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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.
Can this recipe be made into individual muffin portions?
Yes, it just wouldn’t cook as long– just keep an eye on it while cooking 🙂
How much Cholesterol is in this recipe?
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!
How many people would this serve?
About 6-8.. depending on how hungry people are and if you are serving other dishes along with it.
I made the casserole this morning and it was great! The kiddos even liked the avocado! Thanks!
Making right now! Looks delish!
In the picture it looks like there is another layer of something underneath the sausage. If so, what is in the layer?
Thank you
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.
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.
Making this tonight for tom morning..was wondering if you could use simply potatos hash browns that are not frozen? Thanks!
I am sure that would be fine, you may want to boil or bake your potatoes first, then dice or shred them.
I always use Simply Potatoes hashbrowns, they are not frozen so eliminates the problem of defrosting
Simply potatoes hash browns are already cooked. They just aren’t frozen I they are in the the refrigerator section of the store.
Yes I used a bag of Simply Potatoes Hashbrowns and they worked just fine.
Have you tried other meats besides sausage?
yeah, we have made this with ham and with bacon. Both are great!
I made this last Christmas and will be making it again. My family loved it…
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 .
It may have been the dish, I usually use a 9×13 glass pan. Hopefully after the extra cooking it was still good! 🙂
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!
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!
What is the size of the bag of hash browns?
It’s the one pound bag.
I wonder if this freezes well?
I am not sure, I have never tried to freeze it…
does the avacados turn brown when you bake them?
No, they stay green. Similar to if they were cooked in an omelette.
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.
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?
You can assemble it and let sit overnight without baking. That way it tastes fresh when you bake it up the next morning.
This looks delicious! Can it be made the night before and thrown in the oven the next morning?
Yes, that is actually how I usually make it!
can reheat in the micro after making it the nite before
This looks awesome!
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/
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
This sounds like it would fit perfectly at our table!! We love breakfast:)