This Loaded Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is my take on Joanna Gaines’ classic breakfast casserole, with a few delicious twists of my own. I started making it when I needed an easy, hearty breakfast I could prep the night before—or even freeze ahead—for mornings when we have family or friends staying with us. It has everything you need in one dish: eggs, crispy shredded hash browns, savory sausage or bacon, and lots of melty cheese. My version uses a blend of three cheeses with an extra-thick cheesy layer on top, and you can easily swap in chicken sausage, traditional sausage, or bacon. It’s simple, satisfying, feeds a crowd, and everyone always goes back for seconds!
Why You'll Love This Loaded Breakfast Casserole
There are so many reasons this has become one of my favorite breakfast recipes to make for a crowd.
It's a complete breakfast in one dish. You get hearty potatoes, eggs, meat, and cheese all baked together, so you don't have to make several different breakfast dishes.
You can make it the night before. Assemble the entire casserole, cover it, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, all you have to do is bake it.
It's freezer-friendly. This is a great breakfast to prepare ahead of time and freeze for holidays, houseguests, new babies, or simply a busy week.
It's incredibly customizable. Use chicken sausage, pork breakfast sausage, or bacon. You can also use shredded or diced hash browns and swap the half-and-half for whole milk or heavy cream.
It feeds a crowd. One 9×13-inch casserole makes a generous breakfast for a family or group without requiring you to stand over the stove all morning.
Ingredients for Loaded Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
You'll need:
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, olive oil, or butter
- 1 pound ground sausage or bacon
- 28 ounces frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
- 8 eggs
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Ingredient Substitutions
One of my favorite things about this easy breakfast casserole is how flexible it is.
Sausage: Chicken sausage or traditional pork breakfast sausage both work beautifully. You can also substitute cooked and crumbled bacon.
Hash browns: I love using shredded hash browns because they disperse throughout the casserole and give you potatoes in every bite. Frozen diced hash brown potatoes will also work.
Half-and-half: Whole milk or heavy cream can be substituted for the half-and-half. Heavy cream will give you the richest casserole, while whole milk will make it slightly lighter.
Cheese: I use cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan because the combination gives this casserole tons of flavor and that thick, melty cheese layer on top. You can substitute your favorite shredded cheeses if needed.
Onion: Yellow onion is my favorite, but white or red onion will also work.
How to Make Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Heat the avocado oil, olive oil, or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it becomes soft, translucent, and fragrant.
- Add the sausage and cook until browned and completely cooked through. If you're using bacon instead, cook until crispy. Remove the cooked meat and onions from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the hash browns to the same skillet. Cook them about halfway through—you want the potatoes to begin cooking and soften without becoming completely browned and crispy. Add them to the sausage and onion mixture.
- Season the hash brown mixture with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. I like to start with about ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and add more to taste.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and half-and-half until completely combined.
- Stir most of the cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan into the egg mixture, reserving about 1 cup of the combined cheeses for the top of the casserole.
- Spread the hash brown and sausage mixture evenly in the prepared 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the egg and cheese mixture evenly over the top.
- Finish by sprinkling the reserved cheese generously over the entire casserole. This is what gives the breakfast casserole its thick, golden, cheesy top!
- Cover the casserole with foil and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for about 15 minutes, or until the center is set and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden.
- Allow the casserole to rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! In fact, this is one of my favorite ways to make it. Prepare and assemble the entire hash brown breakfast casserole according to the recipe, but don't bake it. Cover the casserole tightly and refrigerate it overnight. The next morning, remove the casserole from the refrigerator while the oven preheats. Bake as directed, keeping in mind that a casserole going into the oven cold may need a few additional minutes of baking time. This makes it such an easy overnight breakfast casserole for Christmas morning, Easter brunch, family gatherings, or overnight guests.
Yes! This breakfast casserole can be frozen, making it a great meal to prepare ahead of time. To freeze it before baking, assemble the casserole in a freezer-safe baking dish and cover it tightly. Freeze until you're ready to use it. For best results, transfer the frozen casserole to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight before baking according to the recipe instructions.
You can also freeze individual portions of the cooked casserole. Let it cool completely, slice it into portions, and store them in airtight freezer-safe containers. This makes it easy to reheat just one or two servings at a time.
You don't need to completely thaw the hash browns because you'll partially cook them in the skillet before assembling the casserole. Cooking the potatoes briefly before baking helps remove some excess moisture and gives them a better texture in the finished casserole. If your hash browns have already thawed, that's completely fine too. They may simply need slightly less time in the skillet.
Because this casserole already contains eggs, potatoes, meat, and cheese, you really don't need much else! For a larger breakfast or brunch, I love serving it with fresh fruit, berries, muffins, cinnamon rolls, or even a side of bacon. Add coffee and orange juice and you've got an easy breakfast spread without having to make several hot dishes at once.
My husband LOVES this casserole for leftovers. Although we normally don't get leftovers out of it because everyone goes back for seconds and thirds! Allow leftovers to cool before transferring them to an airtight container. Store the casserole in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3–4 days. Individual slices can be reheated in the microwave for a quick breakfast. For larger portions, cover the casserole and warm it in the oven until heated through.
The Perfect Make-Ahead Breakfast for a Crowd
Whether you're hosting family for the holidays, having friends stay for the weekend, or just want breakfast waiting in the refrigerator for a busy morning, this Loaded Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is one of those recipes you'll come back to again and again. It's cheesy, hearty, customizable, and easy to prepare ahead of time. With crispy hash browns, fluffy eggs, savory sausage or bacon, and three kinds of cheese, there's a little bit of everything in every bite. Make it the night before, freeze it for later, or bake it right away—and don't be surprised when the entire casserole disappears!
Loaded Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
- large skillet
- spatula
- measuring cups and spoons
- Large Mixing Bowl
- casserole dish 9x11 or 9x13 work great
Ingredients
What You Need For This Loaded Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- ½ cup diced yellow onion red or white onion will also work
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil olive oil or butter will work
- 1 pound ground sausage chicken sausage, pork sausage, or bacon will work
- 28 ounces frozen shredded hash-brown potatoes diced potatoes will also work
- 1 ½ cup half and half whole milk or heavy cream will also work
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
How To Make Loaded Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- Begin by bringing your 2 tablespoon of avocado oil, olive oil, or butter to medium heat in a large skillet. Add your diced onion and cook until translucent and fragrant. Add your sausage or bacon and cook until the sausage is browned or the bacon is crispy.
- Remove the sausage and onions from the heat. In the same skillet, add your hash-bowns and cook about half way (so they're cooked but not browned yet). Pour those into the same container as the sausage and onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like to start small with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper). You can always add more. Then add your garlic powder and paprika. Toss this all together.
- In a mixing bowl, add your eggs and milk and whisk together until combined. Add most of the cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese -- leaving a little to sprinkle on top of the casserole.
- Pour the hash browns and sausage mixture into your casserole dish and then pour the egg mixture on top. Make sure everything is dispersed evenly and then sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly on top.
- Cover with foil and bake in the oven on 400°F for 1 hour (remove the foil at the 45 minute mark so that the cheese on top browns). Let it rest for 5 minutes and enjoy.
Comments
No Comments