Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
Merry Christmas Eve!
I wanted to share one more recipe with you before the holiday because I loved this so, so much last year. Growing up, we always, always, always went to church on Christmas Eve. My parents were big advocates of relaxing, lazy Christmas mornings. We could sleep in, take our time opening presents, my mom would cook breakfast, and we could hang out in our pajamas playing with our new toys until it was time to go to my grandma’s. There was no rush to hurry up and get ready for church, and I always loved that.
As a grown-up, I still love having relaxing, laid-back Christmas mornings, and something warm for breakfast is an absolute must. I made this overnight breakfast casserole at my mom’s last year, and after we woke up and opened our presents, my mom, sister, and I dug into the Crock Pot for a wonderfully warm breakfast that had cooked itself and was waiting for us!
I had cooked the sausage, shredded the cheese, and sliced the onions early in the morning on Christmas Eve, and had just stored them in the refrigerator until later that night. Before bed, I layered everything together in the Crock Pot, turned it on, and went to bed. I woke up to such a delicious smell, and I couldn’t wait to eat. This turns out to be a massive baked omelet with layers of breakfast sausage, hash browns, cheddar cheese, and green onions. The edges get a little crusty, and I would be lying if I denied standing over the Crock Pot, picking off all of the crusty pieces, and piling them on my plate. So good!
If you love the classic hashbrown casserole side dish, you are going to LOVE this version all amped up for breakfast!
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This is a great casserole, especially if you have particularly busy Christmas mornings and want a warm breakfast. It’s also great if you have lazy, relaxing Christmas mornings and just want more time to play with your toys instead of standing in the kitchen :)
I wish you a wonderful, warm Christmas Eve with those you love.
More Delicious Breakfast Casseroles:
- Baked French Toast with Praline Topping
- Cheesy Bacon, Mushroom & Spinach Breakfast Strata
- Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding Breakfast Casserole
- Cheesy Sausage Spinach Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Casserole
Slow Cooker Sausage, Hash Brown & Cheddar Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 32 ounces (907.19 g) frozen shredded hashbrowns
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 6 green onions, finely chopped
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 12 eggs
- ¼ cup (61 ml) milk
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) pepper
- Additional salt and pepper to season the hash brown layers
Instructions
- Grease the insert of a 6-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Layer ⅓ of the hashbrowns on the bottom, then season with salt and pepper. Top with ⅓ of the cooked sausage, then ⅓ each of the green onions and cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers two more times, ending with the cheese.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the hash brown, sausage and cheese layers in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (the edges will brown). Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
We made this for Christmas morning with great results. My plan is to make it this weekend for a larger crowd, adding half again quantities, i.e. 18 eggs etc. Has anyone tried this? If so, how long did you cook it? Thanks
A friend of mine made something similar to this with both bacon and sausage…but also added gravy!! any ideas how to do that!? :)
Hi Michelle, I’m honestly not sure about the gravy! Did you ask your friend how she did it? I imagine it would just baked into the egg mixture (which could be delicious!).
If there’s so many servings, it may last my girlfriend and I for at least a week. Would it be able to last in the fridge that long if we eat it for breakfast every morning? How would you store it?
Hi Tyler, I would say you could keep it in the refrigerator for about 5 days or so. Just put it in a tupperware container or another covered, airtight container.
I’ve made this and subbed ham or bacon for the sausage. Also, I put a tea towel over the casserole, under the lid to absorb the excess water. I’ve also baked it in the oven instead of the crock pot and I liked it much better. You can still assemble ahead of time in a 9×13 or larger baking pan and pop into a 350 oven for about 30-50 minutes….you’ll need to test it because I can’t remember exactly how long I bake it; I kept checking it after about 35 minutes. I also like to use the hash browns with the peppers and onions already in them.
This might be a silly question but..Can you cook this on high so its done quicker?
Hi Amanda, Not a silly question! I actually tried to cook it on high once, but it still took longer than expected for the eggs to cook through, and I thought that the texture/flavor was better when cooked on low.
I sort of cut this recipe in half & prepared it in a smaller slow cooker. I used 8 eggs rather than 12 & just a bit more milk. I also used a mixture of cheddar & monterey jack cheese with jalapeños because my family enjoys things with a bit of a kick. It turned out great & everyone enjoyed it for dinner one evening between Christmas & New Year’s when I really didn’t want to be back in the kitchen cooking! Thanks for all of your hard work making sure your website has quality recipes & enjoyable content. Looking forward to what you have in store on BEB for 2014!
Hi Debbie, Thanks for posting your one-half plan. I was just sitting here thinking about doing same thing. I live alone & usually cook for 2, or 4-5 servings in small cooker. I think it’s a 2-quart or a little smaller. Does that sound right?. What about using only 6 eggs? Was it watery @ all? How long did you cook yours?
Hi there, I would love to try this recipe for a New Years brunch that I am having. Is there a way I could cook this more quickly in the oven instead of the slow cooker? Maybe for an hour or so? Thanks :)
Hi Kaycee, Unfortunately, I have not tried this in the oven, so I’m not sure how it would turn out or how long it would take. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
Looks deelish!
Pinning… :-)
I made this and it turned out wonderfully! I was nervous because my family is hard to please but it was a huge hit. My casserole was not dry and had tons of flavor. Also thrilled to find a breakfast casserole recipe that is gluten free. I used pre-cooked turkey sausage crumbles, and used a mixture of regular and light cheese (the Cabot brand is the only light one I’ve found that actually melts). This recipe saved me a ton of time Christmas morning so its a keeper! Thanks Michelle!
I followed exact directions and it was very bland and dry. I think the combination of eggs & frozen hashbrowns just doesn’t work in a crockpot. I am only posting this so someone does not waste money on a lot of ingredients only to have it turn out inedible. I would put this in a casserole dish in the oven for only maybe and hour or two and add spices to give it flavor.
I wonder if more milk would help. I make one in a pan in the oven and is has a lot of milk in it.
I was much more liberal with the cheese and the garlic than she suggested, and it’s important to layer the salt and pepper with the potatoes :) Maybe that will help?
It was hardly edible. Made when my kids were in town visiting and only my daughter ate it, probably to not hurt my feelings! Needs more seasoning, or something (!) and dry. Very disappointing!
I made this for breakfast Christmas Day it was not a success. This was not an inexpensive meal and it was definitely not a favorite ..
I made this and mine sucked. I used fresh potatoes — did not see it was supposed to be frozen. I am going back to my old casserole.
I have never had anything else burn in the crock pot. :(
Could you use freshly shredded potatoes instead of the frozen hash browns? If you did would you use more milk and maybe add a little water? I usually make a ham, egg, and cheese strata for breakfast because I can prepare it the night before and let it cook in the morning while the kids open their presents, but this sounds like something they would also like.
Hi Sabine, I have never tried it with fresh potatoes, although it looks like the commenter below you tried it and did not have success. I would stick to the frozen ones.
I swapped O’Brien hash browns for the standard and removed the onions since they were already in the hash browns with green and red bell pepper as well! Awesome!!!
It’s in the crock!
Just to let you know….
In step three you pour the egg mixture over the hash browns, sausage, cheese, AND ONIONS!!!!!
They forgot to add onions in there LOL!!!
Thank you for another delicious-sounding recipe. This will be perfect for our next breakfast potluck at work. Have a Merry Christmas!
If I were to halve the recipe, would I also cut cooking time in half or no?
Hi Shannon, I think you probably would, but just check to be sure the eggs are cooked through.
Yep, going in the crockpot tonight! Hurrayyyy!
Thanks so much & Merry Christmas!
I normally bake this dish in the oven on Christmas morning but I’m going to put in my slow cooker tonight and sleep a little later. Thanks so much for the GREAT idea!!! This has been a family favorite for a long time and now it will be my favorite since it will be easy!
I make a similar casserole with sausage, hash browns, and cheese, but instead of eggs, you make a cream sauce with the sausage (a la biscuits and gravy), and you pour that over it. I wonder if it could be cooked in the crock pot? I usually whip it up in the morning, and then let it bake while we are opening gifts – it takes ~45min in order for the frozen hash browns to cook.
I need THIS recipe! Sounds glorious!
I will definitely make this when my family comes for Christmas! Do you think I can substitute the sausage for bacon? They are canadians….they know what they like hehe ;)
Hi Bethany, I think that would be fine! Enjoy!
You cook it with the lid on right? Looks yummy!!
Hi Carolyn, Yes, cook with the lid on!
Love it! Merry Christmas!
I am so glad you posted this! I have seen similar things on Pinterest, but I know if it is from Brown Eyed Baker that it is going to be good! Now I feel better about trying it. Can’t wait.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks. Will try this on Christmas morning! My first time on your site, getting recipe for Best Chocolate Cupcakes and saw this first!
This looks soooo yummy and easy! I think I may try it tomorrow! By the way, was there a lucky winner for the Ipad? I never saw that one was posted….or do I still have a chance!!! I hope you, your culinary consultant, your family and your beautiful dogs have a very merry Christmas! Thank you for all you do for us!
Mary
I read “slow cooker, sausage, hash browns and cheese” and I was in! This looks like a perfect weekend (or Christmas!) easy breakfast. Merry Christmas! :)
Are the potatoes thawed or into the crock frozen? Yum! Thank you and have a wonderful holiday.
I suspect they are thawed, since layering while frozen could be difficult.
Hi Bryn, They go in frozen. If there are any clumps, I just break them up with my hands. Have a great holiday!
frozen
Merry Christmas!
Sounds yummy! Thanks for all the great recipes and posts. My first year subscribing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!