Crack Breakfast Casserole
Crack breakfast casserole gets its name for a reason. It is bursting with delicious flavors you won’t want to stop eating! It’s packed with layers of shredded potatoes, crispy bacon, sausage, and smooth cream cheese, topped with a layer of crispy cheese.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
Flavor: The flavors in this breakfast casserole give it the name “crack” for a reason. It tastes so good you can’t stop!
Easy to Make: It only takes about 20 minutes to cook up the meat and mix the ingredients. Then, you can sit back while the oven works its magic.
Perfect Brunch Dish: Everyone will love this casserole and beg for the recipe. Make it for your next brunch with my 45-minute cinnamon rolls, yogurt parfaits, and my granola fruit pizza.
Ingredients for Crack Breakfast Casserole
These ingredients are basic and won’t break the bank. Make sure you set your cream cheese out so it is at room temperature when you’re ready to put it together. For exact measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Pork Sausage: A hearty and flavorful protein source that adds richness to the dish.
Bacon: Adds a crispy texture and smokey meaty flavor.
Room Temperature Cream Cheese: Provides a smooth, creamy texture and tangy, cheesy flavor that can’t be beat.
Sour Cream: Adds to the tangy smoothness to complement the salty meats.
Whole Milk: Provides moisture for the dish to stay creamy and delicious.
Eggs: Binds everything together and adds more protein and flavor.
Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix: This is what makes this a “crack” recipe. So much flavor!
Seasonings: Your casserole will be packed with incredible flavor by using Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt, and Black Pepper
Frozen Hashbrowns: The sturdy base that holds everything up.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Gives the casserole a nice melty cheesy inside and a wonderfully browned cheese crust on top.
How to Make Crack Breakfast Casserole
This recipe comes together fairly quickly. You just need to brown your meats, mix everything together, and let the oven do the work. It’s great to prepare ahead of time so you can throw it in the oven when you’re ready to eat it!
Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a 9x13x2 inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the bacon and sausage together until fully cooked and no longer pink. Drain the excess fat from the meat, then set aside.
Mix: In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and sour cream using a hand mixer. Once the cream cheese mixture is smooth, add milk, eggs, ranch dressing mix, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Combine: Add the cooked meat, hashbrowns, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese to the cream cheese and egg mixture and then stir to combine.
Bake: Pour the casserole mixture into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese, then cover with foil and bake for 50-60 minutes.
Brown Cheese: Uncover the dish and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until the cheese on top is bubbly and beginning to brown. Remove the dish from the oven, then let it rest for a few minutes, and serve!
Breakfast Casserole Variations
You can play around with this crack breakfast casserole recipe to suit your tastes. For instance, you can change the type of meat, add vegetables, or simply have fun experimenting with different ingredients. Here are some ideas to help you get started.
Meat: You can use all sausage or all bacon, but I like the mix.
Vegetables: You can add vegetables to this casserole, like diced bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, or any of your favorites. Just add the vegetables in with the hash browns.
Slow Cooker Instructions
This is a great way to have breakfast ready to eat right when you wake up!
Cook: After step 3, pour the filling into a large crockpot, cover, and set to LOW for 8 hours.
Melt Cheese: During the last 10 minutes, top the casserole filling with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Cover, and let it cook until the cheese has melted.
How to Properly Store Casserole Leftovers
This crack breakfast casserole is a great dish to have leftovers. I love having something to heat up so my kids can have a hot breakfast.
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Make Ahead: This casserole can be assembled, covered tightly with a lid or plastic wrap, and kept in the fridge overnight, and baked fresh in the morning. You can assemble up to 24 hours in advance.