Easy Sausage Egg and Cheese Casserole
9/22/2026
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This sausage egg and cheese casserole is a creamy, crustless breakfast made with pork sausage, cheddar cheese, peppers, onion, and a rich egg mixture. It bakes in a 9×13-inch dish, serves 12, and can be assembled the night before for an easy holiday breakfast, brunch, or meal-prep option.
Why You’ll Love It
- Crustless: There is no bread or crust, so the sausage, vegetables, creamy eggs, and cheddar take center stage.
- Feeds a crowd: One 9×13-inch casserole makes 12 satisfying slices.
- Make-ahead friendly: Assemble it the night before and bake it directly from the refrigerator the next morning.
- Flexible: Use equal amounts of another ground meat, vegetables, or shredded cheese to make it your own.
Featured Ingredients
- Breakfast sausage: Pork breakfast sausage adds savory flavor and makes this casserole hearty enough for a full breakfast.
- Peppers and onion: Red bell pepper and yellow onion add color, texture, and a little natural sweetness.
- Eggs: One dozen large eggs creates the base of the casserole.
- Heavy cream and sour cream: This combination gives the egg mixture a rich, creamy texture and a little tang.
- Cheddar cheese: The cheese is divided between the egg mixture and the top for cheesy flavor throughout.
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How to Know When the Casserole Is Done
Ovens and casserole dishes can vary, so use the center of the casserole as the reliable endpoint. It is done when the egg mixture in the very center is fully cooked, with no wet or unset area. If the top begins to brown before the center is ready, loosely tent the dish with foil and continue baking.
After baking, let the casserole cool slightly, until it slices cleanly. The complete two-stage baking method is in the recipe card below.
Make It Ahead
Assemble the casserole, cover it, and refrigerate it overnight. It can go directly from the refrigerator into the oven the next morning. Because both the casserole and the dish are chilled, it may need additional baking time; rely on the fully cooked center rather than the clock alone.
Ingredient Swaps
- Breakfast sausage: Use an equal amount of another ground meat or plant-based ground.
- Peppers and onion: Swap in equal amounts of raw diced vegetables such as green onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, shallot, broccoli, or shredded carrots.
- Cheddar cheese: Use the same amount of a cheddar blend, Mexican-style shredded cheese, Colby Jack, or mozzarella.
- Heavy cream: Replace up to half of the heavy cream with 2% or whole milk.
- Sour cream: Substitute plain Greek yogurt 1:1.
Storage and Reheating
Store the fully baked casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–5 days. Reheat individual slices until warmed through. Freezer guidance is intentionally omitted because this version was not tested for freezing.
Sausage Egg and Cheese Casserole FAQs
Yes. Assemble and cover the unbaked casserole, then refrigerate it overnight. Bake it directly from the refrigerator the next morning. A chilled casserole dish may increase the baking time, so bake until the egg mixture in the center is fully cooked with no wet or unset area.
The egg mixture in the center of the casserole should be fully cooked, with no wet or unset area. If the top browns too quickly, tent the dish loosely with foil and continue baking until the center is done.
Yes. Use an equal amount of another ground meat or plant-based ground, raw diced vegetables, or another shredded cheese. You can also replace up to half of the heavy cream with 2% or whole milk and substitute plain Greek yogurt 1:1 for the sour cream.
The fully baked casserole keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–5 days, making it a convenient meal-prep breakfast.
Reheat an individual slice until it is warmed through. No fixed time or temperature is given because the tested guidance is endpoint-based and reheating appliances vary.
Sausage Egg and Cheese Casserole
Equipment
- 9×13-inch casserole dish
- Large skillet
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 lb. ground pork breakfast sausage
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 12 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese, ~2 cups, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground breakfast sausage and break it apart with a spatula. Cook for 6–7 minutes, until it is lightly browned but still slightly pink; it will finish cooking in the casserole.
- Add the onion and red bell pepper. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
- Transfer the sausage and vegetables to the prepared casserole dish and spread them into an even layer.
- Add the eggs, heavy cream, sour cream, salt, and black pepper to a large bowl. Whisk until completely combined.
- Stir 1½ cups of the shredded cheddar into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture over the sausage and vegetables in the casserole dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup cheddar over the top, then bake for another 15–20 minutes, until the egg mixture in the very center is fully cooked with no wet or unset area. If the top begins to brown before the center is done, loosely tent the dish with foil.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool slightly, until it slices cleanly. Cut into 12 slices and serve.
Tips & Notes
- Make ahead: Assemble and refrigerate the unbaked casserole overnight. Bake it directly from the refrigerator; a chilled casserole dish may require additional baking time, so rely on the fully cooked center.
- Substitutions: Equal amounts of another ground meat, plant-based ground, raw diced vegetables, or shredded cheese may be used. Replace up to half of the heavy cream with 2% or whole milk, or swap plain Greek yogurt 1:1 for sour cream.
- Storage: Refrigerate the fully baked casserole in an airtight container for 3–5 days. Reheat individual slices until warmed through. Freezer guidance is omitted because it was not tested.
- Nutrition: Nutrition is calculated per complete slice using the original pork sausage, heavy cream, sour cream, and cheddar version; the casserole makes 12 slices.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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