Breakfast · American
Best Breakfast Casserole
Sausage, cheddar and custardy bread baked into one pan that feeds a crowd.
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Hands-off
- 55 min
- Total
- 1 h 20 min
- Makes
- 12 squares
- Serves
- 12
Preheating overlaps browning the sausage. About 25 minutes hands-on (about 10 of them cooking the sausage), then 45 minutes in the oven and 10 minutes standing. Made the night before and baked straight from the fridge, plan on 45-50 minutes or a little longer in the oven and check the temperature.
Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)
Pan 33 x 23 cm baking dish (3 litres) (US: 13 x 9 in baking dish (3 quarts))
- easy
- brunch
- make-ahead
- feeds-a-crowd
- holiday-breakfast
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? Made for one 33 x 23 cm (13 x 9 in) dish. For half, use a 20 cm (8 in) square dish and start checking a little early; for more, bake two dishes rather than one deeper one. Go by the knife test and 71°C (160°F), not the clock. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: 33 x 23 cm (13 x 9 in) baking dish (a 3-litre / 3-quart casserole) · large skillet · wooden spoon · colander or paper-towel-lined plate for draining · large bowl and whisk · table knife for testing · instant-read thermometer · oven mitts
Contains: egg · milk · wheat
Method
Heat the oven, grease the dish
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Lightly grease the 33 x 23 cm (13 x 9 in) dish with the 1 tsp butter or oil.
Ready when: The oven has fully reached 180°C (350°F) before the dish goes in.
Brown the sausage
Crumble the 454 g (1 lb) sausage into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
Ready when: No pink is left anywhere, the crumbles are browned, and a thermometer in a thick clump reads at least 71°C (160°F).
Drain
Drain off the fat: tip the sausage into a colander or onto a paper-towel-lined plate. Let the fat cool before you throw it in the bin, not down the sink.
Otto tried this firstOtto pours the hot sausage fat down the sink. It sets into a plug in the pipe. Cool it and bin it instead.Make the custard
In a large bowl, whisk the 8 eggs, 720 ml (3 cups) milk and 1/4 tsp pepper until evenly blended.
Soak the bread
Add the 1.9 litres (8 cups) bread cubes and stir gently until they're all coated. Stir in the drained sausage and 170 g (1 1/2 cups) of the cheddar.
Fill the dish
Pour everything into the greased dish, spread it out evenly and sprinkle the remaining 57 g (1/2 cup) cheddar over the top.
Bake
Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. If you made it ahead and it went into the oven cold from the fridge, allow 45 to 50 minutes or a little more.
Ready when: A knife pushed into the centre comes out clean, the middle no longer looks wet, and a thermometer in the centre reads at least 71°C (160°F), the safe temperature for egg dishes. If not, bake 5 minutes more and check again.
Rest and cut
Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes, then cut it into 12 squares.
Swaps
- Instead of 454 g (1 lb) raw bulk sausage: a package of fully cooked pork sausage crumbles Skip the browning and draining and stir the crumbles straight in.
- Instead of pork breakfast sausage: chorizo or hot Italian sausage, same weight Cook and drain it the same way, to 71°C (160°F).
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Make ahead
- Assemble the casserole in the greased dish, cover it with foil and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, heat the oven and let the dish sit on the counter while it heats, then bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes, or a little longer, until it passes the knife test and reads 71°C (160°F) in the centre.
- Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in an airtight container and eat within 3 days. To freeze, wrap single portions or the whole casserole well and freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat
- Single squares: microwave, covered, on 70% power for 1 to 2 minutes. Larger amounts: bake at 150°C (130°C fan, 300°F) for 15 to 20 minutes. Either way, heat until it reaches 74°C (165°F) in the middle.
If something goes wrong
- The middle is still wet or jiggly Why: It isn't done yet. A casserole that went in cold from the fridge takes longer.
Bake 5 minutes at a time until a knife in the centre comes out clean and the thermometer reads 71°C (160°F). - Greasy casserole Why: The sausage fat wasn't drained.
Drain the browned sausage well in a colander or on paper towels before stirring it in.
Good to know
- Stir in some chopped spinach and diced red pepper with the bread for a vegetable version.
- A 33 x 23 cm (13 x 9 in) glass dish holds the same as a 3-litre (3-quart) casserole.
- Stir the bread gently so the cubes soak up the custard without turning to mush.
Safety
- Raw sausage is ground pork: keep it away from ready-to-eat food, and wash your hands, the board and the spoon with hot soapy water after handling it. Cook it until no pink remains and it reaches 71°C (160°F).
- This is an egg dish: it is only safe once the centre reaches 71°C (160°F). Don't leave it out for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 32°C / 90°F).
- Hot fat can spit and burn. An adult should drain the sausage and handle the hot dish; use oven mitts.
- Check labels: sausage and bread can contain soy, milk or other allergens.