This easy overnight casserole is layered with bread, cheese, crumbled sausage and green chilis, and soaked in a seasoned egg custard overnight. It couldn’t be simpler to put together and the best part is in the morning when your kitchen is clean and your dishes are done and all you have to do is pop it in the oven! The popular casserole is a staple on many people’s holiday tables. At my house, it’s been our Christmas morning breakfast for over 40 years, and we love it on Easter and other special occasions, too. Wouldn’t be a holiday without it!
Ingredients Needed
- Bread – No need to get fancy. While most similar casseroles call for dried out french bread, I actually recommend basic everyday soft white sandwich bread fresh from the bag.
- Butter – Use real butter.
- Cheese – You’ll need a lot of cheese! I call for a mix of Jack and Cheddar. That’s my favorite combination, but in a pinch I’ve also used Colby Jack, and it would also be great with some pepper Jack in there. Experiment if you’d like to, but the classic way is terrific! My one tip: I do not recommend pre-shredded cheese in a bag for this recipe. Shredding directly from a block of cheese will produce better results.
- Green Chiles – You’ll find tiny cans of these near the jarred salsa at the grocery store. I don’t bother draining the tiny can, just use your hands to grab the chilis from the can and sprinkle onto the casserole, the juice that comes with it is just fine.
- Sausage – There are always a lot of questions when I have recipes that call for sausage of any kind. It’s probably because there are so many different types: breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, sausage in links, sausage in castings, sausage in tubes, sausage in 8 different sections of the supermarket! You’ll find this sausage in the fridge section, usually near the bacon. Avoid sausages with flavors like maple. I only use Jimmy Dean because that’s what my Mom always used and we like the flavor the best!
- Eggs
- Milk
- Spices
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Garlic
- Dry mustard
How To Make Overnight Sausage and Egg Casserole
- Make sure your sausage is cooked before you begin assembling your casserole. You’ll start with the bread. Cut off the crusts, butter one side, and place the pieces butter-side-down in a 9×13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle on your shredded cheese, followed by the cooked sausage crumbles, and green chilis (no need to drain).
- Finally you’ll whisk together eggs, milk, and some spices and seasonings. Stir the egg mixture immediately before pouring on top of the assembled casserole. Otherwise all the spices will all gather in one spot and drop onto one single piece of casserole!
- It then goes in the fridge overnight to allow the liquid to be full absorbed and for the flavors to blend. In the morning you just pop it into the oven and have a gorgeous breakfast or bunch in under an hour!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- Reheating tip: Leftovers will reheat more evenly if you cut your piece of casserole into a few smaller pieces before popping in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
I would consider 4-6 hours the minimum rest time, and up to 24 hours the max. This doesn’t mean it wouldn’t still work if left in the fridge beyond that, but I have not tried it.
I have not tried making this in larger than a 9×13 inch pan so I can’t promise it would cook evenly. Your best bet for serving a crowd is making multiple pans.
If you really don’t like the flavor of green chiles, it certainly won’t affect the way the casserole cooks to leave them out. If you have picky eaters who just don’t like the color or texture, you could try blending the can of chiles (juices and all) with a little of the milk and mixing that in with the milk and egg mix before pouring over the casserole.
Your casserole will still taste great with bagged cheese, but it may affect the final consistency, with the cheese slightly separated from the other ingredients due to the coating its tossed it to keep it from sticking together in the bag. In my opinion this is one of those recipes where its worth the effort to grate it fresh.
Overnight Sausage and Egg Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6-8 slices plain white sandwich bread
- butter very soft, for buttering bread
- 2 cups Jack cheese, shredded I recommend shredding fresh
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded I recommend shredding fresh
- 12 ounces pork sausage crumbled and browned (I use Jimmy Dean)
- 1 4-ounce can green chiles
- 6 eggs large
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
Instructions
- Start by removing the crusts from your bread and lightly buttering one side.
- Place bread, butter side down, in a 9×13 baking dish. You want the bottom of the pan covered with no big gaps, so cut up some pieces like a puzzle to cover the whole pan.
- Grate cheese and sprinkle evenly over bread. Then, layer on browned sausage, followed by green chiles.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk eggs. Add milk and seasonings; combine well. Give the mixture a final whisk before immediately pouring evenly on top of the assembled casserole.
- Cover well and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- In the morning preheat your oven to 350℉. Bake (uncovered) for 50-60 minutes. You'll want the center to be puffed and set and the outside edges to be golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- Reheating tip: Leftovers will reheat more evenly if you cut your piece of casserole into a few smaller pieces before popping in the microwave.
Questions & Reviews
Yes Jess- bake uncovered! I'll make that more clear in the instructions. I'm glad you liked it!
Made this for Christmas morning and LOVED it! The only thing was that I ended up having to bake it for about 1hr 20min – I think b/c I left the foil on when I put it in the oven? I'm a complete co-dependent when it comes to following recipes, so if it doesn't say to remove the foil, I don't 😛 It's a problem I have! It came out great though – next time I'll bake UNCOVERED! Thanks!
I made this two days ago and popped it in the oven yesterday (christmas morning). I had to modify it a little because I did a small square dish for my little family, but it came out great. My husband raved over it, and he's a picky guy. This is a new Christmas tradition in our house, thanks so much for sharing!
made this for turkey day brunch & everyone LOVED it – now will make for our xmas breakfast!
This got RAVE reviews and multiple requests for the recipe at the baby shower. One lady makes something almost identical and grilled me on what spices I used because, as much as she likes hers, mine was better! The Sunrise Punch was also a hit. Huge Thank You for the recipes, and the blog in general! I can't wait until your book comes out.
Ang, that menu sounds great! It's a 9×13 pan, so just visualize depending on how big you want your pieces. You can get 12 good-sized ones or 16 smaller ones.
I'm making this for a baby shower brunch (instead of quiche, hoping I'm not crazy but it sounds delicious and a bit easier than quiche) – how many servings do you get out of one pan? Looks like about 12 medium servings, maybe? I'll be serving with the Sunrise punch, a fruit platter, and a variety of mini-muffins. Thanks for the yummy recipes!
Jesse I've actually never tried freezing it. If you give it a shot, let us know!
Does this recipe freeze well? Or at all? If so, do you freeze it before or after you bake it?
This is the same recipe that my family makes every single year for holidays, etc. Except we don't use a lot of spices or green onions because we don't like them, lol! Such a tasty and easy meal!