This breakfast casserole is made with plenty of sausage and cheese. Prep the casserole at night and bake and enjoy in the morning - so easy!
When my kids were younger, I would always make a big breakfast casserole for my family to enjoy on Thanksgiving morning and on Christmas morning. I loved having my family wake up to the aroma of a delicious breakfast cooking in the oven. A huge bonus was that I hadn't spent hours in the kitchen preparing it for them.
Breakfast casseroles couldn't be easier to make and since you combine the ingredients the night before, it makes breakfast easy.
Why This Recipe Works
- I've taken the same flavorful breakfast casserole recipe that I have made for years, scaled down the ingredients and created this wonderful single serving version.
- The casserole is made with all of the delicious ingredients found in my original recipe; plenty of cooked breakfast sausage, shredded cheddar cheese, an egg, milk, bread, salt and pepper - all in a perfect little breakfast recipe for one.
- One of the many things I love about this recipe is the fact that you make it the night before you want to eat it. Just combine the ingredients in a small baking dish, cover and refrigerate. In the morning, heat the oven and bake the casserole for 25 to 30 minutes. This makes it perfect for holidays and special events where you don't have a lot of time to prepare it in the morning.
RELATED:20 Single Serving Breakfast Recipes Worth Waking Up For
Ingredient Notes
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Pork sausage: Use 6-ounces of ground pork sausage.
- Egg: 1 large egg is all you need.
- Milk: Use ¾ cup of milk, any percentage.
- Salt and black pepper: Use ⅛ teaspoon of both for flavor.
- Bread: Use 2 cups of cubed French, Italian, or sourdough bread.
- Cheese: Use ½ cup of shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese.
How To Make Easy Breakfast Casserole
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Cook the sausage until no longer pink. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg. Whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper.
- Place the bread in a small buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the bread with the cooked sausage and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the top.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Bake the casserole, covered in a 350 F oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the egg mixture is set.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy while still warm.
Expert Tips
- This is like a savory breakfast bread pudding! If you are looking for a sweeter breakfast casserole, you'll love my Breakfast Bread Pudding made with apples and pecans.
- Use your favorite cheese. I love using Cheddar cheese but Monterey Jack cheese is a great alternative. I also find it best to use a crusty bread, such as French, Italian, sourdough or even day-old croissants.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this make-ahead breakfast casserole recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving recipes:
- Pork sausage: Pork Stir Fry, Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls, Swedish Meatballs
- Egg: Crustless Pizza Quiche, Ladyfingers, Peach Dutch Baby
- Milk: Mini Spice Cake, Banana Cream Pie, Shamrock Shake
- French bread: French Bread Pizza, Bread Pudding, Smoked Salmon with Eggs and Pesto
- Cheese: Macaroni and Cheese, Ham and Cheese Scones, Broccoli Cheese Soup
Frequently Asked Questions
The success of this recipe depends on the size of the baking dish you use. I use a 5-inch baking dish that measures 5-inches x 5-inches and is 1 ¾-inches deep. This dish has a base area of 25 square inches.
A 4×6-inch dish with an area of 24 square inches and a 6x6-inch dish with an area of 36 square inches will work as well. For best results, use a dish of similar size.
If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
Yes! One of the great things about breakfast casseroles is that they're super versatile. You can even use bacon! To use bacon, I would recommend using 3-4 strips of cooked and crumbled bacon.
Yes, you can make this breakfast casserole a day ahead, or freeze it to bake another day.
To make ahead of time, prepare everything as directed, up until baking. Cover the casserole and store it unbaked in the refrigerator overnight or up to two days before baking. In the morning, bake as directed in the recipe.
To freeze a breakfast casserole, mix the ingredients together as written in the recipe and add to your baking dish. Cover will with plastic wrap then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Allow the casserole to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then let it come to room temperature before baking. Bake according to the recipe instructions.
Serving Suggestions
If you'd like to serve two people with this casserole, consider serving a breakfast side dish along with it. Here are three easy favorites:
Popular Single Serving Breakfast Recipes
- Cheesy Baked Eggs
- French Toast
- Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Pesto
- Quiche Lorraine
- Waffle
- Pancakes
- Eggs Benedict
RELATED: 15 Easy Single Serving Dessert Recipes
If you’ve tried this single serving breakfast casserole recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Breakfast Casserole For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 ounces ground pork sausage , cooked and drained of fat
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup milk
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 cups cubed French Bread
- ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese , or Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- In a medium-sized skillet, cook the sausage until no longer pink. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg. Whisk in the milk, salt and pepper.
- Butter a 5-inch baking dish, or dish of a similar size. Line the dish with the bread, cutting and rearranging if necessary.
- Sprinkle the bread with the cooked sausage and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the entire dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, remove the casserole from the refigerator and let it come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Cook the casserole, covered with aluminum foil for 25 to 30 minutes or until egg mixture is set.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy while hot.
Notes
- This is like a savory breakfast bread pudding! If you are looking for a sweeter breakfast casserole, you'll love my Breakfast Bread Pudding made with apples and pecans.
- Use your favorite cheese. I love using Cheddar cheese but Monterey Jack cheese is a great alternative. I also find it best to use a crusty bread, such as French, Italian, sourdough or even day-old croissants.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Alisa says
Haven't tried this yet, it looks delicious. I love potatoes in breakfast casserole. I might sub potatoes for the bread and give this a try!
Kim Lippy says
Made this 5/22/21. The main hang up is it has to be made the night before. The good thing is, there is NOTHING to do but put it in the oven in the morning. Very little clean up. It gets a 5-star rating out of me. We definitely omitted covering it though. There is no way 1.5 cups of milk would evaporate/cook down in 25 minutes if it were not left uncovered. I next time, I’ll switch out my cheese for shredded swiss. I only used the amount of bread I knew I could eat in this casserole, which was one small roll. Hind sight, I’d use crusty sour dough vs the rustic crusty roll I used. Next time I’ll add in scallion, green pepper, mushrooms, etc. Meat can be switched up as well with whatever breakfast meat you enjoy, such as bacon, ham, etc. Anything you’d put in a quiche works in this recipe. I also used only as much meat as I thought I could eat in one serving, which for me was one link sausage, crumbled. The meat went in raw because I knew it would be fully cooked in 25 min in the oven. Worked out perfect. Its almost like a “make your own pizza” in that each person eating could easily make their own, according to their individual taste. I used a small cast iron dish for this, which was nice to retain heat to the last bite. Made a very nice presentation, sprinkled w/fresh parsley. My husband is plant based, so he used a powdered egg substitute, reconstituted, and a plant-based sausage. It was a welcomed change from the usual breakfast. Can’t wait to do it again. Wish I’d taken a picture.
Virginia says
Can this be made in an air fryer. At what time and temp? Thanks.
Joanie Zisk says
This recipe has not been tested in an air fryer.
Paulette says
Can I purchase a la cruiser square baking dish from you
Joanie Zisk says
Hi Paulette, Unfortunately I don't have any to sell but we are currently working with a company who makes them and plan to offer baking dishes for sale on our site soon.
Judi Norvell says
BTW. Remember that apples marry beautifully with sausage and cheese! Grate or finely chop some apple to tuck in amongst the bread cubes for a lovely surprise!
carlyn jenkins says
Fabulous site..mouth watering. Too poor right now to get printer cartridge for the high maintenance printer my brother bought me, so writing down the recipes I want to go back to. Am single with fibromyalgia which has left me homebound, but love to eat. Your recipes for one (I'm single & old) are perfect for me! Can't wait to try them! Thanks so much!
Carolyn Jenkins
Judi says
Carolyn- if you click on a word in the recipe it should give you the option to “select all”. Then go to your email, click in the message section and select “paste”. From there you can delete any part you don’t need.
Send the email to yourself. I have a whole email folder of recipes I’ve sent to myself!
Michelle says
I have an iPhone and I found out I can "share" to my notes. I have a full folder!