Pioneer Woman Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is a big 13-by-9 pan of browned breakfast sausage, red bell pepper and green onions, folded into eggs, heavy cream and Dijon mustard with a whole bag of shredded hash browns and sharp cheddar. It bakes until the middle is firm and the cheese on top turns slightly golden, then cuts into squares for a holiday morning or a weekend brunch. It serves 10.
How to make it: Brown the sausage with the pepper and onions, fold it into the egg mixture with the thawed hash browns and most of the cheese, and bake at 350°F under foil for 50 minutes. Then add the last of the cheese and finish uncovered at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Make-ahead friendly: put it together the night before and bake it in the morning.
- Feeds a crowd: one 13-by-9-inch dish serves 10.
- Breakfast in one dish: sausage, peppers, potatoes, eggs and cheese bake together in one pan.
- A golden cheddar top: the last of the cheese goes on for a short, hot finish at 400°F.
Ingredient Notes
Breakfast sausage: One pound of bulk breakfast sausage. Links work too: remove the casings, then brown the meat the same way, breaking it into small bits with a wooden spoon.
Heavy cream: 1 1/4 cups whisked into the 10 eggs. With the same number of eggs, 1 cup of half-and-half or 1 1/2 cups of milk can take its place.
Sharp cheddar: Two cups, shredded and divided. For a cheesier pan, use 3 cups and split them evenly: 1 1/2 cups in the egg mixture and 1 1/2 cups on top when the foil comes off.
Green onions: Four, chopped, with the white and light green parts kept apart from the dark green tops. The whites cook with the sausage. Half of the tops go into the eggs and the rest are scattered over the finished casserole. Use 6 green onions if you like more of them.
Hash browns: A 30-ounce bag of frozen shredded hash browns. For diced potatoes, see the cowboy-style variation below.
Ingredients
- Butter or nonstick cooking spray, for the baking dish
- 1 pound breakfast sausage, bulk
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped, white and green parts divided
- 10 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce, optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 30 ounces frozen shredded hash browns (1 package), thawed
How to Make Pioneer Woman Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch (or other 3-quart) baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
2. Brown the sausage. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink pieces remain and the sausage reaches 160°F, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the vegetables. Add the bell pepper and the white and light green parts of the green onions and cook for 3 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate to cool slightly.
4. Whisk the eggs. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, mustard, hot sauce if using, salt, black pepper and about half of the remaining green onion tops.
5. Fold and spread. Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, the hash browns and the sausage mixture. Transfer it to the baking dish and smooth it into an even layer.
6. Bake covered. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes.
7. Finish uncovered. Remove the foil and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F and bake until the center is set (not jiggly), the top is slightly golden and the center reaches 160°F, 10 to 15 minutes more.
8. Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes, top with the rest of the green onion tops and serve.
How to Tell When It’s Done
The bake comes in two stages, and each one has its own look.
| Stage | Oven | Time | What you’ll see |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under foil | 350°F | 50 minutes | Edges set; the middle can still look a little runny |
| Uncovered, with the last cheese | 400°F | 10 to 15 minutes | Middle firm, cheese slightly golden, 160°F in the center |
| Rest | Out of the oven | 10 minutes | Ready to cut into squares |
When the foil comes off, a soft, wet-looking middle is normal. The edges firm up first under the foil; the uncovered finish sets the rest.
Before the dish comes out, check three things:
- The wobble: give the dish a gentle nudge with an oven mitt. The middle should hold still, with no liquid ripple.
- The top: the cheese should be melted and slightly golden.
- The temperature: push an instant-read thermometer into the very center. USDA FSIS puts egg dishes at 160°F.
If the top is golden but the middle still wobbles or reads below 160°F, give it a few more minutes and check again. Go by what you see and what the thermometer says, not only by the timer.
Tips for Success
Should you drain the sausage?
If the skillet holds a lot of fat after browning, drain it. Lift the sausage and vegetables out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate instead of tipping the whole pan onto the plate.
Can you bake it in a different dish?
Yes, as long as it holds about the same amount. Any 3-quart baking dish can stand in for the 13-by-9-inch pan.
Variations
- Sausage and bacon: after the sausage, cook 8 slices of diced bacon until crisp. Stir half of the bacon into the casserole and save the other half to sprinkle on top with the green onions when you serve it.
- Cowboy style: use 8 ounces of breakfast sausage and 8 ounces of chopped bacon, cooked together until the bacon is crisp, about 12 minutes. Whisk 10 eggs with 1 cup of half-and-half, stir in 1/2 cup of pico de gallo, then add a 28-ounce bag of frozen diced potatoes with peppers and onions, thawed, and 1 cup of the cheddar. Bake at 350°F covered for 50 to 55 minutes, then top with 1 cup of crispy tortilla strips and the last cup of cheddar and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve it with more pico de gallo.
- Pesto, tomato and mozzarella (meatless): butter the dish with 2 tablespoons of butter and spread in a 16-ounce bag of frozen diced hash browns with onions. Whisk 4 eggs with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, 3/4 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of half-and-half, 1/4 cup of prepared pesto, 4 sliced green onions, salt and pepper, and pour it over. Top with 2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes and 1 cup of mozzarella pearls. Bake at 350°F covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the middle is firm and the edges bubble. Finish with 8 torn basil leaves.
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. Reheat squares covered, in the microwave or the oven, until they reach 165°F. Skip the slow cooker for reheating.
What to Serve With It
For a brunch spread, set it next to something sweet, like overnight crème brûlée French toast, which is also put together the night before. If hash brown casseroles are your thing, try the sausage, egg and cream cheese hash brown breakfast casserole or the bacon, egg and hash brown casserole. The breakfast casserole with tater tots and sausage trades the hash browns for tots, and the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit casserole is another holiday-morning bake. For supper later in the week, there’s the Pioneer Woman cheeseburger pie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the Pioneer Woman’s own recipe?
Yes. The amounts and steps follow The Pioneer Woman’s sausage breakfast casserole, the one built on a 30-ounce bag of shredded hash browns. Her meatless hash brown casserole with pesto, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella is in the Variations above.
Should you thaw hashbrowns before making hash brown casserole?
Yes, for this casserole the shredded hash browns go in thawed. Thaw the bag in the refrigerator, and plan ahead since it can take overnight or longer, or use cold water or the microwave; USDA FSIS says never to thaw food on the kitchen counter. After thawing them in the microwave, use them right away.
Can you make a hash brown breakfast casserole the night before?
Yes. Work through step 5, cover the dish with foil and refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, bake it covered and then uncovered as written, and use the doneness checks above before it comes out.
Can you leave out the hot sauce?
Yes, it’s optional. Use the 2 teaspoons for a little kick, or leave it out for a milder pan.
Final Notes
As you chop the green onions, put the white parts and the dark green tops in two small bowls so each is ready for its step. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Pioneer Woman Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
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Ingredients
- butter or nonstick cooking spray for the baking dish
- 1 pound breakfast sausage bulk
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 4 green onions chopped, white and green parts divided
- 10 eggs large
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 30 ounces frozen shredded hash browns 1 package, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch (or other 3-quart) baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink pieces remain and the sausage reaches 160°F, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the bell pepper and the white and light green parts of the green onions and cook for 3 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, mustard, hot sauce if using, salt, black pepper and about half of the remaining green onion tops.
- Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, the hash browns and the sausage mixture. Transfer it to the baking dish and smooth it into an even layer.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove the foil and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F and bake until the center is set (not jiggly), the top is slightly golden and the center reaches 160°F, 10 to 15 minutes more.
- Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes, top with the rest of the green onion tops and serve.
