Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
Photograph by SharonChen
⏱️ Total Preparation & Cook Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
👨🍳 Servings: 8
🧾 Total Ingredients: 11
Ingredients
1 (26-ounce) bag frozen hash browns
12 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon ground mustard
16 ounces sausage (maple, sage, or regular pork sausage all work well)
1 teaspoon fine salt
16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep your slow cooker by spraying the entire inner surface with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the frozen hash browns evenly across the bottom of the crock pot.
Crack all 12 eggs into a large mixing bowl, and whisk slowly until the yolks and whites are fully blended.
Stir in the milk, then sprinkle in the ground mustard. Author note: I know this sounds like an unexpected ingredient, but I’ve grown to love adding it to most of my savory recipes for an extra depth of flavor!
Add the salt, nutmeg, and black pepper, mix everything well, and set the egg base aside.
Brown the sausage over high heat in a skillet until fully cooked through. Drain excess grease and set the sausage aside, leaving the leftover sausage fat in the pan to sauté the garlic and onion until the onion turns soft and translucent.
Layer the cooked sausage, sautéed garlic, and onion on top of the hash browns.
Add all of the shredded cheddar (yes, the whole batch – extra cheese is never a bad call here) and toss everything to combine evenly.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over all ingredients in the crock pot. Use a wooden spoon to smooth the top and make sure everything is evenly distributed.
Cover and cook on low heat for 5 to 7 hours. Note that cook time varies widely between different slow cooker models, so adjust time based on your appliance.
Community Questions & Reviews
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Top Featured Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Very good recipe! Next time I make it, I’ll add loads of green chiles, swap in some pepper jack cheese, and throw in extra bacon just because! I served it with warm tortillas and fresh in-season grapes, and it was perfect. This is such a stress-free, no-fuss breakfast. Pro tip: if you use a small crock pot, plan for 8 hours of cook time, and 6 hours works perfectly for larger crock pots!
⭐⭐⭐
This turns out pretty bland when made exactly as directed. I’d decrease the amount of dried mustard and amp up the flavor with sautéed vegetables: bell peppers, extra onion, and spinach with all excess liquid squeezed out, plus a teaspoon or two of dried basil. I also agree that this cooks much faster than the listed time – cooking it overnight is way too long.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Super easy to make! We made this for our homeschool cooking class, and my kids did everything except cook the sausage, onions, and bacon. We added a pack of Kirkland bacon, I caramelized a large onion to add, plus threw in a small handful of herbes de Provence. It tasted great, even though the suggested minimum cook time was too long for me: mine looked done after 4.5 hours, but I let it cook the full minimum time and the bottom got very burned. We just scraped the burnt part off, and my kids loved it – we’ll definitely be making this again!
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I made this for Christmas Day brunch, and my family woke up the next morning hungry for leftovers! Mine finished cooking in approximately 6.5 hours. I modified the recipe by adding cayenne and cooked bacon to the egg mixture, used hot Italian sausage, and skipped the mustard entirely, and it turned out perfect.
⭐
I was not impressed. The result was significantly overcooked: I used a 7.5 quart Crock Pot brand slow cooker and cooked it for 7 hours as directed. It might turn out better with less time or a smaller appliance, but this was my result. I also found the directions unclear and noticed there were ingredients listed that were never referenced in the steps. I later located the original full recipe with step-by-step photos on the All Kinds of Yumm blog that clarifies the process a bit, but I won’t be making this version again.
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About the Recipe Creator
Recipe submitted by Chef Emanuela
Denver, Colorado
I’m a graphic and web designer. I love Jesus and my son, and I enjoy cooking, reading, and dancing in my free time.
