Breakfast casseroles can be a filling alternative to your usual routine or a special treat when you are trying to feed a crowd. This one has been a family favorite of ours for decades.
There are two versions of breakfast casseroles: pastry (crescent roll) bottoms and hash brown bottoms. This version uses BOTH. There are some advantages to this. First, it holds up better to reheating over time, which means it’s still delicious if you eat it over the course of several days. If you’re planning this approach, you can just cover the dish with cling film and put it in the fridge once it has cooled.
The second reason I prefer using both ingredients is that you actually cut serve the casserole pieces as handhelds at a picnic brunch, a church potluck, when the kids want to grab something on the way out the door, or wherever you are on the go.
A word of caution – some recipes suggest making it up ahead of time (the day before) and then cooking the morning of. I don’t recommend this (with either version). The reason is that both the crescent roll crust and the hash browns get a little soggy. It throws the texture off. If you do it, it’s not BAD, but it just isn’t optimal.
Pro tip: In recent years, I’ve been substituting spicy Monterey cheese for the sharp cheddar to make a spicier version that I then top with salsa. If you really want to amp up the spice, you can use hot sausage. That’s the beauty of this recipe, you can customize it!
>>For another breakfast treat, check out our no-knead English muffin bread<<
Ingredients
- Refrigerated crescent rolls
- Pork breakfast sausage
- Frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- Eggs
- Milk
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cooking spray
How to Make the Breakfast Casserole
This dish is straightforward to make. The most important step is the first one–pre-baking the crust to ensure it doesn’t get soggy. Arrange the unrolled crescent roll pastry on the bottom and up the sides of a baking dish, pressing the seams together. Pierce the dough with a fork multiple times. Bake at 375° for 7 to 9 minutes.
The second most important step is the second one–cooking the sausage. While the crust bakes, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium high heat, breaking it apart as you go. We used a cast iron skillet, but a regular nonstick skillet is fine. You may need to add a little bit of oil to keep the meat from sticking. Cook until the sausage is browned (about 8 to 10 minutes) and remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon.
Return the skillet with the grease to medium high heat. If the skillet is dry, add a drizzle of oil. Add the thawed hashbrowns in an even layer and cook about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Flip hashbrowns and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the hashbrowns to the bowl of sausage.
Add half the cheese to the sausage and hashbrowns. Stir to combine, and spread the mixture over the pre-baked crust. Beat the eggs and milk together, and add the salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and hashbrowns in the baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the middle of the egg mixture is set.
Southern Breakfast Casserole
Packed with protein, this casserole is easy to make and great to reheat.
Ingredients
- 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
- 1 lb pork breakfast sausage
- 1 lb frozen hash browns, thawed
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Spray a 13x9" baking dish with cooking spray.
- Unroll the crescent rolls and arrange them on the bottom of the baking dish, pressing the dough slightly up the sides and pressing the seams together to seal the dough . Pierce the dough with a fork multiple times. Bake the crescent roll crust for 7-9 minutes, or until light brown.
- While the crust bakes, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium high heat, breaking it apart as you go. You may need to add oil to the skillet if the meat is sticking. Cook until the sausage is browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the skillet and set it aside in a large bowl.
- Return the skillet with the grease to the stove over medium high heat. If the skillet is dry, add a drizzle of oil. Add the hashbrowns in an even layer and cook about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Flip the hashbrowns and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the hashbrowns to the bowl of sausage.
- Add half the cheese to the sausage and hashbrowns. Stir to combine. Spread mixture over the baked crust.
- Beat the eggs and milk together. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine. Pour the eggs over the sausage and hashbrown mixture in baking dish and top with remaining
cheese. - Bake for 30 minutes or until the middle of the egg mixture is set. Let cool slightly (about 10 minutes) before cutting and serving.
Notes
For a spicier version, replace the cheddar with Monterey Jack cheese, and top the casserole with salsa.