Breakfast Casserole
A hearty, make-ahead egg bake loaded with browned sausage, sautéed peppers and onion, and plenty of melted cheddar. Only a few minutes of hands-on work for a dish that easily feeds a crowd.
- 2 pounds pork sausage
- 12 eggs
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream (light or regular)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 green onions
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups (200 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Combine the eggs, sour cream, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix on low speed with electric mixers just until combined — overbeating at this stage can make the finished casserole rubbery rather than tender.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon as it goes. Drain most of the grease from the pan, then add the sausage to the bowl with the egg mixture.
- Add the diced bell peppers and green onion to the same skillet the sausage was cooked in and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, just until softened. Add them to the bowl with the eggs and stir everything together to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared 9x13-inch pan and bake for 35 to 50 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is just barely jiggly. Pull it a little early if you like a softer, more custardy center, since it will continue to set slightly as it cools.
- Let the casserole rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Chef's Note: Sautéing the peppers and onion in the same skillet the sausage was browned in isn't just about saving a dish to wash — it picks up all the rendered flavor left behind in the pan, which the vegetables would otherwise miss out on entirely. Watching for a "just barely jiggly" center rather than baking until completely firm is the key to keeping this casserole tender instead of rubbery, since carryover heat will finish the job as it rests.
This is genuinely one of the better make-ahead breakfast options out there — assemble the whole dish the night before, cover, and refrigerate, then bake it fresh the next morning (you may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time straight from the fridge). Leftovers keep well for 3 to 4 days and reheat beautifully in the microwave.
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