This easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole is a family recipe (made WITHOUT bread) that is prepped the night before and baked in the morning - perfect for Christmas morning or any brunch!
This easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole recipe has been in our family for decades, courtesy of my mother-in-law, Cathy. It's a staple at every holiday brunch.
This decadent egg bake is RICH but super tasty. Filled with savory breakfast sausage, eggs, extra sharp cheddar cheese, loads of mushrooms, savory onion, crunchy green pepper and a hint of garlic, you're guaranteed to leave the table with full bellies and satisfied smiles.
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Why this recipe works
- It came from one of those community, crowd-sourced cookbooks that were sold as fundraisers for decades. Some of the best, time-tested recipes come from those gems.
- It's prepped the night before and can be immediately baked in the morning so you can enjoy that extra cup of coffee in peace.
- Many egg bakes are made with bread, but not this one! This recipe is a great option for your gluten-free friends and family (use a gluten-free breakfast sausage and skip the cream of mushroom soup).
Ingredients
This egg bake contains many of the typical breakfast ingredients, including:
- sausage - My go-to is Jimmy Dean bulk breakfast sausage. It's reliable and easy to find.
- eggs - I've always used large eggs for this recipe.
- cheese - We're big fans of extra sharp cheddar cheese but feel free to swap in sharp or mild cheddar or even a mix of all of them.
Note: There is also an easy, creamy mushroom sauce that can be drizzled on top of the casserole. The instructions are in the recipe card. It's totally optional but highly recommended!!
Instructions
This dish comes together quickly and can be completely assembled the night before.
Crack all of the eggs into the casserole dish being careful to keep the yolks intact. Drizzle with cream.
Brown sausage and saute onions, peppers and mushrooms. Layer with cheese on top of eggs in casserole dish.
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 breakfast sausage and a gluten-free cream of mushroom soup if serving the mushroom sauce with the casserole.
Either way works great!
Serving suggestions
This Overnight Breakfast Casserole is the centerpiece of any brunch, but here are a few (mostly) make-ahead ideas to round out your 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 feta cheese and roasted grapes - 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 an irresistible 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? This Panna Cotta recipe is made with real vanilla bean and 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 Lemon Bars an edge over all the rest.
Drinks:
- Brunch was made for bubbles! Some of our best bubbly recipes are these Prosecco Cocktails made with grapefruit juice and ginger liqueur and these Breakfast Mimosas made with tequila.
- Better yet, let guests serve themselves. Set up a DIY Bloody Mary Bar for guests to create their own perfect cocktail.
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
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
Optional Mushroom Sauce:
- 1 10.5-oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ 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 ½ 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
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
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!
Out of curiosity is it possible to leave out the whipping cream and just use the cream of mushroom/milk mixture in its place? I am trying to watch my fat intake and whipping cream is very fat-heavy.
Hi Emily, No question, this is a rich dish. I haven't made the substitution you suggest but I have used half and half in the past. Good luck!
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!
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!
With bread crumbs on the bottom, like a bread pudding, they swell with the egg and milk mixture. It gets absorbed and bakes fluffy. You must let the casserole sit for at least 5 minutes before baking.
Hi Aimee, There isn't any bread in this recipe, so no need to let it sit for 5 minutes before baking!
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!
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!