Hearty Breakfast Sausage Bake (Printable Version)

Baked egg and sausage dish with cheddar, mozzarella, and golden bread cubes to start your day right.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound breakfast sausage, casings removed

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

02 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (optional)
03 - 1/2 red bell pepper, diced (optional)

→ Dairy & Eggs

04 - 8 large eggs
05 - 2 cups whole milk
06 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
07 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

→ Bread

08 - 6 cups day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (e.g., French or sourdough)

→ Seasonings

09 - 1 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
11 - 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder
12 - 1/4 teaspoon paprika

→ For greasing

13 - Butter or nonstick spray

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage about 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon. If using, add onion and bell pepper and sauté 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Drain excess fat.
03 - Place bread cubes evenly in the prepared dish. Top with cooked sausage and vegetables if included.
04 - Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, mustard powder, and paprika in a large bowl until well combined.
05 - Stir in 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar and all mozzarella cheese into the egg mixture.
06 - Pour the egg and cheese mixture evenly over bread and sausage in the baking dish. Gently press bread down to absorb the liquid.
07 - Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese over the top.
08 - Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
09 - Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the top is golden and the center is set.
10 - Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • You can assemble it the night before and bake it while coffee brews—no scrambling at the stove while guests arrive hungry.
  • One dish feeds eight people with virtually no cleanup heroics, which means you actually get to eat with your family instead of standing over a sink.
  • The bread soaks up all those eggy, savory juices, creating pockets of flavor that taste different in every forkful.
02 -
  • Day-old bread is not optional—I learned this the hard way with fresh bread that dissolved into the custard and left me with a breakfast pudding instead of a casserole.
  • If you're assembling this the night before, add an extra 10 minutes to the baking time since it goes straight from the fridge into the oven; cold egg mixtures need that buffer to cook through evenly.
  • Don't skip the resting period—those 10 minutes let the eggs set completely so you can slice it neatly instead of serving it in a golden scramble.
03 -
  • Buy good sausage—this dish has so few ingredients that mediocre sausage becomes glaringly obvious in every bite.
  • If the top starts browning too quickly, loosely tent the casserole with foil for the last 5 minutes of baking to prevent burning while the center finishes setting.
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