Hearty Breakfast Casserole

This Hearty Breakfast Casserole is simple to make and customizable to your taste! We love the double meat combo of bacon and sausage, but you can add or omit any “toppings” to make it perfect for you or your family. It can be made morning of or be prepared as an overnight casserole dish. I typically double the recipe and make them in twos because I’m cooking for a crowd or storing leftovers in the fridge for up to five days or freezing individual pieces for a healthy breakfast option.

• 1 pound of bacon
• 16 ounce package of Jimmy Dean all-natural regular pork sausage
• 28 ounce package of frozen hash browns – we prefer cubed with peppers and onion
• 2 cups of freshly shredded cheddar cheese, fresh is always better
• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk or half & half
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. While it’s heating up, place a stick of butter in your 9×13 inch casserole dish. Place it in the oven until it melts. Remove the dish and tilt it so the bottom of the dish and edges of pan are greased with the melted butter.
3. Change preheat on oven to 350 degrees.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until browned, crumbling it with a spatula as it cooks. Drain grease from sausage and set aside.
5. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook your bacon. Let cool and then crumble by hand.
6. Combine hash browns, sausage, bacon, and shredded cheese in a large bowl. Toss until well combined. Pour into casserole dish.
7. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk (or half & half), and seasonings. Pour the egg mixture over the hash brown mixture.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Or you can cover the casserole tightly and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, take the casserole out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to baking.

Cinnamon Roll Casserole and Pecan Pie French Toast are some of our other favorite breakfast recipes!