With many of us hosting overnight guests this holiday season, it's nice to plan not only that big, special dinner, but also a tasty and filling breakfast! This breakfast bake is another one of those recipes I "made over" by replacing a processed boxed mix with something more wholesome. In fact, you may even recognize this "real foodinized" version of Bisquick's Breakfast Bake! This was actually a fairly easy dish to make over, and when you look at the ingredients on the back of a Bisquick box, it's not hard to see why you would want to avoid it and use a homemade replacement instead.
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In The Box (Pictured): Enriched refined white flour (labeled as "wheat flour" without the word "whole"), partially hydrogenated oil (i.e. the same trans fat the FDA recently declared is no longer "generally recognized as safe for use in food"), and dextrose (a sweet additive I do not cook with at home).
In My Recipe: Whole-wheat flour, unrefined cooking fat (from the pastured sausage), and other whole, recognizable ingredients.
It's funny to me how the Bisquick Breakfast Bake recipe tells you to drain the natural fat from the sausage just so you can add in their boxed stuff that contains unsafe trans fat. No, thank you!
So anyway, whether you serve this for breakfast, brunch, or even dinner, I think you'll find this is a super easy crowd-pleaser, and with all of the cooking we'll be doing during the holidays, that's exactly what we all need! Try these Healthy Breakfast Bowls too!
For more great ideas, check out these Easy Breakfast Ideas!
Recipe: Holiday Breakfast Bake (Make Ahead*)
Ingredients
- ¾ pound sausage (locally/humanely raised meat recommended)
- ½ onion (diced)
- 1 bell pepper (diced)
- 1 ½ cups frozen hash browns (look at the back to make sure it's only 1 ingredient)
- 1 ¼ cup cheddar cheese (freshly grated (or swiss), divided)
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- pepper (black or red, to taste)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a square baking dish (8 x 8 inches or 9 x 9 inches) and set aside.
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the sausage, onion, and bell pepper. Cook while breaking up the meat with a spatula until the sausage is cooked all the way through, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer the meat mixture (including the fat) to the casserole dish and stir in the frozen hash browns and ¾ cup of the grated cheese.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the milk and eggs until well combined but not overmixed. Pour over the sausage mixture in the casserole dish ensuring even coverage.
- Bake uncovered until light brown on top and around the edges, about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup cheese on top and bake for 2 more minutes.
- Serve with fruit for breakfast or with a salad for lunch. Enjoy!
Carolyn says
Made before going to church on Christmas Eve. Popped it in the oven while opening presents Christmas morning so it was ready when we were. It was absolutely delish. Fed 4 adults with a small amount of leftovers that the in laws polished off this morning. Great, great recipe. Plan to make another to have for breakfast when I return to work.
Rey'na says
Just made this this morning! So good! Didn't have whole wheat flour, so I used organic spelt flour. Had to use links as I couldn't find bulk sausage, and used 1 cup from your Tortilla soup recipe (last night's dinner), since I used up the bell peppers that I had for that recipe. Yum! Look forward to playing around with and fixing this again.
Jenny says
I just tried this and it was delicious. I used 1/2 lb of center cut bacon and it turned out great, the whole family enjoyed. Thanks!
Pat says
I have spelt flour, instead of whole wheat....is that going to be ok as a substitute?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Pat. Spelt should work out fine. :) ~Amy
Diane says
I'm just checking on the number of eggs. Is it correct that only 2 are needed? Just seems like a small amount to me.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Diane. This recipe requires only two eggs. I doubled the recipe for a larger group and used 6 eggs instead of four. It came out delish. ~Amy
Eliza says
Is there a healthy remake to the "wheat free Bisquick"(using rice flour, etc) mix? I have two in my family that can't eat wheat, not just gluten....thank you!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Eliza. I made this Christmas Eve for Christmas morning and used a gluten free flour. It came out great! ~Amy
Kira - The Healthable Old Soul says
Looks like a good breakfast to wake up to! I defiantly want to make something like this!
Kathryn says
Hi
I'm vegetarian - do I need to use something "fatty" in order for this to work or could I sub in more veggies?
Thanks!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kathryn. You can absolutely add veggies but will need to add in some fat as well. Maybe when sauteing the veggies first? ~Amy
Rickilynn says
My first thought would be Bob's Redmill gf baking mix and Haines af and gf baking powder.
Becky says
Does anyone know how I can make this gluten free? I know baking products are so different and I am just now learning...it's tough, but I know I can do it. Any ideas?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Becky. We haven't converted this to gluten free but I, too, will be attempting it for Christmas morning. I am using a gluten free flour baking blend and think it will work fine. :) ~Amy
Cynthia K says
I used Red Mill's All Purpose Baking Gluten free Flour and it was excellent. I used four eggs to stretch it. It fed six people and we had left overs. Thanks for the idea!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
I used extra eggs, too, and made it vegetarian. It was delish. Glad you enjoyed it, too. :)
Erika says
This recipe sounds great! What brand of hashbrowns did you use? Even the ones I found at Whole Foods have dextrose added...
Joy says
Mr. Dell's makes frozen potatoes that are only potatoes and non-GMO as well. I get them at Walmart.
Erika says
Great, thanks!!
Jeanine says
If I double the recipe, do I double the baking powder?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jeanine. The rule of thumb is usually 1.5 times the amount. ~Amy
Michelle says
I don't have sausage on hand. Do you think I could sub bacon for it?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Michelle. We've not tried. Let us know how it turns out. ~Amy
Andrea says
Can I freeze this pre-baked? Making it today for Christmas morning and I don't want to leave it in the fridge all that time.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Andrea. I think that will work fine but I would also defrost it overnight before reheating. ~Amy
Jyoti says
I've made something similar with bread instead of potatoes but I'm wondering how this holds up when you do make it ahead of time? I tried prepping potatoes for a crockpot stew ahead of time and over night the potatoes that weren't covered in liquid turned a terrible gray color... does this happen with the frozen hashbrowns? I do want to try prepare ahead of time but don't want to wake up christmas morning to brown/gray unusable potatoes/casserole... Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks so much!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. Have you considered freezing it? ~Amy
Jennifer says
Same question as Patty: can this be put together the night before, refrigerated, and then cooked Christmas morning?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jennifer. Hope you tried it. This was meant to be a make ahead breakfast. :) ~Amy
Colleen Grossner says
Lisa, here is my easy egg casserole recipe! 5-Minute French Toast Quiche! http://fresh-you.blogspot.com/2013/08/5-minutes-5-ingredients-my-new-favorite.html Merry Christmas!
Samantha says
I made this dish this morning for a large group and doubled the recipe. It was delicious and everyone LOVED it! Thanks Lisa for another hit!
Julie says
I can't get frozen hashbrowns here (England!), and I'm pretty sure shredding fresh potatoes would just make it mushy...should I shred potatoes then freeze? or shred, cook them, and then freeze? I'd LOVE to make this for Christmas morning!
Thanks
Lisa says
Julie - Google how to make frozen hashbrowns because someone shared with me the other day there is a recipe floating around on a blog with how to do just that! Good luck :)
Patty says
Has anyone tried this by making the night before? I'm afraid it would get too mushy overnight.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Patty. It works great making it the night before! ~Amy
Keri says
I would not use real potatoes if it were me. I know with her cheesy casserole recipe she said several times that she tried the recipe with real shredded potatoes and it never turned out right. I would assume the same is true about this recipe, or I'm SURE she would've used real potatoes herself! :)
Lisa says
Yes Keri, exactly! Thank you :)
Karen says
If shredding our own potatoes, do you think they need to be browned first ? Thinking otherwise it would be soggy on the bottom?
Lisa says
Karen - As I mentioned I tried replacing frozen hashbrowns with fresh shredded potatoes in another recipe and it did not go over well at all!
Kirsten | My Kitchen in the Rockies says
Lisa, your blog is FANTASTIC. I think we are on the same page. No processed foods in my household either. Whenever possible local, organic, and no meat from tortured animals. Greetings from my blog to yours!
Thanks for the great casserole dish. It looks like a keeper not just for Christmas.
Jenna@CallHerHappy says
This is the second home run recipe I have found on this site this week. The chocolate peppermint cookies were insane. INSANE.
Definitely coming back here for more!
Lisa says
So glad you are enjoying the recipes! :)
Tara says
Oh, and this recipe sounds delicious as-is!
Tara says
Sheesh.... this is 100 days of real food, not 100 days of vegetarian food or 100 days of gluten free food. I'm sure you could all make your substitutes as needed or check out a vegetarian or gluten free site for recipes or tips. And not all of us can afford a nice food processor to shred our potatoes in seconds. Good for you if you can use freshly shredded potatoes. No need to sound pretentious about it.
namastemama says
For real! The people that comment here crack me up! Do they read the other comments or the blog post first?
I made this with organic frozen hashbrowns and it was delish! Loved by kids and adults.
Merry Christmas
laramealor.com says
This looks so good can not wait to try it .
Natasha says
Looks yummy, definitely going to try it out!
Do you know if the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt- in the same ratio as in your recipe) would work as a sub for Bisquik in other recipes?
Lisa says
Natasha - Bisquick also contains a fat (what is listed as the partially hydrogenated oil) so those items wouldn't work alone.
Grace says
I would love to try making this and freezing individual servings for a hearty breakfast I could take to work. Has anyone tried freezing and reheating? Thanks.
Cary says
I make a similar dish and when I am making it for my breakfasts, I divide it into muffins and bake and then freeze. It heats up supper fast and is a great breakfast on the go!
Sheree Martin says
Is it possible to make a vegetarian version of this? And do maybe spinach instead of sausage? Could I maybe add some butter to substitute the fat or would that throw the constancy off? It looks so yummy!!
Lisa says
You could certainly try, but something like diced bell peppers might be a better substitute.
Lauren says
Wondering how I could make this Gluten free? Would brown rice flour work in place of whole wheat flour?
Kristine says
Bisquick has a GF version....and it doesn't have Partially Hydrogenated oils.
Renee says
My family found a recipe that called for Bisquick the other day that they really wanted me to make, and of course I didn't have any (because I don't keep that kind of stuff in my house.) I made my own with flour, baking powder, salt, and melted butter. It turned out great and without all the ingredients that you can't pronounce! This recipe looks yummy and will be trying it very soon!
christie says
I'd love to see you "real-foodinize" Bisquick itself. There are recipes online for baking mixes, but they all seem to involve butter or dry buttermilk or similar stuff, and then they have to be refrigerated. To me the whole point is a pantry-shelf mix! :) I'm not motivated enough to do the math on scaling dry ingredients to a bunch of servings and figuring out how much is needed for biscuits vs. a dozen pancakes vs. whatever else.
So… if I may respectfully suggest a project for after the holidays… :)
Lisa says
Thanks for the suggestion...I honestly never used Bisquick myself even in my "processed food" days so we shall see!
Patricia says
This looks good, thanks! And yes, like you, I ignore any recipe that calls for Bisquick :)
Cary says
Why buy hashbrowns when it only takes a second to shred potatoes in the food processor? Then you can use potatoes you grow or get locally.
Angela says
I agree on this point. I'll be making this but with fresh shredded potatoes.
Lisa says
I've tried replacing fresh shredded potatoes instead of frozen hash brown in another recipe and it did not go over well, but you can certainly experiment. I found organic frozen shredded potatoes that were only 1 ingredient - potatoes - so I felt good about that choice.
Marty says
Freshly shredded potatoes have a LOT of moisture in them, and that can make for a soupy dish. However, if you wring out the moisture in the freshly shredded potatoes before using them in the recipe, you may have a better outcome. Place the shredded potatoes in a dishcloth and wring.
Terri D. says
Sounds great! Will be trying this for sure!
Courtney says
Looks delicious- we'll be making this for our Christmas breakfast this weekend! Is the bulk sausage a breakfast sausage, or would any bulk sausage do?
Lisa says
I used breakfast sausage, but I think any sausage would do!
Becky says
It sounds like the fat from the sausage is a necessary ingredient? Is there a replacement that can be used to make this a vegetarian dish?
Kira says
Maybe butter/ghee? Or coconut oil if you are vegan (use Spectrum Organic refined coconut oil if the taste of coconut bothers you). I think just any unrefined fat would work!
Shari says
Thank you!!!! I will be making this for Christmas morning breakfast for family stopping by! Love that I can make this a day ahead!
Merry Christmas!!!!!!!
Jessica says
I am hoping to make a good brunch for Christmas Day this year instead of Christmas Dinner. The problem is I can't eat wheat. Would a all purpose GF flour work instead? Like Trader Joes All Purpose Flour? Thanks! I hope to use the gf flour in your hash brown casserole too :0
Anne says
My boyfriend and his family have Celiac so I've become pretty good at cooking GF. This wouldn't work for the breakfast bake (maybe but they are pretty sweet) but if you make waffles/pancakes this Bisquick GF mix makes the best, fluffiest pancakes. I've tried many other GF box mixes and tried many different recipes for my own mixes and they are all too dense. http://www.amazon.com/Bisquick-Pancake-Baking-Gluten-Free-16-Ounce/dp/B004391DK0
As far as this recipes goes, I think GF all purpose would be fine since it is only a 1/2 cup.
Michelle says
I am also GF but even more so. A lot of GF products have corn and potato of which I cannot have either BUT I found this and it rocks! http://www.namastefoods.com/ Happy eating!