You’ll never look at brunch the same way again! With layers of potatoes, eggs, cheese and sausage, this Crock Pot breakfast casserole is an easy recipe for a breakfast potluck or holiday celebration.
Y’all…today’s recipe is a total game changer! I had heard about breakfast casseroles in the slow cooker, but I hadn’t been brave enough to try one until now — mostly because I was worried that the ingredients wouldn’t cook evenly or that the casserole wouldn’t have that crispy top that we all know and love.
But guess what? I’m here to tell you that this breakfast casserole with sausage is just as good (if not better) than its oven-baked counterparts!
How to make Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole:
Whether you’re serving it as a special post-church Sunday morning treat, or using it as a weeknight dinner, you will LOVE how easily this meal comes together. Just toss the ingredients into the Crock Pot in advance and then forget about it until mealtime!
Ingredients for a breakfast casserole in the slow cooker:
- A bag of frozen Potatoes O’Brien with onions and peppers (or substitute with a bag of frozen shredded hash browns)
- Bulk pork breakfast sausage (or other sausage of your choice)
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Eggs
- Milk
- Seasoned salt and pepper
First, brown the sausage in a large skillet until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
Next, spray a large slow cooker with cooking spray and place half of the potatoes in the bottom. Add half of the sausage on top, and then sprinkle with half of the grated cheese.
Repeat the layers, ending with the rest of the cheese on top. Next, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, seasoned salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the ingredients in the Crock Pot, and then cover and cook on LOW for about 4-5 hours (or until the eggs are set).
Remove the insert from the slow cooker and place it on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes.
Slice the casserole into squares, garnish with optional toppings, and serve!
What goes with Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole?
You can top the individual slices of casserole with sliced green onion, finely chopped bell pepper, or chopped parsley for a bright, fresh burst of color and flavor.
On the side, try serving the breakfast casserole with any of these easy options:
- Honey Lemon Fruit Salad
- Orange Pineapple Fluff Salad
- Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
- Bisquick Waffles
- Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins or Zucchini Bread Muffins
- Iced gingerbread loaf, cranberry bread, or cranberry walnut bread
- Homemade Hot Chocolate
- whole wheat banana bread or Banana Nut Bread
- Breakfast Cake or Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- I used Potatoes O’Brien with onions and peppers, but you can also use a 20-ounce bag of frozen shredded hash browns, thawed. If you use the hash browns, you might want to add some chopped bell peppers and onions to the dish for that extra flavor!
- I have made this casserole with Italian sausage, too. Just remove the casings from the sausage and brown in the skillet as instructed.
- I like the classic taste of cheddar cheese here, but you can substitute with an equal amount of Monterey Jack cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, mozzarella cheese, or any other cheeses that you enjoy.
- For an Italian version of this casserole, try using Italian sausage, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and mozzarella cheese.
- Make this Crock Pot breakfast casserole vegetarian by omitting the sausage and adding 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 1 onion and 1 (8-ounce) container of sliced mushrooms. Cook the chopped vegetables in a skillet and season with salt and pepper before layering in the Crock Pot.
What is a good breakfast potluck item?
Try these easy breakfast casserole recipes, too:
- Breakfast Casserole with Bacon, Egg, Cheese and Crescent Rolls
- Dump-and-Bake Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- Sallie’s Overnight Easy Breakfast Casserole
- Bacon and Cheese Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast Casserole with Biscuits
- Biscuits and Gravy
- French Toast Breakfast Casserole
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (6 or 7 quarts)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. bulk hot pork sausage
- 1 (28-32 ounce) package frozen Potatoes O'Brien with peppers and onions, thawed (or substitute with frozen hash browns + 1/2 cup diced bell pepper + 1/2 cup diced onion)
- 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 12 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt (such as Lawry's) (or substitute with 1 teaspoon regular salt)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is no longer pink and the edges are golden and crispy. Drain off the excess grease.
- Spray a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place half of the thawed potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Top with half of the sausage, and then add half of the cheese.
- Repeat layers one more time, ending with the remaining cheese on top.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper until smooth.
- Pour egg mixture evenly over the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the eggs are set in the center. Turn off the slow cooker, remove the lid, and place the insert on a cooling rack. Let stand uncovered for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Thaw the potatoes first. Frozen potatoes release extra moisture in the slow cooker, which can make the casserole watery, and take longer to cook. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Brown the sausage well. Don’t just cook until no longer pink. Get some golden, crispy edges on the sausage for the best flavor. Drain the grease thoroughly.
- Let it rest before slicing. Remove the lid and let the casserole rest uncovered for about 30 minutes. This helps it firm up for clean slices.
- Hash brown swap: Use a 20-ounce bag of frozen shredded hash browns (thawed) in place of Potatoes O’Brien. Add 1/2 cup each diced bell pepper and onion for flavor.
- Sausage options: Mild or hot pork breakfast sausage, Italian sausage (casings removed), or turkey sausage all work well.
- Cheese swap: Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, mozzarella, or a blend can be used instead of cheddar.
- Italian version: Use Italian sausage, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, and mozzarella cheese.
- Vegetarian option: Omit sausage and add sautéed bell peppers, onion, and 8 ounces sliced mushrooms.
- Make ahead: Assemble layers in the insert and refrigerate overnight. Add 30 to 60 minutes to cook time since ingredients will be cold.
- Overnight cooking: This works on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, but the texture may be slightly overdone. Best for a mid-morning brunch when started first thing.
- Storage: Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave (60 to 90 seconds) or oven (350°F for 20 minutes).
- Freezing: Cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in September, 2015. It was updated in October, 2019.
Just reading the recipe I can smell it cooking and thinking of when I will make it and serve it next.
I am looking forward to making it….. It makes me hungry right now.
That’s great, Karen! It definitely smells amazing!!
This sounds great to serve when having company. Thanks for the recipe
Exactly, Susan! It’s such an easy way to serve a crowd!!
Plan on trying this one!!
Excellent! Enjoy, Denny! 🙂
Just what I waas looking for. Looks great!!
Thanks, Sally! Enjoy!
Definitely making this. Love all of these ingredients. Also love the fact that I can eat it…it’s gluten free! Yay!!!
Awesome! I hope that you love it, Sharron! You can’t go wrong with this combination of ingredients!
My 4 year old son wanted to make breakfast for his dad for Father’s day and my sister gave me this recipe and couldn’t remember the site name. It was easy to put together and he was thrilled to make this for his dad. Thanks for the wonderful recipe and the fantastic memories that it brought along with it.
Aw, that’s wonderful, Julie!! Thanks so much for letting me know! Makes my heart happy!
Looks and sounds delicious. Will be trying it for my grandchildren this weekend!
Excellent! Enjoy, Audrey!
Wow!! I soooo need this! I hatte to cook and don’t usually bother with a good breakfast. But this idea can work for me. Also yoour other breakfast slowcooker and other meal recipes. All i need is a slowcooker now. Hope I win this one; but I can always look for a bargan one on sale. My single-mom, low, disabled income has me streaching the budget into new dimentions already. Thank you for the time and energy saving healthy recipes for “I hate to cook” moms like me.
Hi looks amazing!!i can’t wait to make it for Christmas morning!would u cook it on high or low for 10hours?
That’s great, Bonnie! I know you’ll enjoy it! 🙂
Yes, definitely cook it on low.
This looks like it would be a wonderful breakfast to start a snowy, icy day!
Exactly! Thanks, Karen!
EXCELLENT RECIOE!!!
I just love the sound of this recipe. I don’t get to see my kids to offen.there mostly out of town. but when then do come, there’s a lot of them. and I no they would just enjoy them, the way they eat. normally when they come I’m having to take forever to cook for everyone, and I never get to visit much because they have to leave right after they eat. and when your alone on a small budget you have to make do.but If had a slow cooker I could plan ahead and make this for them, instead than spend the morning is instead of cooking. the ones iv fun in the past always stops working after the 1 or 2 time. anyone have any ideas on how to pick out good ones?
Hey, Dawn! The good news is that you can get a really decent slow cooker without having to spend too much these days! There are a lot of brands available, and I often notice sales at places like Target. I hope that you (and your family) get to try this meal! 🙂
so, I don’t know if this will work this time.but we will see.I live alone now, but from time to time my kids come from out of town and they eat alot.they would love to have this. sometimes they only have time to have breakfast then go. I never seem to get to spend much time with because when there here. it takes so long to make their food, that by the time it dune cooking they have to go. so they leave right after they eat. and the whole time I’m making their breakfast, I’m losing perishes time that I could be spending with them, I can plan in advance.so instead of cooking .i can be spending my time with them, I had a crockpot in the past.but they only seem to work for 1 to 3 meals at the most before they stopped working.does anyone have any ideas of how to find a good crockpot? I’m on a set income, so, I can afford a lot, but I would still like to get one, for when my kids and grandkids come around theses recipes would be perfect for me to cook for the kids, the way they eat lol. Instead of spending the whole time in the kitchen, I can spend it with them.thank you for shearing.your great recipes.
making this now but after 4 hrs on low it looks done- so wondering why it is 10 hours?
Hey, Peg! Maybe you have a slow cooker that runs at a hotter temperature? They’re all different, so if you think that yours looks done at this point, you can certainly turn it off early. 🙂
4-5 hours? That means,if I want it for breakfast I have to get up about 3 in the morning to start it! Can it be cooked the day before and refrigerated?
Hey, Susan! This casserole is really ideal for a brunch, since you can start it early when you wake up, go to church, and then come home to a warm, homemade dish mid-day. You could also cook the casserole on HIGH for 2-3 hours, if that timeframe suits your meal schedule a bit better.
I’ve definitely tested the recipe overnight (8-10 hours on LOW), and while it works, it’s just not my preference. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I think the texture is just a bit overdone.
You can certainly cook it the day before and then reheat it on LOW or “warm” setting for an hour or two the next day, as you suggested. Alternatively, make an oven-baked breakfast casserole that doesn’t require the slow cooking time. Here are a few other good options:
https://www.theseasonedmom.com/easy-breakfast-casserole/
https://www.theseasonedmom.com/overnight-ham-egg-cheese-monkey-bread/
https://www.theseasonedmom.com/baked-western-omelet/
Hope that helps, and enjoy!
yummy as is, but the only thing id change is… cook the sausage beyond “no longer pink”. go ahead and put the scald on it. brown it good. brown it almost too much.
and leave a teaspoon or so of that fat and slap it into the eggs and whip it. that will give u even more flavor and don’t worry about the sausage. it won’t be overcooked.