Bisquick Breakfast Casserole is browned breakfast sausage baked under a cheesy batter of Bisquick, eggs and milk until it puffs, sets and turns golden on top. It bakes in one 9×13 pan, serves 12, and is ready in 40 minutes, which makes it an easy pick for a holiday brunch or a crowd on a weekend morning.
How to make it: Brown and drain the sausage and spread it in a greased 9×13-inch dish. Whisk the Bisquick with the eggs and milk, fold in the cheddar, pour it over the sausage, and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until set and golden.
Why You’ll Love It
- Five main ingredients: sausage, Bisquick, eggs, milk and cheddar.
- No bread to cube: the baking mix goes straight into the eggs.
- Feeds a crowd: one 9×13 pan cuts into 12 squares.
- Easy to change: add hash browns, peppers, bacon or ham, or bake it in muffin cups.
Ingredient Notes
Ground breakfast sausage: One pound of uncooked bulk sausage. It is fully cooked and drained before it goes in the dish.
Bisquick: One and a half cups of the baking mix. Regular or gluten-free Bisquick works, and so does a store-brand baking mix.
Eggs and milk: Four large eggs and 2 cups of milk, whisked with the Bisquick until smooth.
Cheddar: One and a half cups of shredded cheddar, folded into the batter. Cheddar jack or mozzarella can stand in.
Maple syrup and hot sauce: Both optional. A tablespoon of maple syrup and half a teaspoon of hot sauce stirred into the batter.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
- 1 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
How to Make Bisquick Breakfast Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Brown the sausage. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain the grease and spread the sausage in the baking dish.
3. Mix the batter. In a large bowl, mix the Bisquick with the eggs and milk until well combined. Fold in the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the maple syrup and hot sauce if using.
4. Bake. Pour the Bisquick mixture evenly over the sausage. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until set and golden brown and the center reaches 160°F.
How to Get the Center Set, Not Soggy
Judge a Bisquick casserole by its center, not its golden top. Three checks tell you it’s ready.
It looks set. The casserole puffs evenly across the pan, and the center looks set, not wet.
A knife comes out clean. Push a thin knife into the middle of the pan and pull it out. If there is liquid egg on it, give it a few more minutes and test again.
The center reads 160°F. That is the USDA safe temperature for egg dishes, and a thermometer takes the guessing out of it.
Add-ins change the time. With hash browns and a frozen onion and pepper mix, the casserole bakes at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes before the center sets, and a fuller pan of sausage, peppers and potatoes can take 40 to 45 minutes at 400°F. Start checking at the short end of the time and go by the center.
Pan size matters too. To double the recipe, bake it in two 9×13 dishes instead of one deep pan. To halve it, use an 8×8 or smaller pan; the time stays about the same.
Tips for Success
How do I keep it from being greasy?
Drain the browned sausage well before you spread it in the pan.
Why is it too salty?
Breakfast sausage and cheddar are both salty. Go light on the salt when you season the batter; you may not need any at all.
Can I melt extra cheese on top?
Yes. Hold back a little cheese, sprinkle it over the casserole once it is set, and bake 1 to 2 minutes more, just until melted. Let it cool 5 minutes before cutting.
Variations
- With hash browns: stir 2 cups of thawed shredded hash browns into the batter. For a fuller pan, mix the drained sausage in the dish with 2 cups of frozen shredded hash browns, 1 1/2 cups of a frozen onion and pepper mix and most of the cheese, pour the batter over, and bake at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Other meats: use cooked bacon, diced ham or deli turkey in place of the sausage.
- More vegetables and heat: add sautéed mushrooms or spinach, or spice it up with cayenne, sliced jalapeños or diced green chiles.
- Breakfast impossible pie: brown the sausage with onion and stir in the cheddar, then pour over a batter of 4 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of half and half, 2 cups of Bisquick and 2 teaspoons of mustard powder. Bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes, until golden, and serve with sour cream or salsa.
- Muffin cups: fill a greased or silicone muffin pan three-quarters full and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until set in the middle.
Make It Ahead
Assemble the whole casserole the night before, cover it and keep it in the refrigerator, then bake it as directed in the morning. Or bake it the day before, refrigerate it, and reheat it when you are ready to serve.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen casserole in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat single squares in the microwave, or a thawed pan covered in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, until it reaches 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with fresh fruit, a bowl of salsa or sour cream, and coffee. For more breakfast casseroles, try breakfast casserole with tater tots and sausage, sausage, egg and cream cheese hash brown casserole or bacon, egg and hash brown casserole. For grab-and-go mornings there are easy sausage breakfast muffins, and for something sweet on the brunch table, bundt cake breakfast or banana blueberry oatmeal breakfast cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are common mistakes to avoid when making an egg breakfast casserole?
Leaving the sausage grease in, salting it heavily when the sausage and cheese are already salty, pulling it out while the center is still wet, and baking a doubled batch in one deep pan. Each has an easy fix in the tips above.
Can I make Bisquick breakfast casserole the night before?
Yes. Assemble it, cover it and refrigerate it overnight, then bake it in the morning. Bake it as directed, and check the center before you take it out.
Can I use gluten-free Bisquick?
Yes. Gluten-free Bisquick or a store-brand baking mix works in the same amount.
Do I need to thaw frozen hash browns first?
No. Frozen shredded hash browns can go in straight from the freezer, though you can thaw them if you like. Use shredded, not cubed.
Final Notes
Drain the sausage well and judge the casserole by its center, not its golden top. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Bisquick Breakfast Casserole
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
- 1 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup optional
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain the grease and spread the sausage in the baking dish.
- In a large bowl, mix the Bisquick with the eggs and milk until well combined. Fold in the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the maple syrup and hot sauce if using.
- Pour the Bisquick mixture evenly over the sausage. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until set and golden brown and the center reaches 160°F.
