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California Breakfast Casserole is loaded with sausage, avocados, and tomatoes. All your favorite California omelet flavors in one hearty casserole, perfect for sharing!
Featured with this Recipe
This California Breakfast casserole layers all the yummy goodness of a California style omelet in a family baked style. It’s one of my favorite breakfast dishes, especially when we have a crowd over for breakfast. I love making this on a warm summer morning and serving out on the patio, but it’s just as scrumptious on Christmas morning! Fresh and light, this breakfast casserole comes together in just minutes. It’s the perfect recipe to together the night before, store overnight in the fridge, then bake it in the morning. And it’s ideal for company, because it makes 12 generous servings. Serve with a side of fruit or toast and you have a healthy, hearty breakfast that everyone will love!
Ingredients in California Breakfast Casserole
- Frozen Sausage Patties
- Tomatoes
- Avocados
- Eggs
- Whole Milk
- Frozen Hash Browns
- Cheddar Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
- Optional Add-Ins: red bell pepper, spinach, bacon pieces, diced ham, mushrooms, or onions. If you add bacon, cook it first in a large skillet.
Tips for Making California Breakfast Casserole
- Layering the right way will ensure the breakfast casserole bakes evenly and sets up perfectly. Start with an even layer of breakfast sausage patties at the bottom of the baking dish, and top that with tomatoes and avocados, and then pour egg mixture on top, and top off with melted cheddar cheese.
- We like to smother our slices of breakfast casserole with sour cream and salsa or diced tomatoes.
- If you are weirded out by the avocado being cooked– don’t! It tastes great! However, if you must leave it out of the casserole and just want to use it as a garnish, that is a tasty option too.
- Using a cup of milk in the recipe makes the egg and hash brown mixture more light and fluffy. But we have made it without and it has turned out fine.
- If your casserole is still runny after baking, it most likely means the hash browns weren’t thawed enough before cooking. If you make the mix the night before you can definitely use frozen hash browns, they will thaw out in the fridge overnight. But if you’re preparing it the day of, make sure to thaw your hash browns before assembling the casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to make this casserole up ahead of time, then add everything to a baking dish and wrap in saran wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 24 hours until baking. If you do this method, then you do not have to thaw the hash browns.
Breakfast casserole is a great dish on its own, but if we want a breakfast spread then we serve it with fruit and breakfast pastries.
This California Breakfast Casserole is done when the top is set and slightly golden brown.
READ NEXT: 33+ Breakfast Ideas
More Delicious Breakfast Dishes
Sweet or savory, breakfast recipes are some of our very favorites! If you love this California Breakfast Casserole, then try our Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole and traditional Breakfast Casserole for savory options. But if you are in the mood for something sweet that will feed a group for breakfast you should try our Strawberry and Cream Cheese French Toast or Caramel Apple French Toast! During the fall one of my favorites is our Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, and if I have company over Christmas I like to make a batch of our Eggnog French Toast with Gingerbread Syrup.
How to Make California Breakfast Casserole
California Breakfast Casserole
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan with sausage.
- Layer tomatoes and avocado slices over sausage.
- In a bowl, beat eggs and milk.
- Stir in all other ingredients.
- Pour hash and egg mixture over the sausage, tomatoes, and avocados.
- Bake at 350 for 45 min or until well set.
- Top with extra cheddar right after pulling out of the oven so it melts all over the top.
- Serve with salsa, diced tomatoes, and sour cream.
Notes
- Layering the right way will ensure the breakfast casserole bakes evenly and sets up perfectly. Start with an even layer of breakfast sausage patties at the bottom of the baking dish, and top that with tomatoes and avocados, and then pour egg mixture on top, and top off with melted cheddar cheese.
- We like to smother our slices of breakfast casserole with sour cream and salsa or diced tomatoes.
- If you are weirded out by the avocado being cooked– don’t! It tastes great! However, if you must leave it out of the casserole and just want to use it as a garnish, that is a tasty option too.
- Using a cup of milk in the recipe makes the egg and hash brown mixture more light and fluffy. But we have made it without and it has turned out fine.
- If your casserole is still runny after baking, it most likely means the hash browns weren’t thawed enough before cooking. If you make the mix the night before you can definitely use frozen hash browns, they will thaw out in the fridge overnight. But if you’re preparing it the day of, make sure to thaw your hash browns before assembling the casserole.
I made this for Mother’s Day brunch today and it was very good! I read many of the comments before making it and made a few adjustments to decrease the excess liquid many had challenges with. I thought I would share to possibly help others. I seasoned the thawed hash browns with salt and pepper and let them drain in a colander while I assembled all the other ingredients. Before adding the hash browns to the egg-cheese mixture I hand squeezed the liquid from all the hash browns. There was 3/4 cups liquid I disposed of! Also, I used cherry tomatoes because they have less liquid. After chopping the tomatoes I put them in some layers of paper towel and squeezed the excess liquid out which was a 1/8 cup. Lastly, I only used 1/4 cup of milk to the mixture [instead of 1 cup]. I used Turkey sausage patties too, which most likely resulted in less greasy liquid. It was perfect. Completely cooked in 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Everyone loved it.
This is quite good! Just a couple tweaks though. I didn’t use milk at all; but added some cottage cheese to the egg mixture. I always put some cottage cheese in my scrambled eggs. Also, I fried up the hash browns until almost done, then put them in the bottom of a glass pan. The eggs did seep through to keep everything together nice for plating.
This was an easy make ahead casserole and delicious!
I used frozen hash brown patties and substituted Morning Star sausage crumbles for the sausage patties.
The flavor is outstanding! I served this at a family brunch get-together and everyone loved it.
However, like other reviewers, I also had some trouble with runny eggs not setting up. My hash browns were completely defrosted (they sat in the fridge for over 24 hours before I used them) so I don’t think that was the issue. After it baked for 45 minutes at 350, the top was still completely liquid. I turned the temp up to 400 degrees and baked for about 35 more minutes, it was mostly set up. I turned the oven up to 425 degrees and baked for about 10 more minutes. (At that point we were very hungry!) The eggs were still slightly soft but edible.
I will definitely make this again, but next time I will leave out the milk and see if that helps the eggs cook without being so runny.
I love this recipe and make it for mornings where time is of the essence (like Christmas or Easter). One question – is there something you can substitute for the hash browns? We are trying to eat low carb. Or if the hash browns were omitted completely, would that cause a consistency issue? Thanks!
You shouldn’t have any problems omitting the hash browns. They will still set up fine, they just won’t be as hearty. Hope this helps!
Want to know I dun consume dairy products so what can I replace that for your recipe?
We have never made this without dairy products so I am not sure how to advise you. Substitutes often don’t set up as well. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
Soooooo much liquid. I’ve had it in for over an hour trying to get the liquid to cook out. Fingers crossed. I wish I read the comments first. I would have left the milk out 🙁
Looks so good! Looking for a casserole for Easter brunch. If using bacon, would you crumble it or lay in strips or small pieces on the bottom?
Definitely crumble– it might get too soggy if it is in big strips, plus the crumbled would make it easier to eat. Hope this helps!
Has any made this without meat? How did it turn out? Looking for breakfast receipes to make during Lent.
You can definitely make it without meat. It will still taste great 🙂
When you use bacon, instead of sausage, do you cook the bacon first? Or use the uncooked bacon to line the bottom? So excited to try this for christmas morning 🙂
We cook the bacon first – thanks for asking! You will love this breakfast. Merry Christmas!
I’ve read through all the comments and it doesn’t look like anyone has tried freezing this. I’m pregnant and due any day with baby #2 and I’m wanting to make this now and freeze it so I have some thing ready and don’t have to worry about making breakfast every day for me and my daughter. I’m wondering if anyone has any thoughts on whether I should freeze it before baking it Or bake it first and then freeze? Not sure how the eggs will turn out either way…
First of all, congratulations! Secondly– this probably isn’t one I would freeze… if you MUST freeze it, I would probably freeze it AFTER baking but I can’t promise it will taste quite as good. :/