Breakfast Sausage Casserole

My easy-to-make and delicious Breakfast Sausage Casserole is perfect for Easter brunch, any holiday or weekend get together. But what I love most about this cheesy, croissant filled casserole is that it is so creamy, flavorful and did I say EASY??

It makes for a quick breakfast for any day of the week. If you are cooking for your family, a few friends or a crowd, this Breakfast Sausage Casserole recipe makes the morning feel special and gets everyone coming back for seconds. 

If you are not a “breakfast person” this recipe could be a game changer to fix that. I often hear people say, “I don’t have time to eat breakfast”, but having this casserole pre-baked, and wrapped in individual servings is the answer to this time dilemma and it will forever change the way you think about breakfast!

Why this Recipe Works:

• This can be made as a make-ahead recipe.
• It turns out perfect every time and never soggy!
• It’s great for holiday mornings or for weekend brunch.
• There are so many variations you can make with the breakfast casserole recipe that you will never grow tired of it. (see variations below).
• Easy prep and clean up.
• Makes for great leftovers, too!

Ingredient Notes

For the ingredient measurements and entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.

• Mini croissants: You can a regular size croissant too, just make certain that you have 14 ounces of croissants. Either way, it’s important to toast the cubed croissant bread so the casserole is not soggy.
• Ground pork sausage: Make certain that you drain the cooked sausage before adding to the casserole. 
• Gruyere cheese: I love Gruyere in this casserole but you can also use cheddar or even Swiss.
• Dijon mustard: If you don’t have any on hand, you can also use dry mustard. I like the slight tangy flavor it adds but if you don’t have either, feel free to skip it! It won’t ruin anything. ?
• Mozzarella cheese: Add some mozzarella cheese to the top for another layer of cheesy goodness.
• Large eggs: the egg, bread and milk ratio is very important, so make certain that you use large eggs.
• Whole milk: I recommend using whole milk when making the egg custard for best results.
• Heavy cream: Adds a creamy richness to the casserole recipe.

Step by Step Directions

For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.

1. Toast the croissant pieces in the oven for about 10 minutes.
2. Cook the sausage, drain and place in a large bowl.
3. To the same pan, saute the onion. Add garlic. Add to the sausage.
4. Add the croissant crouton pieces to the sausage along with the Gruyere cheese. Stir to combine.
5. Pour this into a greased 9×13 inch glass casserole dish.
6. Whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
7. Pour over the croissant/sausage mixture.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or overnight.
9. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
10. Add mozzarella cheese on top. Bake until casserole is set and tops have browned, ~35-40 minutes.

Expert Tips and Recommendations

• Cover or not to cover? Bake the Sausage Breakfast Casserole uncovered for 35 t0 40 minutes. You are looking for a nice golden brown top, but if the croissants and cheese are browning too quickly, loosely cover towards the end with foil until the eggs and cream mixture are set.
• Use a different bread if you aren’t feeling like croissants some other great options are sourdough, ciabatta bread, Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls, a hearty white sandwich bread, baguette bread, etc. Really any bread will work well.
• Let it rest: all egg casseroles you’ll come across are bound together with an egg custard and it’s important to allow that custard to soak into the bread so everything can be distributed into the casserole to create a delicious breakfast. Soaking = cohesive casserole. Anywhere from 1-4 hours is plenty when using toasted croissants.
• With that said…Don’t soak the croissants for too long. Since croissants are really buttery and soft, if you let the casserole soak for any longer than 12 hours in the egg custard, the casserole has a tendency to get mushy. Be sure to toast the croissant pieces, and don’t let it soak for too too long. If using a different sturdy bread, you won’t run into this issue as much but I typically only soak for 8ish hours or just overnight is perfect.
• Add in different meats. Try adding in cooked bacon bits, ham, sliced sausage links, or even ground beef. Be sure to cook the meats prior. You can also kick up the flavors with Hot Italian Sausage, or for a more winter holiday feel, try Sage Sausage.
• Add veggies! If adding in raw veggies the casserole has a risk of being watery. To keep this from happening, make sure you saute the vegetables before adding them to the casserole. Try adding in baby spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, shredded carrots, or broccoli. Saute for 5-6 minutes or until water evaporates.
• Try using different cheese options: Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Swiss, or Cheddar are my favorite options. Just be sure to grate it yourself and not use pre-shredded cheese. It never melts as well!

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