Sausage And Pancake Casserole
Sausage and pancake casserole repurposes classic frozen pancakes into a hearty dish that feeds a hungry crowd. This savory breakfast bake takes the hassle out of your morning meal by coming together the night before so all you have to do is pop it in the oven when you wake up. It’s perfect to make ahead for busy weekdays or weekend brunches!
Breakfast casseroles are are always a winner in my house. They’re perfect for feeding big appetites, but with minimal effort and less dishes than a full spread.
Very important when you’ve got a gaggle of boys with big appetites, but mornings are something I really struggle with.
As in I’m not a morning person; therefore, not really a fan of any meal that requires me to make it before I’ve even had a chance to properly wake up.
That’s where this easy sausage and pancake casserole comes in though. With some light prep work it’s assembled the night before so all you have to do the morning of is bake it, serve it, then dig in!
What Is Sausage And Pancake Casserole?
This sausage and pancake casserole takes the idea of a French toast bake and combines it with frozen pancakes and cooked sausage.
Like with French toast bakes, you mix up a custard of eggs, heavy cream, milk, sugar and syrup.
Instead of using sliced or cubed bread to form the base, you use the premade hotcakes.
The result is a deliciously easy breakfast bake that tastes a lot like a McGriddle sandwich.
Ingredients Needed
Speaking of keeping things easy, this sausage and pancake casserole also features a relatively simple ingredient list.
To make it you’ll need:
- Pancakes – Frozen buttermilk pancakes
- Sausage – 1 lb of ground breakfast sausage
- Syrup – Maple syrup will yield the best flavor, but pancake syrup is inexpensive and makes a great substitute.
- Eggs
- Dairy – You’ll need both heavy whipping cream and milk for this recipe. Don’t be tempted to use all cream or all milk! The first will lead to thick custard that doesn’t seep and spread properly and the latter will yield runny results the won’t bake up and set.
- Extract – Vanilla extract, either the real deal or the imitation variety will both work in this dish.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar
Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients you’re ready to whip up breakfast!
How To Make A Sausage And Pancake Breakfast Casserole
Like all of my most favorite recipes, this casserole recipes is super easy to throw together.
Start by spraying a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. This step is technically optional, but recommended since it will help make for much easier cleanup later.
Next unwrap the frozen pancakes, then cut them in half and wedge them into the dish cut side down, rounded side up.
Repeat until you have all the pancakes wedged into the dish.
Then, cook the sausage in skillet, breaking it up and stirring syrup into it as it cooks.
Once it’s no longer pink, drain the fat from the sausage.
Then spread the cooked sausage evenly out over top of the pancakes, spreading them apart as needed to distribute the meat throughout the dish.
Now that you’ve got the base of the dish assembled, it’s time to make the custard.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, vanilla and sugar together until the mixture is smooth. Pour it over the pancake and sausage mixture, then cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, remove the dish from the fridge and discard the plastic wrap. Bake the casserole at 350F for 50-60 minutes, or until the egg mixture has puffed up and set completely in the center.
Once it’s done, let the dish rest for several minutes prior to slicing and serving. This will help ensure it doesn’t fall apart.
Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
You can store any leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To reheat, you can either warm it back up in the oven or microwave a portion until warm.
Can I Freeze This Breakfast Casserole?
Yes! This sausage and pancake casserole makes the perfect freezer meal and is ideal for meal prepping.
Just put the casserole together as described above and instead of putting it into the refrigerator overnight, cover it in plastic wrap and pop it in the freezer.
When you are ready to bake, let it thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight and bake it the next morning, as instructed.
You can also freeze any leftovers.
To freeze leftovers, let them cool completely and then wrap them well with plastic and freeze.
When ready to serve, thaw completely and reheat in the microwave or covered with aluminum foil in the oven until warmed through.
The casserole will last for 2-3 months in the freezer.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t skip draining the fat after the sausage cooks or the casserole may feel sort of greasy.
- Feel free to substitute turkey sausage, if desired.
- You’ll need both heavy whipping cream and milk for this recipe. Don’t be tempted to use all cream or all milk! The first will lead to thick custard that doesn’t seep and spread properly and the latter will yield runny results the won’t bake up and set.
- If you substitute brown sugar for the white sugar called for, it will get caramely when it’s cooked. Taste though before adding additional syrup to your serving. You don’t want it to be too sweet.
Other Overnight Breakfast Casserole Recipes
This sausage and pancake casserole is the perfect make ahead casserole for any day and even makes a fantastic holiday brunch.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other easy breakfast casserole recipes to enjoy?
Try these:
- Chile Rellenos Breakfast Casserole
- Egg McMuffin Casserole
- Monte Cristo Style Breakfast Casserole
- Italian Breakfast Bake
- Farmer’s Breakfast Casserole
Like the idea of combining sausage & pancakes in a casserole dish for a delectable breakfast or brunch option? Check out this amazing chicken & waffles casserole before you go!
If you’ve tried this SAUSAGE AND PANCAKE CASSEROLE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Sausage And Pancake Casserole
Ingredients
- 20-24 oz pkg frozen pancakes
- 1 lb breakfast sausage
- 1 tbsp maple syrup optional
- 8 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp sugar
- maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Lightly spray a 9x13" baking dish with non stick cooking spray.
- Cut the pancakes in half, and then layer them in the prepared dish- cut side down. Repeat until all the pancakes have been squeezed into the baking dish. I was able to create three equal rows in mine.20-24 oz pkg frozen pancakes
- Add the sausage to a skillet and cook, breaking up as it cooks. Stir in the maple syrup, and cook until the sausage is no longer pink, and completely crumbled. Completely drain the sausage of fat.1 lb breakfast sausage, 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Spread the cooked sausage evenly out over top of the pancakes. Open them as needed to help it get down in between the layers so that the whole dish is nice and meaty.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, vanilla extract, & sugar until the mixture's smooth. Pour this mixture evenly out over the meat & pancakes.8 eggs, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp sugar
- Cover the dish tightly with cling wrap, and then set in the refrigerator to rest overnight.
- The next morning take the dish out, discard the wrap, and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the dish rest for several minutes before slicing and serving. Drizzle servings with extra maple syrup, if desired.maple syrup
Notes
- Don't skip draining the fat after the sausage cooks or the casserole may feel sort of greasy.
- Feel free to substitute turkey sausage, if desired.
- You'll need both heavy whipping cream and milk for this recipe. Don't be tempted to use all cream or all milk! The first will lead to thick custard that doesn't seep and spread properly and the latter will yield runny results the won't bake up and set.
- If you substitute brown sugar for the white sugar called for, it will get caramely when it's cooked. Taste though before adding additional syrup to your serving. You don't want it to be too sweet.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Plain Chicken
Love this idea!
What a fabulous comfort food for the family to enjoy, never heard of or seen anything like this, great idea!
This is such a great twist to my husband’s family recipe! He sometimes makes pancakes with sausage and curry. But I really really like your recipe!
The creamy egg sauce for this is fabulous. I added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon as well. I ended up using 33 halves of pancakes (16.5 pancakes) and 20 halves of fully-cooked maple sausage patties (10 patties) that were about the same size as the pancakes. I had both already in the freezer and just guesstimated the amounts with the sizes of packages you listed. I lined them up in three rows of pancake, sausage, pancake, sausage, etc in a sprayed glass baking dish so that there were 11 pancake halves and 10 sausage patty halves in each row. The creamy egg sauce filled the spaces, including all the way around the edges perfectly. I baked it on the middle rack for 55 minutes, and it was done. And, it was easier to slice and get one with pancake and one with sausage, one with pancake, one with sausage, etc. I wish I could attach a picture because it’s quite pretty!