Description
This Easy Sausage Egg and Cheese Casserole is a perfect hearty breakfast or brunch dish designed to feed a crowd. Featuring a buttery crescent roll crust, savory breakfast sausage, creamy cream cheese, and plenty of cheddar cheese baked with eggs and half and half, this casserole combines comforting flavors with an effortless prep and bake process.
Ingredients
Crust
- 8 ounces refrigerated crescent rolls (1 package)
Sausage and Cheese Mixture
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (to mix with sausage and cream cheese)
Egg Mixture
- 8 large eggs
- 1¼ cups half and half
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Topping
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (to sprinkle on top)
Instructions
- Prepare the Crust: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Unroll the crescent dough and press it into the bottom of the dish, sealing the seams and pushing edges slightly up the sides if needed. Bake this crust for 5 minutes, then remove it from the oven.
- Cook the Sausage: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble the breakfast sausage until browned thoroughly. Transfer cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess grease.
- Mix Sausage with Cream Cheese and Cheddar: Soften cream cheese if necessary by microwaving briefly. In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, cooked sausage, and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Stir well until fully combined.
- Spread Sausage Mixture: Evenly spread the sausage and cheese mixture over the parbaked crescent roll crust in the baking dish.
- Prepare Egg Mixture: In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in half and half, salt, and ground black pepper until smooth.
- Assemble the Casserole: Pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese evenly on top.
- Bake the Casserole: Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cheese on top starts to brown too quickly before the eggs are set, lightly cover the dish with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the casserole to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving to enable cleaner cuts and better texture.
Notes
- Make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature for easy mixing.
- Use a toothpick test to check doneness; it should come out clean from the center.
- If you prefer a lower fat option, use turkey sausage and reduced-fat cheese.
- This casserole can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, then baked fresh the next morning.
- Cover with foil during baking if the cheese browns too quickly to prevent burning.
