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When it comes to comfort food that warms the soul, biscuits and gravy casserole is at the top of the list.
This decadent recipe combines the goodness of fluffy biscuits, savory homemade sage sausage, delectable eggs, and melted cheese, all topped with a homemade creamy country sausage gravy, to create the perfect breakfast or brunch dish.
Below I’ll explain why this recipe works so well, what it tastes like, and why it should be a must-try for all breakfast enthusiasts.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
The Perfect Combination
The foundation of this sausage gravy breakfast casserole is the homemade buttermilk biscuit layer, which provides a fluffy and buttery base for the dish. The cooked homemade breakfast sausage adds a hearty and savory element, while the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese melt into a plentiful amount of eggs that complete the breakfast.
The final touch is the homemade country sausage gravy, drizzled generously over the casserole to create a creamy and rich texture.
Versatile Recipe
One of the great advantages of this hearty breakfast casserole is its versatility. It can be enjoyed as a filling breakfast or brunch dish, but it’s also a huge hit for large gatherings or a holiday breakfast. It is especially fantastic on Christmas morning.
The casserole allows for easy serving and portion control, making it a convenient choice for individual servings or feeding a crowd.
Plus, with the straightforward preparation steps, it’s an easy homemade breakfast casserole that can be made by cooks of all skill levels.
Homemade Goodness
While there are variations of this dish that use pre-made biscuit dough, prepared sausage, or packaged gravy mix, the homemade approach takes it to a whole new level.
Making your own biscuit dough and sausage gravy allows you to control the quality and flavors, resulting in a truly satisfying and delicious breakfast experience.
The effort put into making homemade biscuits and sausage gravy is well worth it, and your taste buds will thank you.
Ingredients Needed
The complete list of ingredients with quantities can be found below in the recipe card, but here is a summary.
- Homemade biscuit layer: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, unsalted butter, and buttermilk.
- Homemade breakfast sausage: ground pork, sage, salt, brown sugar, pepper, marjoram, and ground cloves.
- Breakfast casserole: In addition to the ingredients above, you will need cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, eggs, and whole milk.
- Homemade sausage gravy: In addition to the cooked sausage above, you will need butter, flour, and milk.
How To Make It
If you plan on making everything from scratch, here is the process. Below I will also explain some convenient swaps to cut down on the time.
Make the Biscuit Dough
Combine the dry ingredients and cut in the cold butter. Gently incorporate the butter.
The dough will be folded on a lightly floured surface to create those flaky buttery layers.
The single layer of biscuit dough is then transferred to a 9×13-inch baking dish. Press the dough in an even layer to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
No need to grease the pan with cooking spray – the biscuit dough has plenty of butter.
Cook the Breakfast Sausage
Mix all of the sausage ingredients in a bowl and then cook over medium-high heat in a large skillet, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. It should take about 10-15 minutes to get golden brown and crumbly.
About a third of the ground breakfast sausage will be added to the casserole while the remaining will be used for the homemade gravy.
At this point, you will also add the shredded cheese.
Add the Egg Mixture
Whisk together the eggs with the milk. Pour this over the sausage mixture.
Bake the Casserole
Place the egg, sausage, and biscuit casserole in a preheated oven and bake until it has fully set and the top is golden brown.
Make the Sausage Gravy
While the casserole is cooking, make the gravy. In the same pan you cooked the sausage, combine the remaining 2/3 quantity of sausage with the butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, sprinkle sausage with flour, stir, and allow to cook for several minutes.
Add the milk and stir. Continue stirring occasionally over medium heat until gravy thickens, 5-10 minutes.
Serve
Remove the casserole from the oven when it is done cooking. Cut it into individual squares. Serve it topped with hot country sausage gravy on top.
Convenient Ingredient Swaps
I absolutely think this breakfast is worth the effort to make it completely from scratch, but to save time, here are some easy substitutions that can be made.
- Biscuits: Replace homemade buttermilk biscuits with approximately 16-ounces refrigerated biscuit dough. Simply line the bottom of the pan with the biscuits and press them down to fully cover the base.
- Breakfast sausage: Instead of using ground pork with seasonings, you can buy 1 1/2 pounds of bulk breakfast sausage or buy sausage links and remove the casings. I find that I don’t get a ton of excess fat when making it from scratch, so be aware that you may need to drain off some excess fat if using premade sausage.
- Country gravy: This is part of the recipe I highly recommend making from scratch. It is super easy and only takes a few minutes. You can, however, use a gravy mix.
FAQs
Absolutely! Feel free to experiment with different meats like bacon or ham to add your own twist to the casserole. This recipe would be fantastic with country bacon gravy on top! You can also use Italian sausage, however, it will change the flavor.
I recommend that you make the biscuit layer fresh for the best texture and flavor. However, you can prepare the biscuit dough ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to assemble and bake the casserole.
Yes, simply follow the directions all the way up until the casserole gets baked. Cover the pre-made casserole with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake it. This is a great make-ahead option if you want to prepare it the night before. Just be aware that the cooking time may need to increase if the casserole is cold.
Yes, you can freeze the leftovers. Store the sausage gravy separate from the casserole. Make sure to store them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Reheat in the oven or microwave when ready to enjoy.
Absolutely! you can use any type of cheese you prefer or have on hand. Colby Jack, Swiss, or even a blend of cheeses can work well.
Yes, you can make the sausage gravy ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, gently reheat the gravy on the stove and pour it over the baked casserole.
Absolutely! Feel free to incorporate sautéed onions, bell peppers, or spinach to add extra flavor and nutrition to the dish. Just make sure to cook them beforehand to ensure they are tender and fully cooked.
Yes, you can adjust the number of eggs according to your preference. Just note that additional eggs may increase the cooking time. Be sure the eggs are set before removing the casserole from the oven.
Absolutely! This biscuits and gravy casserole is a great choice for feeding a crowd. If you want to double the recipe, you will need to use two baking dishes to accommodate more servings.
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Equipment
Ingredients
How to make the biscuits:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter extra cold
- 1 cup buttermilk
How to make the sausage (will go in casserole and gravy):
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
- 1 1/2 tablespoon sage dried or minced fresh
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 teaspoon marjoram fresh if you have it
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
For the casserole:
- 1/3 of the cooked sausage from above
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese grated
- 8 whole eggs beaten
- 1 cup whole milk
For the gravy:
- 2/3 of the cooked sausage from above
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
Instructions
To make the biscuit dough:
- In a medium sized bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. For best results, freeze mixture for at least 15 minutes to get it really cold. Add in 6 tablespoons unsalted butter by grating cold butter over dry ingredients. Mix well to ensure each piece of butter is coated with the flour mixture.
- Make a well in the middle and add the 1 cup buttermilk. Use your hands to mix just enough to make all of the ingredients.
- Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently flatten out to a rectangle that is about 9 inches long and 5 inches wide. Fold the long sides over in thirds so that you now have a rectangle that is 3 inches long and 5 inches wide. Repeat process two more times. This is how you get the layers. Flatten the final rectangle so that its about an inch thick. Place inside a 9×13 baking dish and press down to expand the dough so that it covers the bottom of the dish.
To make the sausage:
- Combine all sausage ingredients (1 1/2 pounds ground pork, 1 1/2 tablespoon sage, 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon marjoram, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves) in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Cook over medium high heat in heavy bottom pan until brown and crumbly, about 10-15 minutes.
To assemble the casserole:
- Add about 1/3 of the cooked sausage to the top of the biscuit dough. Cover with grated cheese (1/3 of the cooked sausage from above, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese ).
- Whisk together 8 whole eggs and 1 cup whole milk in bowl and pour on top of everything in baking dish.
- Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
To make the gravy:
- While the casserole is cooking, make the gravy. In the same pan you cooked the sausage, combine the remaining 2/3 of the cooked sausage from above with the 3 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, sprinkle sausage with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, stir, and allow to cook for several minutes.
- Add the 3 cups whole milk and stir. Continue stirring occasionally over medium heat until gravy thickens, 5-10 minutes.
To serve:
- Remove casserole from oven when done cooking. Cut into squares. Serve with hot country sausage gravy on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don’t worry – the recipe hasn’t changed!
This is fantastic. In Canada here, we don’t thrive into sausage gravies like you do in the States. I also hate breakfast casseroles, but I thought I would give it a try so I made this casserole but increased the eggs and it is absolutely the best. It will now be served every holiday morning and then some. So happy , I found your recipe. You made the directions very easy and your pictures are motivating
Thanks Krissy
Outstanding girl, this is our steady eddy for grocery day breakfast, freaky how the egg gets under the biscuit dough and lifts it up half inch. new to cooking you guessed, thx again, McGee
Can this be made ahead and frozen for later baking? I’d like to make several on the weekend then cook as needed.
I think it would work well but I don’t think I would freeze the gravy. You could make a big batch ahead of time and just refrigerate and reheat. Enjoy!
Healthy means I can eat more, right? This looks perfect!