Sausage, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Casserole
A hearty make-ahead egg bake loaded with sausage, peppers, spinach and cheddar. There's no bread or hash browns, and it's sturdy enough to cut into neat squares for a crowd.
Nutrition per serving
1 square (⅛ of the pan)- Net carbs
- 3.7g
- Calories
- 421kcal
- Protein
- 21g
- Fat
- 35g
- Total carbs
- 4.3 g
- Fiber
- 0.5 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Vegetarian (mushroom & broccoli): Browned mushrooms and small broccoli florets replace the sausage. It is still hearty enough to feed a crowd, including the vegetarians.
- Instead of browning sausage, heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and cook the mushrooms 6–8 minutes, until their liquid evaporates and they brown.
- Add the broccoli with the onion and bell pepper and cook 4–5 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green and just tender, then wilt in the spinach and continue with the recipe.
Tex-Mex (chorizo & green chile): Spicy Mexican chorizo, mild green chiles and pepper Jack give the casserole a Tex-Mex kick. Serve it with salsa and sliced avocado.
- Brown the chorizo exactly as you would the sausage, to 160°F (71°C), and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the red fat.
- Stir the green chiles into the vegetables along with the spinach.
Dairy-free: Almond milk replaces the cream and nutritional yeast stands in for the cheddar, so the casserole is still savory and sets just as firmly.
- Whisk the nutritional yeast into the egg mixture. With no cheese on top, the casserole browns less, so check for doneness by the center temperature (160°F/71°C) at 30–35 minutes.
- Read the sausage label. Most breakfast sausage is dairy-free, but some brands add milk powder.
- Also add
- Also add
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1½ cups sharp cheddarleave out - Also add
Estimated cost $10.25 for 8 servings ($1.28 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish.
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Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, 8–10 minutes, until no pink remains (160°F/71°C). Spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat.
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Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 4 minutes, until softened. Stir in the spinach just until wilted, then spread the mixture evenly in the dish and let it cool for a few minutes so it doesn't start scrambling the eggs when you pour them in.
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Whisk the eggs, cream, dry mustard, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar, pour over the sausage and scatter the remaining cheese on top.
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Bake 35–40 minutes, until puffed and golden at the edges and set in the middle; a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the center reads 160°F (71°C).
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Rest 10 minutes before cutting into 8 squares.
Tips for success
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Make it the night before: assemble, cover and refrigerate, then bake straight from the fridge, adding 5–10 minutes to the time. - Want grab-and-go portions? The same idea baked in a muffin tin becomes sausage egg muffin cups.
- Serve with salsa or sugar-free ketchup, and a side of cauliflower hash browns if you miss the potatoes.
Nice to have, not needed
- A spoonful of salsa or pico de gallo brightens a reheated square — it is fully seasoned without it.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 2 months
Reheat: Microwave a square 1–2 minutes, or warm covered at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes.
Prep tip: Cut it into squares once completely cool and wrap them individually, so you can grab one portion at a time.
Refrigerate covered up to 4 days, or freeze individual squares up to 2 months. Reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes or microwave 1–2 minutes.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosVegetarian (mushroom & broccoli)
DietBrowned mushrooms and small broccoli florets replace the sausage. It is still hearty enough to feed a crowd, including the vegetarians.
- bulk breakfast sausage → cremini or white mushrooms
- + 2 cups broccoli
- + 1 tbsp olive oil
4.2 g net · 287 kcal · 17 g protein · 22 g fat · ≈$1.40 per serving (+0.5 g net carbs vs the original)
Tex-Mex (chorizo & green chile)
FlavorSpicy Mexican chorizo, mild green chiles and pepper Jack give the casserole a Tex-Mex kick. Serve it with salsa and sliced avocado.
- bulk breakfast sausage → raw Mexican chorizo
- sharp cheddar → pepper Jack cheese
- + 1 can diced green chiles (4 oz)
4.1 g net · 380 kcal · 21 g protein · 31 g fat · ≈$1.64 per serving (+0.4 g net carbs vs the original)
Dairy-free
DietAlmond milk replaces the cream and nutritional yeast stands in for the cheddar, so the casserole is still savory and sets just as firmly.
- heavy cream → unsweetened almond milk
- butter → avocado oil
- + 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- no sharp cheddar
3 g net · 296 kcal · 17 g protein · 23 g fat · ≈$0.99 per serving (−0.7 g net carbs vs the original)
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