Description

This Sausage & Cream Cheese Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is a hearty, flavorful dish perfect for a family breakfast or brunch. Combining savory hot breakfast sausage, creamy cream cheese, crispy hash browns, and melted cheddar cheese, all baked together with a seasoned egg and milk mixture, this casserole is both comforting and satisfying. It’s easy to prepare ahead and bakes to a golden perfection that will delight any morning crowd.

Ingredients

Scale

Sausage Mixture

2 lb hot breakfast sausage
2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature

Hash Browns Layer

1 (30-32 oz) bag frozen shredded hash browns

Seasonings

1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder

Other Ingredients

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 eggs
2 cups milk

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Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the casserole.
Cook Sausage: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the hot breakfast sausage until it is no longer pink, breaking it apart as it cooks. Drain off excess fat to avoid greasiness.
Mix Sausage and Cream Cheese: Transfer the cooked sausage to a bowl and stir in the room temperature cream cheese until well combined. Set this mixture aside for layering.
Cook Hash Browns: Using the same skillet, add the frozen shredded hash browns and cook until they are slightly browned and partially cooked, which adds flavor and texture. Then spread the hash browns evenly in the bottom of a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
Layer Sausage Mixture and Cheese: Spread the sausage and cream cheese mixture over the hash browns, then sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly on top.
Prepare Egg Mixture: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and milk until fully blended. Pour this egg mixture evenly over the layered hash browns, sausage mixture, and cheddar cheese in the pan.
Refrigerate if Needed: If you are not baking immediately, cover the assembled casserole and refrigerate it at this point to bake later.
Bake Casserole: Place the uncovered casserole in the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Bake until the eggs are set and the top is lightly golden and bubbly.

Notes

You can prepare this casserole the night before and refrigerate it to save time in the morning.
Use mild or spicy sausage depending on your flavor preference.
Allow the cream cheese to soften to room temperature for easier mixing.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated in the oven or microwave.
For a lower fat version, substitute part-skim cream cheese and reduced-fat cheddar cheese.
Make sure to drain excess sausage fat to prevent the casserole from becoming greasy.