English Muffin Breakfast Casserole with Sausage (2024)

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!

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.
    
• 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.

1. 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!
   
2. Step 2 – Stir in the cooked sausage working it between the English muffin bites.
   
3. Step 3– Cover the top with cheese. I like shredded cheddar, but American cheese will give you more of the Sausage McMuffin flavor.
   
4. Step 4– Pour the egg mixture on top, layer on the cheese, then bake at 350ºF until the eggs are cooked through.

Recipe Tips

1. 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!
   
2. 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!
   
3. 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.

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

1. Follow the instructions and assemble the casserole as directed, but don’t bake.
2. Instead, wrap the casserole dish tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
3. 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

1. Assemble and bake the casserole as instructed, then allow it to cool completely to room temperature.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Leave a Reply

1. Kathryn S

   December 6, 2023

   This might be a silly question, but do I cut up the English muffins as they are in the package or do I peel them apart before cutting?

   Reply

   1. Kimber Matherne

      December 6, 2023

      It doesn’t really matter either way. They are generally pre-cut down the middle but held together with an edge that isn’t sliced. Once you start cutting they will likely fall apart if they are the precut variety. What matters is just that they are in smaller, more bite-sized pieces.

      Reply