Sausage Apple Breakfast Casserole
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Sausage Apple Breakfast Casserole is a savory breakfast bake topped with sharp, nutty Dubliner cheese to perfectly balance the sweetness of crisp Fall apples. Sort of like a strata, this breakfast casserole starts with cubed sourdough bread and eggs whipped up with half and half to make them light and creamy.
It’s the combination of the cooked apples, savory sausage, and the robust Dubliner cheese, however, that makes this casserole especially delicious. Our family even enjoys having this breakfast casserole for dinner!
Sausage Apple Breakfast Casserole
In the South we’re all about the casserole. We have family favorites (maybe it’s Betty Jo’s Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole) that we pack up and carry to potluck dinners or to a sick friend. We make vegetable casseroles like Au Gratin Potatoes or French’s Green Bean Casserole every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners — it’s just one of our delicious traditions. Actually, we serve casseroles for any meal, even breakfast!
Most often, a casserole recipe includes a starch, a protein, a sauce, and a crunchy topping. Breakfast casseroles usually include bread or potatoes for the starch, sausage or bacon for the protein, eggs and milk for the sauce, and cheese for the topping — which basically covers everything you’d normally find on a country breakfast plate.
That’s why I am so excited to share today’s EASY Sausage Apple Breakfast Casserole. The sweetness of the apple with the sharp, nutty flavor of the cheese is definitely a winning combination in this easy breakfast casserole. I think you’ll agree this is one recipe well worth making again and again!
Ingredients for Sausage Apple Breakfast Casserole
- Bulk breakfast sausage — Any other breakfast sausage (hot or mild, sage or maple-flavored) should work nicely, but I would not suggest Italian sausage for this recipe.
- Apples — Again, use your favorite apples here, but I like Gala apples because they hold their shape better during cooking.
- Sourdough or French bread — The starch in this casserole.
- Onions — For flavor and more savory.
- Dubliner cheese — This cow’s milk cheese is produced by Kerrygold and has a texture similar to cheddar cheese. If you don’t have Dubliner, substitute a good aged cheddar instead.
- Eggs — Add more protein and bind the dish together.
- Half and half — Use any kind of milk, but half and half will result in a creamier texture.
- Fresh rosemary — For flavor and garnish, the finishing touch.
- Salt and pepper — Which enhances the flavor in any food.
To make this recipe you may need…
It’s important to use a heat-resistant silicone or rubber spatula when cooking the sausage with the apples so that the apples do not become too mushy during cooking. Stirring with a gentle hand and with my favorite GIR (Get It Right) heat resistant silicone spatula will do the trick!
More breakfast casserole recipes!
Breakfast casseroles are great dishes to serve for overnight for weekend guests. With most breakfast casseroles you can do the prep work ahead of time or even assemble them the night before to pop into the oven the next morning. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Breakfast Enchiladas
- Southwestern Frittata Breakfast Casserole
- Bed & Breakfast Blueberry Strata
- Rustic Sausage & Grits Egg Skillet
- Blackberry French Toast
- And more breakfast recipes!
Sausage Apple Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Finish off the casserole with a sprinkle of minced fresh rosemary all over the top before baking to give this breakfast dish a bit of freshness and amazing flavor. If you do need to assemble the casserole ahead of time, you may wish to add one half cup milk to the egg mixture so that it does not become too dry in the refrigerator.
Sausage Apple Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb. bulk sage sausage
- 2 medium apples peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 4 cups cubed French or Sourdough bread
- 3.5 oz. Dubliner cheese shredded
- 6 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons half and half
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Crumble sausage into a large skillet; add apple and onion and sauté over medium high heat until the sausage is cooked through and onions are translucent. Drain mixture on paper towels.
- Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Add bread cubes to casserole dish and even spread the sausage mixture on top and sprinkle with cheese.
- Whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt and pepper. Evenly pour eggs over top of casserole and sprinkle with minced rosemary.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
This is an exceptional casserole. Flavors are fabulous together!! That Dubliner cheese gave it such a unique flavor combo. Made this for Christmas morning breakfast!! Will def make again!! Thank you!!!
Any ideas on how to make this dairy free?
Kiley, you could always substitute oat milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk) and leave out the cheese or choose a non-dairy, vegan cheese like Parmela shreds.
Can this casserole be baked the day before and reheated in morning?
Hi, Ann. Yes, you can bake this casserole the day before, but it will always be tastier if you eat it the same day it is first cooked. To reheat the casserole, cover it with aluminum foil and heat for about 20 minutes at 350.
We made the casserole twice, but substituted Yukon Gold potatoes for the bread. As our old friend put it, all the complaints were left on the plates—not a bite left over. It’s become one of our favorite breakfast meals while we’re all homebound.Thanks for the great idea.
Did you cook the potatoes first before using in the recipe?
Pan size?
Hi, Judy. This recipe works with a 2-quart baking dish. Thanks for letting me know I’d left out that little bit of info!
Re: Sausage Apple Breakfast Casserole. Can this casserole be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated before cooking? If so, how will that affect cooking time? Thanks! Carol
Hi, Carol! If you want to assemble the casserole ahead of time, add one half cup milk to the egg mixture so that it does not become too dry in the refrigerator. The cooking time should remain the same. Enjoy! Sheila
I tried this method of preparing ahead of time, adding 1/2 cup milk, refrigerating, and baking several hours later. It was a hit for dinner with the MahJongg friends and a couple of days later, one of these friends made it for her family. She said it was a hit there too. I love this recipe and will definitely be making it for breakfast and dinner in the future!