will definitely make it again with those adjustments. Thanks!
Step #5 says to add the salt and pepper to the egg mixture
I made this & browned the hash browns first. It was awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Trying to come up with ideas for my college age son. Can this be frozen?
Has anyone tried this with chorizo? Maybe half chorizo half sausage?
I think chorizo would be delicious!
Great recipe! For additional flavor, I used hot turkey sausage and added 2 tablespoons Wildtree Guacamole Seasoning to the egg mixture.
I love this recipe, but next time I will only use half the potatoes. I couldn’t taste the eggs in it as is, but it was tasty!
I tried this when my friend made it….can’t wait to make it for my family!
I can’t tell you how much I <3 this recipe! It's currently in the oven right now, and has become a "Christmas breakfast tradition" for me and family. I make a homemade verde or chipotle sauce and serve it with tortillas as it also makes a great breakfast casserole, and have made it for work functions quite a bit as well. It's a well-loved hit!!
Definitely adding this to our recipe collection!
Thanks Dan!