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Fireman’s Overnight Breakfast Casserole

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Your holiday brunch menu just got a lot easier with this recipe for a make-ahead Fireman’s Overnight Breakfast Casserole! 

Two hands holding a 9 x 13 Glass casserole dish filled with Overnight Breakfast Casserole.

Let’s start with the obvious question: what makes this a fireman’s casserole?

I have no idea.

This Fireman’s Overnight Breakfast Casserole recipe is courtesy of my mother in law, Cathy, and it’s been a staple at family brunches for as long as I’ve been around (and that’s been almost 2 decades).

She got the recipe from a community cookbook, so maybe we can assume it came from a fireman or fireman’s family?? Regardless of its origin, this overnight breakfast casserole recipe is a delicious, make-ahead option for any brunch – holiday or not.

Easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole Recipe

I totally get why Cathy relies on this recipe. Who wants to be stuck spending time the kitchen during the holidays? A few minutes of prep time the night before, and all you need to do is pop it in the oven an hour before guests arrive. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Overnight Breakfast Casserole with Sausage

Ease of preparation is one thing, but let’s not forget flavor. The Fireman’s Overnight Breakfast Casserole doesn’t disappoint there, either.

Each decadent bite is filled with savory sausage, eggs, cheese, onion and a hint of garlic. The mushroom sauce may seem like overkill, but it’s truly the finishing touch to this dish. (Full disclosure: I use any excuse I can to add more mushrooms to my meals!)

Tip: We love the flavor of an extra sharp cheddar cheese in this recipe, but feel free to sub in your favorite cheese if you prefer something different.

Keep your brunch menu stress-free during the holidays with this easy recipe for Fireman’s Overnight Breakfast Casserole! Check out our VIDEO below to see how easy it is to make!

 

Hand spooning mushroom sauce over a piece of Fireman's Overnight Breakfast Casserole. Recommended Equipment

 

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Bacon, Tomato and Cheese Strata – Garnish with Lemon®

Baked Egg, Broccoli and Feta Breakfast Casserole – Cookin’ Canuck

Sausage and Pepper Jack Egg Bake – Garnish with Lemon

 

Two hands holding a 9 x 13 casserole dish of Fireman's Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Fireman's Overnight Breakfast Casserole

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Preparation 8 hr Cook Time 1 hr Total Time 9 hrs
Serves 8-10     adjust servings

Ingredients

Casserole

  • 1 pound ground pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean)
  • 8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • 12 eggs
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 pound shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Mushroom Sauce

  • 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup (either canned or homemade. Try making your own with this great recipe from our friend, Ali)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

    Casserole:

    1. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside.
    2. Brown sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Drain meat. Add mushrooms, onion and green pepper to the same skillet. Stir and cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes. Return meat to the pan, stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
    3. Break eggs into baking dish keeping the yolks intact. Do your best to evenly distribute the egg yolks around the pan. Poke a hole in each of the yolks with a toothpick. Pour cream over eggs and top with 1/2 of cheese.
    4. Using a slotted spoon, add sausage mixture to the baking dish. Top with remaining cheese, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
    5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for another 30 minutes.

    Mushroom sauce:

    1. Combine soup, milk and garlic powder in a small saucepan and cook until heated through. Add additional milk to reach desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with breakfast casserole.

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    2 reviews
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    Collage picture of glass casserole dishes that contain Fireman's Overnight Breakfast Casserole

    Comments

      • Hi Shelby, I’ve never made it with breakfast gravy, but it’s a pretty forgiving recipe. I say go for it! Please stop back and let us know how it turns out.

        Reply

    14. I made this for brunch this morning. It got an 11 In a 1-10 rating from my family. So delicious! They requested I make it again, possibly for dinner sometime. Thank you for a winner of a recipe!

      Reply

      • I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe, Brenda! I’ll pass along the rave review to my mother-in-law. She’ll be thrilled.

        Reply

    16. I told my husband what I was going to make for this morning. Unfortunately I told him 2 days ago. So yesterday, he kept checking on me. At 5 pm he asked me if I was still fixing breakfast. I told him I was, but it was for today. At that point he suggested we have pizza for dinner. While he was gone, I preheated the oven for the pizza and made the breakfast. When he pulled in I just had the top layer of cheese, aluminum foil, and the refrigerator placement to go. He was impressed! BTW, we love mushrooms so I almost doubled them. (Minus the raw ones we ate first.) The casserole is almost ready to go into the oven today, once it is up to heat. I’ll let you know how it was! Predicting a yum!

      Reply

    18. Why should you not whisk the eggs?
      “Break eggs into baking dish keeping the yolks intact. Do your best to evenly distribute the egg yolks around the pan”

      Reply

      • Hi Vicky, that’s part of the unique nature of this dish. The eggs are not whisked. They bake into an eggy layer where the whites and yolks are somewhat separate.

        Reply

      • Hi Katie, I’ve always made it the night before and baked it in the morning, but if you make and bake it immediately, please stop back and let us know how it worked for you. Thanks!

        Reply

    20. This is a yummy breakfast. The one thing I would do differently is beak up the yolks more. I kept them intact and poked each yolk with a toothpick as in the recipe so when i baked it, the yolks cooked whole. I would break up the yolks and mix it up a bit more. Other than that, it was yummy.

      Reply

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    Welcome to Garnish with Lemon! We're Lisa and Anna, and we want to help you take the stress out of having friends for dinner with our approachable recipes, unique cocktails, menu ideas & make-ahead tips for casual entertaining. Read more

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