Who doesn’t love BREAKFAST for DINNER?! Check out this blog about how I found things that needed to be used in the freezer and refrigerator and whipped up my favorite breakfast casserole for a casual dinner.

Have you ever stood with the fridge and freezer doors open trying to see past the juice boxes and frozen veggies, hoping that something will show itself that you can make for dinner? You just spent $200+ at the grocery store yet it feels like there’s nothing to eat.

I’ve been in this boat far too many times, often falling overboard. I get overwhelmed because I’m not exactly the most enthusiastic or greatest cook in the world. Now baking, BAKING is my jam! I could spend all day baking and testing out my creations. But cooking is something I only do because, well, we gotta eat! I stick to what I know and don’t venture out of the comfort zone too often. If eating chicken cutlets every night was acceptable, I’d be the best cook around!

My fiancé Cody is a really good cook. He typically comes home from work, rolls up his sleeves, and whips up a delicious dinner. I am so grateful for a partner in life that works all day and comes home to cook a meal for our family. Cody truly enjoys being in the kitchen and I join in by preparing sides to go with our meal. But sometimes I want to have dinner ready for him when he gets home because he does that for me all the time.

Last night I was doing the blind stare into the freezer that is packed full of food to make, most of it being side dishes like mashed cauliflower or a frozen veggie medley or things for my daughter to eat. Then I spotted some sausage that we had leftover from a previous breakfast that we froze. I also saw some hash browns that needed to be used up, too. Then it hit me….BREAKFAST CASSEROLE FOR DINNER! I checked to see if we had shredded cheddar cheese. We had sliced cheddar but hey, it’s still cheese! [I ended up breaking up each slice into thirds and as I layered the casserole into the baking dish, I simply laid each piece of cheese on top of the sausage. It worked out beautifully!] Milk and eggs are staples in this household so I was ready to go to make this casserole.

This mouth-watering casserole is always a huge hit at brunches and I bring it in when we have all-day planning at school. My fellow teachers devour the whole thing! I love the versatility of this recipe and how you can add your own kind of sausage and play around with the amount of cheese you want on top. Here’s what you need and how to make it:

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Cheesy Sausage Egg Casserole

This recipe will easily feed 3-4 hungry people. Since I made it with what I had left in the freezer, I had to cut my recipe down a bit as I didn’t have the full amount needed…but that worked out perfectly because the full recipe makes a HUGE amount! We still had leftovers and they made a perfect, quick, ready-to-go breakfast today! Waste not, want not…especially with the pandemic happening all over the world!

Ingredients

about 1 lb. breakfast sausage (I had used a bit of the sausage previously and froze the rest so it wasn’t a full package/pound but you can use a full pound)
1/2 package (22.5 oz) frozen hash brown patties, thawed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
4 slices cheddar cheese (more or less depending on how cheesy you like it)
4 eggs
1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, cook the breakfast sausage until no longer pink. Drain off the fat. This will help the casserole from becoming to liquidy during baking.
3. Layer the bottom of a lightly greased 8×8 baking dish with the hash brown patties. You can crumble them up if you prefer or leave them as is. I have done both ways and like them equally!
4. Top hash browns with sausage and layer the cheese on top of the sausage.
5. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Pour over the hash brown mix.
6. Bake, uncovered, for about 35 minutes. The cheese should be nice and melted and the edges are bubbling.
   *If you want to, you can prep this meal ahead of time and COVER and REFRIGERATE after Step 5. Take out of fridge and bake according to directions.

ENJOY!!