This English Muffin Breakfast Casserole with Sausage is a hearty breakfast casserole that everyone will love! It features bites of English muffin baked with flavorful breakfast sausage in an egg and half-and-half batter. It’s a quick to make, savory, and oh-so-tasty way to start your day!
This English Muffin Breakfast Casserole is lovingly referred to as Sausage McMuffin Breakfast Casserole in our home because it gives all of those familiar fast food breakfast flavors that we know and love.
This casseroles takes English muffins and makes them a base for a really delicious, hearty, savory breakfast casserole. It’s a simple recipe that can be prepared ahead of time or whipped up any morning as an easy breakfast or brunch. It’s great for meal prep, holidays, baby showers, bridal showers, potlucks, you name it.
Serve as-is or with a side of maple syrup for dipping!
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Simple ingredients – Just 8 basic ingredients to put this recipe together.
- Hearty breakfast – This recipe is a hearty and filling breakfast baked up into one simple casserole.
- Easy to transport – This makes an excellent addition to a a party or potluck, because you can bake it up and transport it easily wherever.
- Make-ahead options – You can make this day-of or get ahead with prep and store the unbaked or baked casserole in the fridge or freezer.
- Kid-Friendly– This has the flavors of a fast food breakfast in a wholesome package that kids love.
Recipe Notes
This English muffin casserole recipe is as simple as promised! Just a quick 10 minutes of prep needed for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make English muffin casserole to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Breakfast Sausage – You can use regular or spicy breakfast sausage, depending on your flavor preferences. Just use your favorite brand of breakfast sausage!
- English Muffins – You’ll need 1 package of English muffins, chopped up into bite-sized pieces. Feel free to use white, whole wheat, or another variety of your choosing.
- Butter – Melted butter soaks into the English muffin pieces and helps the edges get nice and crispy in the oven.
- Eggs – You’ll need 8 whole eggs to give the casserole its structure. The egg bakes and binds everything together!
- Half-and-Half – Half-and-half gives the casserole a delicious, creamy, rich flavor. If you don’t have half-and-half you can use whole milk or a non-dairy milk of your choice.
- Salt and Pepper
- Cheese – You can use cheddar, colby jack, or American cheese—whichever you prefer!
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Make Ahead English Muffin Breakfast Casserole – To make your casserole ahead of time, you have a couple of options: assemble and store in the fridge overnight, assemble and freeze unbaked casserole, OR assemble, bake, then freeze! If you’re assembling and storing in the fridge, simply follow the instructions up until everything is in the casserole dish, cover the baking dish, then store in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, simply bake as directed. You may need to add some time since the casserole will be colder.
- Scroll to the “Freezer Meal Instructions” section for a how-to on freezing both an unbaked or baked casserole.
- Scroll to the “Freezer Meal Instructions” section for a how-to on freezing both an unbaked or baked casserole.
- Breakfast Casserole with English Muffins and Bacon – Swap the breakfast sausage out for cooked and crumbled bacon OR make it extra meaty by adding in some cooked and crumbled bacon.
- English Muffin Egg Casserole with Ham – Add in pieces of cooked ham for a fun flavor twist. This is a great way to use up leftover ham from the holidays!
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make English muffin breakfast casserole.
- Step 1– Cut the English muffins into bite-sized pieces toss with butter to coat. This makes the english muffins full of flavor and extra delicious!
- Step 2 – Stir in the cooked sausage working it between the English muffin bites.
- Step 3– Cover the top with cheese. I like shredded cheddar, but American cheese will give you more of the Sausage McMuffin flavor.
- Step 4– Pour the egg mixture on top, layer on the cheese, then bake at 350ºF until the eggs are cooked through.
Recipe Tips
- Shred your own cheese – Pre-shredded cheeses contain an anti-caking agent which can cause the melted cheese to be a little bit gritty or grainy. For the best texture, I recommend shredding your own!
- Pre-cook the sausage – The sausage will not cook all the way through in the egg bake. Make sure that you pre-cook it in a skillet before assembling your casserole!
- Cut the English muffin small, but not too small – We want them to have enough structure that they can hold up under the egg and half-and-half mixture. If the pieces are too small, they will just get soggy.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Prepare the sausage in advance – If you want to get a little bit ahead on prep, feel free to cook the sausage in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to bake your casserole. It will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months.
- Assemble the casserole the night before – Turn this casserole into an overnight dish by assembling the casserole the night before you want to serve it, then storing it in the fridge. In the morning, just pop it in the oven and bake it as directed.
Freezer Meal Instructions
Making this breakfast casserole with English muffins into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To freeze before cooking
- Follow the instructions and assemble the casserole as directed, but don’t bake.
- Instead, wrap the casserole dish tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- When you’re ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed. You may need to add some time to the baking time to ensure that the casserole heats all the way through.
To freeze after cooking
- Assemble and bake the casserole as instructed, then allow it to cool completely to room temperature.
- Once it’s cooled, wrap the whole dish or individual slices in plastic wrap followed by foil, then store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When you’re ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm in the oven or warm individual slices in the microwave until heated through.
What to Serve with Sausage McMuffin Casserole
Since this protein based meal has the delicious flavors of all your favorite breakfast foods, it will pair well with many of your favorite breakfast side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Oven-Cooked Bacon – You can’t go wrong with a classic side of crispy bacon! This oven-cooked bacon allows you to easily cook a big batch of bacon to serve a crowd. Or take it up a notch with my Million Dollar Bacon!
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins – Enjoy a sweet and savory breakfast with a side of these apple cinnamon muffins. These muffins are soft, tender, filled with apple pieces and warm spices, then topped with a buttery oat topping.
- Hashbrown Casserole – Stick with the casserole theme and whip up a dish of this perfect hashbrown casserole. It’s creamy, flavorful, and loaded with crisped shreds of potato and gooey cheese.
English Muffin Casserole Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to a month
Recipe FAQs
Is a breakfast casserole a frittata?
Not quite. Both a frittata and a breakfast casserole are baked eggs. However, a frittata features egg with veggies and/or meat while a casserole also includes something more carb-y such as the bread in this recipe.
Why is my breakfast casserole soggy?
There may be a couple of reasons that your breakfast casserole with English muffins is a little bit too soggy:
1. The bread is too small. We want the bread to soften with the egg and half-and-half batter, but the pieces shouldn’t be so small that it just gets soggy.
2. It needs more time in the oven! The egg will set up as the casserole bakes, so if it’s too runny or soggy, then it may just need extra baking time. If the middle is still runny, but the edges are looking done, you can cover the pan and continue to bake as needed.
More EASY Breakfast Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy breakfast recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
English Muffin Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 6 English muffins, (1 package)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup half and half, or milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, or American cheese
Dip (optional)
- maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up as you stir. Once cooked through, remove from skillet and set aside.
- To prep the casserole, cut the english muffins into bite-sized pieces. I usually do about 1.5-2 inch pieces.Whisk the eggs together with the half and half, salt, and pepper.
- To assemble the casserole, place the cut english muffin pieces in a medium sized (I used a 2 quart) casserole dish. Drizzle the butter over them and toss to coat.Add the sausage over the top and gently stir to let it distribute throughout the english muffin pieces.Pour the egg mixture over the top of the casserole, then top with cheese.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the eggs have cooked through. Cut into 8 squares and serve plain, or with syrup for dipping.
Recipe Notes
- in the fridge for 3-4 days
- in the freezer for up to 1 month
- To freeze before cooking:Follow the instructions and assemble the casserole as directed, but don’t bake. Instead, wrap the casserole dish tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed. You may need to add some time to the baking time to ensure that the casserole heats all the way through.
- To freeze after cooking:Assemble and bake the casserole as instructed, then allow it to cool completely to room temperature. Once it’s cooled, wrap the whole dish or individual slices in plastic wrap followed by foil, then store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm in the oven or warm individual slices in the microwave until heated through.
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