Savory 5-Ingredient Bratwurst Breakfast Casserole
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This 5 Ingredient Bratwurst Breakfast Casserole turns your leftovers into a simple, delicious, and convenient breakfast that’s sure to fill those tummies and get everyone off to a great start in the day!
You can whip it up in no time and it’s insanely easy to customize with your favorite breakfast flavors. (Not to mention, to use up the extras in your fridge!)
Main Facts About This Bratwurst Breakfast Casserole
- Basic Ingredients: Bratwurst sausage, cheese, bread, sweet pepper, eggs and seasonings.
- Time to Cook: Oven time is 35 – 40 minutes.
- Make Ahead: This breakfast casserole can be made the night before and baked in the morning while you get ready for the day.
- Feeds: 6 servings with an added side and 4 servings with no side.
- Recipe Highlights: Cheesy, savory sausage flavors, filling and satiating. You can’t go wrong with this one!
Pantry Items
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- *Italian seasoning (Optional)
EAZYTIP: Remember, ingredients like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oil don’t count towards the ingredient list because most people have these items in the pantry.
How to Make this Savory Sausage and Egg Casserole
STEP ONE: For this savory sausage bake, I just sliced up the leftover cooked Brats to begin with. You can use so many different protein options for this casserole. Look below for more suggestions!
STEP TWO: Mix your seasonings in with your eggs. You can always add more to taste later when you serve it.
STEP THREE: Toss the meat, bread, and vegetables together in your casserole dish.
STEP FOUR: Pour the seasoned egg mixture over top of your casserole.
STEP FIVE: Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to cook or let rest for 15 minutes so some of the egg can be absorbed by the bread.
STEP SIX: Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Your casserole is done when a fork comes out clean after inserting it in the thickest spot.
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
Variations and Tips
There are a lot of great ways to put a twist on this easy bratwurst casserole recipe! Just by changing out ingredients according to what you have hanging around in your refrigerator can make this recipe different every single time. No need to get a case of the boredoms!
- Use leftover cooked bratwurst: Having brats for breakfast is a fantastic idea! If you had a meal of brats the night before, use up one or two of the remaining ones you have on hand, OR, cook up a few extras to use the next morning for this breakfast meal. If you have other kinds of sausages on hand, feel free to use them instead.
- Cheese: I like to use sharp cheddar for this casserole, but feel free to use what you have on hand. If it melts well, and you like the flavor, it’s a great cheese to use in this recipe.
- Cubed bread: Leave the crusts on if you want. I find it’s best to use day-old bread, or bread that is not freshly baked. The dryness of the bread helps absorb the egg and spices.
- Diced Sweet Pepper: I like red or orange peppers because I find them the sweetest, but use your favorite that you have in your fridge.
- Toppings: A fun way to add different flavors is by adding classic toppings for brats to your casserole or serving them as a side for your individual serving. Things like onions (sweet, regular or even green onions), can add a new flavor and texture component to the dish.
- Hashbrowns: In place of bread, you can use leftover cooked diced potatoes, tater tots, shredded hashbrowns, or even parsnips.
- Spices: Add a kick of heat by sprinkling dry chili flakes, or even diced jalapeno if you like things on the spicier side.
- Different Bread Types: You can use other types of bread as well like garlic bread, brioche, or even thinking outside the box, and using leftover extra rolls like these 4 Ingredient Garlic Knots would be ideal so you can be sure that nothing goes to waste.
- Change up the Meat: You can use all kinds of things in place of the meat in this recipe. Ground sausage, diced smoked sausage, leftover ham, or even leftover regular (or turkey) bacon would add different flavor profiles that would be crazy delicious.
Servings and Sides
Lastly, I make this bratwurst bake for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner sometimes, so don’t feel you’re limited to just serving it for the first meal of the day. If you want to serve it for lunch, try adding a nice side salad along with it, or think about adding a side of steamed vegetables and you would make this a super healthy and filling dinner.
Like other casseroles, this breakfast is pretty inclusive and doesn’t need much to make it a meal. Try dressing it up with some fresh fruit, toast, and a glass of orange juice.
Storing Leftover Breakfast Casserole
You can store your leftover breakfast casserole in an air-tight container in your refrigerator.
Be sure to not overheat your casserole when you reheat it because you can end up cooking the eggs further and drying them out.
Can I use raw sausages for this casserole?
Absolutely. Simply precook them ahead of time to use OR, you can use them raw, sliced in the casserole but you’ll need to add extra time to cook them through to 160 degrees F. I prefer to use cooked sausage so it cuts down on the cooking time as well as the grease in the casserole.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear what you thought of it in the comments! Did you switch it up? Please let us know so we can all learn new things! Thank you for stopping by Eazy Grub today and I hope you have a fantastic day!
~Joanne
5 Ingredient Bratwurst Breakfast Casserole
Only 5 ingredients is needed for this scrumptious, savory breakfast casserole. Easily made the night before, it's perfect for lazy weekend brunches!
Ingredients
- 2-3 cooked bratwurst sausages, sliced in 1/4" slices
- 8 cups diced bread, (medium to large cubes)
- 1 sweet bell pepper, red or orange, diced
- 1 1/2 cups of cheddar, sharp, shredded
- 6 Eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
- as desired, salt, pepper and garlic.
Instructions
Place the cubed bread in the bottom of a 9x7, 8x8, or 9x9 baking dish.
Sprinkle the sausage, peppers, and 1/2 cup of cheese over the bread.
In a bowl, combine the eggs, and Italian seasoning if using, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Evenly pour the egg mixture over top of the other ingredients in the baking dish.
Let it sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheight.
When the oven comes to temperature, sprinkle the remaining cheese over top of the casserole and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Notes
If the mixture seems overly dry after adding the eggs, feel free to add another 1-2 eggs. Sometimes, depending on the size of the bread cubes and how dry they a6re, they can absorb more moisture than other times.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 532Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 255mgSodium 1083mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 2gSugar 6gProtein 26g
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands used, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Are the bread cubes to be toasted?
Hi Joan! They don’t have to be but you certainly can toast them if you’d like. If the bread is stale or even slightly dried, that’s fine too. But you can use regular bread. I probably wouldn’t use freshly baked bread though as it might be too soft. I hope you enjoy the dish!