Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole has all the makings of a perfect breakfast! Packed with sausage or bacon, bell peppers, hash browns, and topped with shredded cheese, this casserole has a little bit of everything.

Casseroles are some of my favorite things to make for breakfast because they are quick, easy, and are made all in one dish. They also are great to reheat for breakfast the next morning or a quick and easy leftover dinner. If you have a bigger family, it’s a great way to feed everyone in one swoop. 

This hashbrown breakfast casserole is hands down the best casserole I have ever had. The great thing about it is that it’s so versatile, can be made allergy-friendly, and can be prepped the night before to make mornings smooth and effortless. 

I am interchangeably using hashbrown and hashbrown because hashbrown is just easier to write and read than hash brown 😉

A skillet with cheesy hash brown breakfast casserole with a gray spoon.
Table of Contents

🥘 Ingredients Needed

The ingredients in hash brown casserole, laid out and labeled.
  • Olive oil – I like to use extra virgin olive oil. You can also use refined coconut oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil.
  • Breakfast Sausage – You can also use bacon or both sausage and bacon.
  • Onion – I like to use a sweet yellow onion.
  • Bell pepper – Use red, yellow, or orange and dice it up. 
  • Frozen Shredded hash browns – I like to use the Aldi brand for an easy and inexpensive option. 
  • Shredded cheese – You can use sharp or regular cheddar – or even pepperjack!
  • Diced green onions or chives
  • Eggs
  • Milk or Cream – I like to use cream as it gives it extra flavor. 
  • Pepper – I love using coarsley ground black pepper.
  • Salt – I like to use a mix of kosher salt and seasoning salt.

Jalapeño – This is optional but will need to be seeded and diced.

🍽 Equipment Needed

  • Skillet
  • Baking Sheet
  • Measuring Cups/Spoons

🥣 How to Make It

Prep this recipe the night before to easily throw it in the oven in the morning for a hot breakfast the whole family will love! It’s so easy to make:

  • First, preheat your oven to 375℉.
  • Then, spread your hashbrowns on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven to thaw and crisp up while you cook your sausage and veggies. (Pictures 1 – 2) You might need to stir them once or twice to break up any clumps while they cook.
  • Add ½ tablespoon of oil to your skillet and place it over medium heat. Brown your sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. If you are using baking, cook until crispy, then dice the bacon into bite sized pieces.
  • Next, drain the sausage or bacon and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Make sure there is no liquid in the skillet if you use sausage, but if you use bacon, you can leave a little bacon grease in the skillet for flavor.
A collage of images showing the process of making hash brown casserole, steps 1 - 5.
  • Add another 1 ½ tablespoons of oil to your skillet. Then, saute the onions and bell pepper for about 5 minutes or until softened. Season with salt, seasoning salt, and pepper. (Pictures 3 – 5)
  • From here, there are two options and both work great:
    • 1) Place the veggies in the bowl with the sausage and add the roasted hash browns, ⅔ of the cheese, ⅔ of the green onions, and remaining salt, pepper, and seasoning salt. Gently toss until everything is fully combined. Pour your hash brown, sausage, and veggie mixture into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan or cast iron skillet. Whisk the eggs and milk or cream in a mixing bowl, then pour the egg mixture over the hash brown mixture, pressing the eggs into the hash browns. 
    • 2) (Pictured) Combine the hash browns/veggies in the skillet then mix the ⅔ of the cheese, ⅔ of the green onions, ⅔ of the bacon, and remaining salt, pepper, and seasoning salt in a bowl with the eggs/cream. Gently fold this egg mixture into the hash brown/veggie mix.

      Both options are easy and work great!
A collage of images showing the process of making hash brown casserole, steps 6 - 10.
A collage of images showing the process of making hash brown casserole, steps 11 - 15.
  • Top the casserole with the remaining cheese and a handful of green onions. (Picture 15)
  • Cover your casserole tightly with tin foil and bake it for 35 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until eggs are done. 
A zoomed in image of hash brown casserole with bacon.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Here’s what the finished product looks like with sausage. It kind of falls apart a little when you scoop it out, but it is so good when you get a big forkful of egg, potato, and cheese:

A scoop of sausage breakfast casserole on a white plate with a fork.

Here’s the bacon version scooped out. So good:

A white plate with hash brown casserole on it.

🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Can Breakfast Casserole Be Refrigerated Before Cooking?

Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, you can keep an unbaked breakfast casserole in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days. However, you can keep it in the freezer, unbaked, for up to 2 months or freeze and vacuum seal individual portions for an easy breakfast. (We love to meal prep this casserole for when guests visit or for easy breakfasts during the workweek.)

How Do You Keep Egg Casserole from Drying Out?

Covering this breakfast casserole with aluminum foil in the first part of the bake time helps the casserole to heat through the center while keeping it from drying out on the top. (This also keeps the cheese on top from burning.) Don’t skip this step!

How Do I Know When This Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole is Done?

Before removing the casserole from the oven, make sure it is done. You can do this by checking the temperature and making sure it is at 160℉. Or, you can stick a knife into the center and if it comes out clean with no egg on it, it is done.

How Do You Reheat Breakfast Casserole in the Oven?

To reheat your leftover casserole, cover it in aluminum foil and reheat it at 375℉ for 25 – 30 minutes the next morning. You can also heat individual portions in the air fryer or microwave for faster reheating.

A cast iron pan filled with cheesy hash brown casserole on a wood background.

🍱 Recipe Yield

If you are using a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or a 12 inch cast iron pan, you can get about 12 – 15 servings. A technical “serving” is typically 1 ounce, so you may eat more than 1 serving per helping – we usually have close to two per meal. This has served four people breakfast two days in a row, then there was enough for two the following day.

Button linking to the Pinterest page for Southern Bytes.

🍳 Serving Suggestions & Uses

This delicious hash brown breakfast casserole is perfect all on its own. It has protein, healthy carbs, dairy, and veggies. However, you can also serve it with a variety of breakfast sides such as:

A scoop of sausage hash brown casserole on a gray spoon.

🥫 Storage/Shelf Life/Reheating

To store this delicious hash brown breakfast casserole, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Then, place it in the refrigerator. You can store it in the refrigerator after it’s been cooked for 3 – 5 days.

You can easily reheat individual portions of this hash brown casserole in the microwave, or you can wrap it in aluminum foil and reheat it in the oven. Bake at 375℉ for 25 – 30 minutes.

✏️ Helpful Tips

  • It’s okay to mix the hashbrowns into the sausage and veggies when they are still a little warm. The cheese is going to melt anyway.
  • You can make this recipe with bacon instead. Simply chop and cook bacon and add it to the veggies and hashbrowns like you did the sausage. 
  • Always bake the hashbrowns first! You may be tempted to throw them in frozen, but baking them first makes the edges nice and crispy. 
  • Use lots of cheese. I like to add even more cheese than the recipe calls. Add more if you like it cheesy. 
  • You can use whole milk, 2%, or heavy cream for this recipe. They all work, but I find cream adds a little extra decadence.

Other Tasty Breakfast Recipes

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A skillet with cheesy hash brown breakfast casserole with a gray spoon.

Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

5 from 8 votes
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole has all the makings of a perfect breakfast! Packed with sausage or bacon, bell peppers, hash browns, and topped with shredded cheese, this casserole has a little bit of everything.
Author: Kari
Servings: 12
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour

Ingredients  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound breakfast sausage or 1 cup cooked, diced bacon
  • ½ medium onion diced
  • 1 sweet bell pepper diced – red, yellow, or orange
  • 1 bag frozen, shredded hashbrowns I used the Aldi brand
  • 8 ounces shredded cheese I have used sharp cheddar, regular cheddar
  • ¼ cup diced green onions or chives
  • 6 large eggs whisked/beaten
  • ½ cup milk or cream I like the extra flavor of using cream
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon seasoning salt
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Optional

  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced for a little lagniappe

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375˚F.
  • Spread hashbrowns on a baking sheet and roast them to "thaw" and crisp up while you prepare the sausage and veggies.
  • Place a skillet over medium heat. Add ½ tablespoon oil and brown sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. (If using cooked bacon, cook until crispy, then dice into bite-size pieces. Keep a tablespoon or so of bacon grease for flavor.)
  • Drain sausage and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Discard any excess fat and liquid from the pan.
  • Add 1 ½ tablespoons of oil to the skillet and sauté onions & bell pepper until vegetables just begin to soften. (About 5 minutes.) Season with just a pinch of salt, seasoning salt, and pepper, and stir it all together.
  • Transfer the vegetables to a bowl with the sausage or bacon. (See above in the post for alternate directions using bacon.)
  • Add the roasted hashbrowns, about ⅔ of the cheese, ⅔ of the green onions, and the remaining salt, pepper, and seasoned salt to the sausage and vegetable mixture and gently toss together until fully combined. (It's okay if the hashbrowns are a little warm – the cheese is going to melt anyway.)
  • Pour this back into the skillet or into a greased 13×9 pan.
  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and milk and pour this mixture over the sausage/vegetable mixture. Press the hashbrowns down into the milk/eggs to help it seep into all the nooks and crannies.
  • Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and a handful of green onions.
  • Cover casserole tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 more minutes or until the eggs set.
  • Serve immediately with salt and pepper to taste and some extra green onions.

Notes

🔢 Recipe Yield
If you are using a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or a 12 inch cast iron pan, you can get about 12 – 15 servings. A technical “serving” is typically 1 ounce, so you may eat more than 1 serving per helping – we usually have close to two per meal. This has served four people breakfast two days in a row, then there was enough for two the following day.
🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Can Breakfast Casserole Be Refrigerated Before Cooking?
Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, you can keep an unbaked breakfast casserole in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days. However, you can keep it in the freezer, unbaked, for up to 2 months or freeze and vacuum seal individual portions for an easy breakfast. (We love to meal prep this casserole for when guests visit or for easy breakfasts during the workweek.)
How Do You Keep Egg Casserole from Drying Out?
Covering this breakfast casserole with aluminum foil in the first part of the bake time helps the casserole to heat through the center while keeping it from drying out on the top. (This also keeps the cheese on top from burning.) Don’t skip this step!
How Do I Know When This Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole is Done?
Before removing the casserole from the oven, make sure it is done. You can do this by checking the temperature and making sure it is at 160℉. Or, you can stick a knife into the center and if it comes out clean with no egg on it, it is done.
How Do You Reheat Breakfast Casserole in the Oven?
To reheat your leftover casserole, cover it in aluminum foil and reheat it at 375℉ for 25 – 30 minutes the next morning. You can also heat individual portions in the air fryer or microwave for faster reheating.
🥫 Storage/Shelf Life/Reheating
To store this delicious hash brown breakfast casserole, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Then, place it in the refrigerator. You can store it in the refrigerator after it’s been cooked for 3 – 5 days.
You can easily reheat individual portions of this hash brown casserole in the microwave, or you can wrap it in aluminum foil and reheat it in the oven. Bake at 375℉ for 25 – 30 minutes.
📋 Tips
  • It’s okay to mix the hashbrowns into the sausage and veggies when they are still a little warm. The cheese is going to melt anyway.
  • You can make this recipe with bacon instead. Simply chop and cook bacon and add it to the veggies and hashbrowns like you did the sausage.
  • Always bake the hashbrowns first! You may be tempted to throw them in frozen, but baking them first makes the edges nice and crispy.
  • Use lots of cheese. I like to add even more cheese than the recipe calls. Add more if you like it cheesy.
  • You can use whole milk, 2%, or heavy cream for this recipe. They all work, but I find cream adds a little extra decadence.
🍳 Serving Suggestions & Uses

This delicious hash brown breakfast casserole is perfect all on its own. It has protein, healthy carbs, dairy, and veggies. However, you can also serve it with a variety of breakfast sides such as:

Nutrition

Serving: 1ounceCalories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 13gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 589mgPotassium: 184mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 765IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.

Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: bacon breakfast casserole, breakfast casserole, cheesy hashbrown breakfast casserole, hashbrown breakfast casserole, sausage breakfast casserole
Did you make this recipe?Mention @southernbytes or tag #southernbytes!

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Hi, I'm Kari!

I am a newlywed, food blogger, health coach, and mama to a hot mess of a border collie. I love to put a new spin on old family recipes and I try to make as many meals as possible with an Instant Pot.

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