Wake up to a satisfying and healthy breakfast. This simple Make Ahead Sausage Breakfast Casserole is outrageously delicious and made with simple ingredients. Chicken sausage, sweet potatoes, multigrain bread and Monterey Jack cheese. Top it off with maple syrup and you've got a real winner the whole family will love. And you'll love not having to work in the morning.

This post was originally published on Feb. 7, 2019 and updated Nov. 2021.

Breakfast Strata with Sweet Potatoes, chicken sausage and Multigrain Bread. Hearty and Healthy! Perfect weekend breakfast. Make ahead the night before and then just pop in the oven!

Multigrain Bread Makes thisBreakfast Sasserole Healthier

Using multigrain bread for this recipe adds in some of that good stuff your body needs to give you continuous energy throughout the day. You can use any bread you prefer, but I recommend something hearty and dense to really hold you over until lunch.

Can This Recipe be Gluten Free?

If you have dietary restrictions or just prefer to eat gluten free, you can definitely make this make ahead sausage breakfast casserole with your favorite gluten free bread. However, I do not recommend letting it sit overnight.

Since GF bread does not have the same chewy interior and crusty exterior of a hearty bread, it will lose all shape and become mushy. So just put together right before baking and you should be good to go!

Need to Make this Breakfast Dairy Free?

Easy peasy! My preference is to replace the milk with Oat Milk as it has a creamier texture and the flavor does not become overwhelming when heated (like Almond milk tends to do).

For the Monterey Jack cheese, you can replace with a cheese substitute (although this is never my favorite option as it does not melt very well) or go for a goat cheese if you can handle goat (I can't do cow cheese, but I love goat or sheep cheeses!).

Sweet and Savory Breakfast for the win!

I always prefer a sweet and salty breakfast to just one or the other. How about you? My husband loves all the sweet breakfast stuff. But this make ahead sausage breakfast casserole keeps everyone happy. The sweet potato and syrup drizzled on top gives it just the right amount of sweet. And the egg mixture, cheese and chicken sausage keeps it savory and full of flavor—creating the ultimate breakfast combination in one simple dish.

Looking for more make ahead breakfast recipes? Try these!

Overnight Sticky Buns - Our go-to Christmas morning recipe
Make Ahead Stuffed French Toast - Great for a special occasion
Raspberry Oat Bars - A kiddo favorite
Fall Grain Free Granola - Super healthy and so delicious
Healthy Banana Muffins - Our most popular recipe

Make this Breakfast Casserole the Night Before

It doesn't take really long to make this sausage breakfast casserole, but I still recommend putting it together the night before. Therefore, you can wake up and just throw it in the oven with no effort. Because no one wants to labor in the kitchen in the morning, and I absolutely love it when I set my future-self up for success. This is also a perfect breakfast for company. You can easily double the recipe and bake in a 9x13 pan to feed a crowd.

Breakfast Strata - easily made the night before - with sweet potato, chicken sausage, monterey jack cheese and multigrain bread. Hearty and healthy make ahead breakfast.

Make Ahead Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Throw this casserole together the night before and then bake when you wake! So simple and easy to feed a crowd.

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: servings

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Ingredients

6 ounces good multigrain bread cut into 1" cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces chicken sausage
1 ½ cup monterey jack cheese
1 large sweet potato
2 cups milk or milk substitute
5 eggs
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Poke the sweet potato all over with a fork and put in the microwave on a paper towel on HIGH for 8 minutes or until completely cooked through. Let rest for 5 minutes. Peel the outside and dice into ½" cubes. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Dice the bread into 1" cubes. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once. Remove and set aside.
Add olive oil to skillet over medium heat. Add chicken sausage and stir and crumble until fully cooked. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, combine milk, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper. Mix well. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine bread, sweet potato, half the sausage and half the cheese. Pour milk and egg mixture over bread mixture and let sit for 20 minutes.
Spoon the soaked bread mixture into an 8x8 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Top with the remaining sausage and cheese.
Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray to keep it from sticking to the top.
(OPTIONAL MAKE-AHEAD) If making the night before, place in the refrigerator at this point.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
Slice and serve with syrup drizzled on top!

Notes

Perfect for mornings with company or a special brunch dish to share! You can double the recipe and put in a 9x13 dish as well. Just be sure to add a little baking time so the center is fully cooked.

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