California Breakfast Casserole is loaded with sausage, avocados, and tomatoes. All your favorite California omelet flavors in one hearty casserole, perfect for sharing!
California Breakfast Casserole
This California Breakfast casserole is layered with 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!
Suggestions for California Breakfast Casserole
- Layering the right way will ensure the breakfast casserole bakes evenly and sets up perfectly. Start with a layer of breakfast sausage patties, and top that with tomatoes and avocados, and then a thick layer of egg and hash browns all topped 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, this is most commonly caused by now thawing out the hash browns 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.
More Delicious Breakfast Dishes
Sweet or savory, breakfast recipes are some of our very favorites! 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
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line the bottom of a greased 9x13 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.
CJWorley says
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.
Deborah Youmans says
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.
Jenny says
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.
Lauren says
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!
Favorite Family Recipes says
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!
hltb says
Want to know I dun consume dairy products so what can I replace that for your recipe?
Favorite Family Recipes says
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!
Sandy says
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 🙁
Kathleen says
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?
Erica says
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!
Ashley says
Has any made this without meat? How did it turn out? Looking for breakfast receipes to make during Lent.
Erica says
You can definitely make it without meat. It will still taste great 🙂
Leslie says
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 🙂
Echo says
We cook the bacon first – thanks for asking! You will love this breakfast. Merry Christmas!
Jessica says
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…
Erica says
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. :/
christina says
oh man… I totally didn’t thaw the hashbrowns :(. It’s so watery! ahhhhh
Erica says
Shoot, hopefully they still ended up ok!
Karen says
I made this this weekend and it turned out fantastic and was a huge hit. After reading some of the comments where there were problems I thought I would share a couple of suggestions. I used a bag of Simply Potatoes Hashbrown, you don’t have to thaw them so no extra moisture like you might get from the frozen kind. Make sure you seed the tomatoes, again eliminating extra juice and finally extra large eggs. Mine baked to perfection in one hour. Definitely recommend this recipe and there are so many possibilities to tweak it to fit your personal preference. Hope this helps.
Barbara Seiwald says
My daughter fixed this last week and everyone loved it. My husband prefers this recipe to the ones that have english muffins or bread. I made it for our pot luck at Palm Sunday, and will make it again on Easter. Very good!
Lorie Scroggs says
I made this today for our Sunday School class. It was a HUGE hit! It turned out perfect and bursting with flavor! Love how colorful it is! I did take your advice and cook it in a ceramic dish. I also added 20 minutes to the cooking time. I am mixing up another as we speak to take to work tomorrow!
Erica says
So glad you liked it! What a lucky Sunday School class! 😀
Sarah says
Any thoughts about substituting vegetarian mock meat??
Erica says
hmmm.. not familiar with “mock meat”…. if you try it let us know how it turns out!
Julie says
The picture makes it look like there is a layer under the sausage. Is there on or is this the milk and other ingredients settling?
Erica says
The egg seeps under the sausage and makes it seem like there is another layer– but there isn’t. Hope this helps!
Nicole says
Do u cook the sausage first?
Emily says
Yes, I like to cook and part off the excess grease before adding it to the casserole.
Christian says
This looks great, but I have one question; what’s under the sausage?
Echo says
Thanks for asking, Christian. When you pour on the egg/milk/hash brown mixture it surrounds the sausage and cooks on the bottom of the pan.
Debbie says
I have made a recipe very similar to this one and I did not use the cup of milk, only the eggs without the milk and it was not liquidy after cooking it for the suggested time or a just a bit longer seeing I don’t like runny eggs. no need to have milk or any liquid in there. Recipe here is a real good one. thanks
Echo says
Thank you for the suggestion!
Abby says
I first had this at a baby shower & it was great! However, it took TWO hours to cook in a 9×13 metal pan when I baked it for a potluck today! Luckily I allowed extra time or I’d have gone dishless! Hoping the tomatoes & avocados held up!
Elle says
Something is not right. That photo looks like it has a crust of some kind under the sausage. And it’s not cooked eggs. You can tell from the photo the crust is separate and distinct from the sausage layer.
Erica says
It looks like there is a crust but there is not. It is egg that has seeped beneath the sausage layer. This is the same recipe as the one pictured. Hope this helps!
Carson says
A few adjustments are needed here in my opinion. First of all, adding an entire cup of milk is far too much. It causes the dish to have excess liquid which can make for an unpleasant texture. It makes it seem as if the eggs are still raw. Also I made a base layer of crushed up tortilla chips, using just sausage is a bit awkward when trying to plate. And speaking of sausage, precooked sausage isn’t the best for you. So I opted to use shredded chicken breast! It makes the dish heartier and not as fatty! As for produce, I used Roma tomatoes (for their AMAZING flavour), added white onions, red bell peppers, and jalapeños on one half. My hubby can’t get enough of those! All in all, good idea for a dish. Just needed some tweaking to make it truly fantastic!
Beverly says
Maybe you should share your own recipes on your own blog? Yours sounds very good but so does the one Emily shared with us on her blog. 🙂
Rachel says
Agree! I do not care for chicken so that would not be a “truly fantastic” dish for me. I cannot wait to try this recipe , sausage, milk and all!
MS says
Are you suppose to cover while you bake this dish?
Erica says
You don’t need to cover it but if you do it couldn’t hurt!
Darlene says
will have to try sounds yummy thank you
My first granddaughters name is ” Echo Dawn”
Echo says
What a great name! We have 4 “Echo’s” in our family. 🙂
Almetta says
One question ? The recipe start with sausage on the bottom and the picture is displaying a layer of something before the sausage is laid. What is the layer before the sausage. t Than
Emily says
The sausage does get put down first. Some of the egg mix just seeps down making it look like an added layer.
Andi says
I finally made this dish and it was DELICIOUS. I added a twist to it, I added spinach and I used Italian sausage and chorizo. I excluded the guacamole in the mixture but did add to the final product along with jalapeños, salsa and sour cream. Thanks for sharing
Stephanie says
I am getting ready to make this, this morning for Thanksgiving! Thank you for the recipe, hope it turns out as good as yours looks! 🙂
Rochelle says
What is on the bottom of the casserole?
Echo says
Some of the egg and hash brown mixture settles on the bottom with the sausage as it bakes. Thanks for asking!
Pat christianson says
Thanks for sharing it looks so good!!!!
Marianne Castiglia says
I made this for friends this week when we were away on vacation and it was a hit. I made it in a glass 9×13 pan and it took an hour to cook. When I got home my husband was jealous that I made it for friends so I made it for us at home again today. He LOVED it. Keeper recipe, thank you! I’m glad to see in the comments here that it can be assembled the night before. Looking forward to hearing if anyone freezes it.
Erica says
So glad to hear you liked it! We have assembled it the night before as well and it is great– just haven’t done the freezing thing. Let us know if you try it and how it turns out!
Maddie says
Can this recipe be made into individual muffin portions?
Erica says
Yes, it just wouldn’t cook as long– just keep an eye on it while cooking 🙂
Linda says
How much Cholesterol is in this recipe?
Emily says
You would have to plug it in to a recipe calculator to find the nutritional info. But eggs have a high cholesterol content, so if you are watching that, I would sub the eggs for an egg substitute (the kind that comes in a carton). I have used those in an egg casserole before and it turned out great!
Kristen says
How many people would this serve?
Erica says
About 6-8.. depending on how hungry people are and if you are serving other dishes along with it.
Jeanette says
I made the casserole this morning and it was great! The kiddos even liked the avocado! Thanks!
Jlrbrenner says
Making right now! Looks delish!
Deb says
In the picture it looks like there is another layer of something underneath the sausage. If so, what is in the layer?
Thank you
Erica says
Some of the egg mixture seeps down underneath the sausage making it look like another layer.. but the first layer you put down is the sausage.
Michelle says
Just made this and after cooking 40 minutes, it looked done. When I cut it there was liquid at the bottom. The eggs looked cooked. Could the liquid be from the tomatoes? Maybe if I assemble and let i sit overnite? Thanks.
Rachel says
Making this tonight for tom morning..was wondering if you could use simply potatos hash browns that are not frozen? Thanks!
Emily says
I am sure that would be fine, you may want to boil or bake your potatoes first, then dice or shred them.
Charlotte of Hemet says
I always use Simply Potatoes hashbrowns, they are not frozen so eliminates the problem of defrosting
Melanie says
Simply potatoes hash browns are already cooked. They just aren’t frozen I they are in the the refrigerator section of the store.
Karen Vander Veen says
Yes I used a bag of Simply Potatoes Hashbrowns and they worked just fine.
Carrie says
Have you tried other meats besides sausage?
Emily says
yeah, we have made this with ham and with bacon. Both are great!
Laura says
I made this last Christmas and will be making it again. My family loved it…
Violeta says
Im cooking this recepie but is taking a while to cook, i already add two times 20 mis, i dont know if we need to use a especific type of pyrex, i used a round corning ware dish .
Emily says
It may have been the dish, I usually use a 9×13 glass pan. Hopefully after the extra cooking it was still good! 🙂
Jane says
I am using a 9×13 in. glass dish. It has already cooked for one hour and it is still liquid egg mixture all the way through! I am NOT happy!
Erica says
We usually use a ceramic 9×13 pan because it seems to heat better. It also depends on your elevation. Give it another 20 minutes or so. I am so sorry!
Misty says
What is the size of the bag of hash browns?
Erica says
It’s the one pound bag.
Kari66 says
I wonder if this freezes well?
Emily says
I am not sure, I have never tried to freeze it…
melinds says
does the avacados turn brown when you bake them?
Emily says
No, they stay green. Similar to if they were cooked in an omelette.
Lynn Folger says
This casserole is so easy and delish! However, although we love raw avocados and are not picky eaters, we really didn’t like the taste of the avocados. Are we the only ones??? I’ve already figured out how to replace them with other things though.
sally gruber says
When you say you prepare the night before does that mean that you just assemble and let sit overnight in the fridge or do you bake it the night before and reheat in the morning?
Erica says
You can assemble it and let sit overnight without baking. That way it tastes fresh when you bake it up the next morning.
Rebekah says
This looks delicious! Can it be made the night before and thrown in the oven the next morning?
Emily says
Yes, that is actually how I usually make it!
marlene says
can reheat in the micro after making it the nite before
She Loves To Make says
This looks awesome!
Jen says
Wow. This looks incredible, can't wait to try it! I'm a new reader to your blog, I'm loving it!!!
Jen
http://jenslosinit.blogspot.com/
McKay says
erica! I need your info again! 🙁 Like your blog address etc. AND>… I cannot stop drooling over all these yummy recipes!
oh, this is makana, not mckay btw
makanachansen@gmail.com
Holly says
This sounds like it would fit perfectly at our table!! We love breakfast:)