This easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole recipe (made WITHOUT bread) is prepped the night before and baked in the morning - perfect for Christmas morning or any holiday brunch!
Let’s start with the obvious question: what makes this a fireman’s casserole?
I have no idea.
This easy Fireman's Overnight Breakfast Casserole recipe has been in our family for decades, courtesy of my mother-in-law, Cathy. Each decadent bite is filled with savory breakfast sausage, eggs, extra sharp cheddar cheese, loads of mushrooms, savory onion, crunchy green pepper and a hint of garlic.
Cathy 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 egg casserole recipe is a delicious, make-ahead option for any brunch - holiday or not.
Ingredients
I totally get why Cathy relies on this recipe as an easy, make-ahead brunch recipe. Who wants to be stuck spending time in the kitchen during the holidays?
(Note: There is also a creamy mushroom sauce that we drizzle on top of the casserole. It's totally optional but highly recommended because who doesn't love MORE mushrooms!?)
- Ground pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean)
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Green bell pepper
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Cheddar cheese
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Milk
- Garlic powder, salt & pepper
Instructions
This dish comes together quickly and can be completely assembled the night before. All that's left to do in the morning is bake and enjoy the savory smells wafting from the kitchen!
Once you've assembled the casserole, place it in the refrigerator overnight. If you like, you can make the mushroom sauce the night before, too.
Once morning rolls around, all you need to do is pop the casserole in the oven an hour before guests arrive. If you made the sauce the night before, simply reheat it gently on the stove or microwave.
FAQS
Because there is no bread in this breakfast casserole recipe, it's a great option to serve guests who have gluten sensitivities. Just be sure to use a gluten-free cream of mushroom soup if serving the mushroom sauce with the casserole.
Either way works great!
Serving suggestions
We get it; hosting a brunch for a crowd can feel stressful. Does my house look good enough? How will I make all the food be ready at the same time? Will everyone like it?
Our favorite way to keep the stress from creeping in when we entertain is to make as much ahead of time as possible. That includes drinks, appetizers and the full menu.
This Fireman's Overnight Breakfast Casserole is the centerpiece of any brunch, but here are also a few mostly make-ahead ideas to round out that brunch menu:
Baked Goods:
- These Caramel Apple Rolls can be prepped the night before and simply baked into warm gooey goodness in the morning.
- Short on time and can't do any morning baking? Make these Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins the day before your brunch. Keep them loosely covered until you're ready to serve them.
- No brunch is complete at our house without my Grandma's Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe. (The cinnamon streusel swirl is the best part!)
Side Dishes:
- Don't forget your veggies! This gorgeous Arugula Salad with Roasted Grapes and Feta makes eating your greens taste delicious.
- Love savory? You'll definitely want to add this Antipasto Salad to your brunch menu.
- Add a little wow factor to your typical fruit plate with our quick and easy Fruit Salad with Lime Mint Syrup.
Dessert Recipes:
- Who can refuse this dessert mashup of carrot cake and cheesecake? You get the best of both worlds with our Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars.
- Feeling fancy? These Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta never fail to impress guests. (But they are soooo easy and are made in advance.)
- It's hard to turn down a lemon bar, but ours include tropical coconut to give these Coconut Lemon Bars an edge over all the rest.
Drinks:
- Brunch was made for bubbles! Some of our best bubbly recipes are these Ginger Grapefruit Prosecco Cocktails and these Mexican Mimosas.
- Better yet, let guests serve themselves. Set up a DIY Bloody Mary Bar for guests to create their own perfect cocktail.
Keep your brunch menu stress-free during the holidays with this easy recipe for Fireman’s Overnight Breakfast Casserole!
More breakfast casserole recipes
- Breakfast Hash Brown Bake - Garnish with Lemon
- Low Carb Breakfast Casseroles - Kalyn's Kitchen
- 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
Don't miss any of our delicious breakfast and brunch recipes!
Recipe
Fireman's Overnight Breakfast Casserole
This easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole is loaded with sausage, eggs, cheese and veggies and is refrigerated overnight. Perfect for Christmas morning or any brunch menu!
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:
- 1 (10.5-oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Casserole:
- Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside.
- 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. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
- 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.
- Using a slotted spoon, add sausage mixture to the baking dish. Top with remaining cheese, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for another 30 minutes.
Mushroom sauce:
- 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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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 460Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 280mgSodium: 903mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 25g
No brunch is complete without this easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole recipe. Made with sausage, eggs, cheese and veggies (and no bread), this egg casserole is refrigerated overnight and baked in the morning. Perfect for Christmas or any holiday!
Recipes like this are so terrific for bringing to breakfast meetings at work or teacher appreciations - and so easy to make! I like any excuse for mushrooms in my meals, too!!
I know I'd love to be on the receiving end of this casserole!
We love breakfast casseroles! This looks fantastic!
Thanks, Anna. We're big fans, too.
Woah. I'm suddenly starving. This sounds delicious!!
Now you know how I feel when I visit your site, Aimee!
I am a BIG fan of the breakfast casserole! and this one look delicious
Thanks, Heather. Breakfast casseroles make entertaining so much easier, don't you think?
There is nothing better than having a breakfast casserole that's all ready to pop in the oven in the morning. This looks delicious!
Couldn't agree more, Renee. Makes getting out of bed a heckuva lot more enticing, too!
We have breakfast casseroles for holiday breakfast/brunch, too! This one looks so good!
This looks delicious!
Thanks, Miriam!
Breakfast casseroles make me happy. I would much rather have this egg and sausage casserole for breakfast than pancakes or cold cereal. Love it!
My husband doesn't like too many breakfast casseroles, but this one with cream of mushroom sauce...I think he might reserve the whole pan!
I love a breakfast casserole! This looks incredible!
We love doing decadent brunches on holiday mornings, so anything we can prep ahead of time is great!
Hi girls! I made this today and it was great! Even my girls loved it - great recipe, and always happy to have another breakfast casserole in my cookbook!
Awesome, Erin! Thanks for stopping by to let us know. P.S. Love your site makeover!
Would using normal breakfast gravy work for this recipe instead of the mushroom sauce? Or do you think it would throw it off?
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.
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!
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.
I'm going to put this together in the morning and have it for dinner!
Breakfast for dinner is one of my favorites! Enjoy, Kristine!
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!
Hope you enjoyed it, Carolyn!
Can this be frozen after it's cooked?
I'm not sure. I've never tried. If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out!
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"
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.
Does this have to set together overnight? Or can I put it together and bake all at once?
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!
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.
Glad you liked it, Jessica!
Ever swapped out sausage for ham?…or add some green pepper? Hope to try soon.
Hi Candy, I have added green peppers in the past but not ham. Let me know if you try it!
Can substitute milk for cream?
Hi Mary Ann, it should work fine, but I would suggest whole milk vs. skim/1%. Enjoy!
Is this still good without the mushroom gravy, could you top with salsa instead?? It looks yummy!
Hi Maryann, Yes, it's still good without the gravy. Haven't thought to add salsa, but would love to hear if you do!!
Has anyone figured out the calories for this?
Made this a couple christmases ago and it was everything I wanted it to be. Delish. Making again tonight for tomorrow morning! Merry Christmas and thanks for the recipe.
https://www.doterra.com/US/en/site/katiematkin
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Kathryn. Happy holidays, and thanks for being a Garnish with Lemon reader!
Made this for a big brunch/party this weekend and it was immediately devoured. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Love that your tribe enjoyed one of our family favorites!
What a yummy flavor! I made 2 smaller casseroles last night for friends before they went on a big hike but time got away and I baked them this morning, had two slices and am freezing them for the next company! Easy peasy recipe!
I added an extra cup of heavy cream will my dish form like a casserole bake or be runny?! Eek!
My gut tells me it might be runny because there isn't any bread to soak up the extra moisture, but I'll be curious to hear what comes of it. Please stop back and let us know!
I have made this once before and it was so yummy! The part that I changed was that I mixed the eggs and cream together instead of keeping the eggs in tact and poking a hole in the yolk.
Do you think it would be okay to prepare this dish 2 days ahead?
Hi Sharon, I'm so glad you've enjoyed the recipe! I've never made more than a day in advance, so I can't offer my experience there. If you try it, please report back!