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
Can you make this without the bread? I ask because I want to make this, but I also want to make the overnight cinnamon rolls and it seems like a lot of bread for one meal…
Thanks!
Sherri
you need the bread. It absorbs all of the egg and then it grows and gets fluffy when you cook it. It is soooo good and worth it. I found it on here and I make it ALL of the time.
I made this for brunch this weekend and it was FANTABULOUS. Oh my goodness. I followed the recipe to the letter except I used wheat bread and chicken-apple sausage (several non-pork eaters). It was great. I also made the Overnight Baked French Toast and followed the directions to the letter. It was perfect. I’m going to order the cookbooks as I am a believer. Thank you for the fantastic, PERFECT recipes.
Can this be made 2 nights ahead?
Yes, that would probably be okay.
I tried this yesterday, it was great! I served a crowd of about 25 when I doubled the recipe. I was a bit nervous about serving a new recipe, but it turned out great! Thanks.
My husband volunteered to bring breakfast to his team meeting at work the other day. He was just going to bring donuts or something boring. I said, “No, no, no dear. We don’t do boring.” I made this the night before and your cinnamon rolls, popped this in the oven in the morning and went back to bed for an hour; super duper easy. It was a huge hit! I’m expecting a raise any day now. 😉 Thanks for the recipe!
Can’t wait to try this casserole…have checked several, but this one sounds like the best one, and all the reviews were good, so will be making it soon….thanks for posting 🙂
I have not made this yet, but I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate how specific you are about your ingredients. The pictures are also very helpful. I have one of these make-ahead breakfast casseroles that I make using ham; but I would like to try one with sausage. Also, with mine I have to cube every slice of bread, which takes a lot of time. This would be great for Christmas morning or a brunch. Thanks for posting!
Hey Sara, just wanted to let you know I made this for brunch after my son’s baby blessing. It was a huge hit. I made three 9 x 13 pans for 25 people and there were only two pieces left. I had several people ask for the recipe and I sent them the link. I’ve been looking for an overnight breakfast casserole for Christmas Eve, and this is it. Thank you!!!
I’m not a vegetarian, but sausage freaks me out!:) Has anyone tried this same recipe with bacon and how did it turn out? I’m thinking New Years Day brunch!
I have a 15×10 pan I want to use…any thoughts on whether I should increase the recipe, or go for less cooking time? And its good to go in the morning, straight into the oven? Don’t need to worry about it getting too dry overnight…I seem to remember that concern from a strata that was similar to this that I made years ago. Thank you, Ann