Overnight Sausage And Egg Breakfast Casserole
Andrea Potischman
May 7, 2025
Overnight sausage and egg breakfast casserole (or strata, popularized in the 1984 Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins) is the morning hero you didn’t know you needed in your life. Nothing beats the overnight breakfast casserole for an effortless, crowd-pleasing breakfast. It’s the dish that lets you do all the work the night before, then pop it in the oven while your coffee brews. Whether you’re feeding a full house over the holidays or just trying to simplify a sleepy Sunday morning, this casserole has your back.
Casserole In History
Breakfast casseroles first found their footing in American kitchens around the mid-20th century, gaining popularity in community cookbooks and weekend brunch buffets. Their rise was rooted in practicality—feed many, fuss less—and their staying power comes down to flexibility. They’re endlessly customizable, low-effort, and reliably delicious.
My casserole version leans savory and satisfying: fluffy brioche bread cubes (challah also works well) soaked in a creamy egg mixture, with crispy sautéed turkey sausage and sharp cheddar tucked into every bite. The result is soft in the middle, golden on top, and just hearty enough to keep everyone full until lunch.
Eggs
One of the biggest perks of a dish like this? It stretches ingredients, especially eggs, which continue to have sky-high prices these days. Despite the recipe calling for half a dozen eggs, this casserole easily serves 6-8 people. That’s serious breakfast math in your favor. And if turkey sausage and cheddar aren’t your thing, no problem. Swap in crumbled bacon or plant-based sausage, use Swiss, smoked mozzarella, or pepper jack, or add in extras like sautéed spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, or sweet roasted red peppers.
You can go herby, spicy, or even slightly sweet if you use chicken-apple sausage or a swirl of maple syrup within. There are no rules—just good, satisfying comfort food. Scalable, storable, and forgiving, this overnight breakfast casserole is the kind of morning magic we all need a little more of.
Overnight Sausage And Egg Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1 pound turkey breakfast sausage
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 4-5 slices of brioche bread (or similar), hand torn into small pieces
- 1 1/2 cups medium cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
- Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and lightly grease. Set aside.
- Place a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and when hot, but not smoking, add the turkey sausage and cook, while stirring occasionally, until browned and slightly crispy. Drain any excess grease off if needed. Cool slightly.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard.
- Layer half the torn bread pieces in the prepared baking dish, followed by half the cooked sausage and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat the above with another layer of bread, sausage, and cheese. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the layers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the casserole on a baking sheet and in the oven, bake for 40-45 minutes or until set and golden brown, and slightly puffy. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if browning on top too quickly. Remove the casserole from the oven and allow to rest and cool slightly before slicing and serving.
