Ground Beef & Egg Breakfast Casserole
Ground Beef and Egg Breakfast Casserole features lean ground beef (or turkey) that's been seasoned like sausage and layered with eggs and cheese for a lighter, low-carb breakfast casserole!
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Ready or not, it's back-to-school time! And after a lazy, schedule-free summer around here, I've got to get myself in gear and figure out what I'm going to feed these kids each morning at the crack of dawn. So I've been experimenting...and this Ground Beef & Egg Breakfast Casserole is going on my list of winners!
My kids would happily subside on carbs if I allowed it. But I'm of the firm belief that they need some protein in the morning to keep them fueled until lunchtime, particularly during the school week when they're expected to use their brains and such. So even when they request something like waffles or muffins for breakfast, I make sure they at least have a hard-boiled egg and some fruit on the side for balance.
But we've been doing hard-boiled eggs alllll summer. So I thought I'd treat the kiddos to a cheesy, flavorful, low-carb egg casserole once school starts back up.
This ground beef breakfast casserole reheats beautifully, so it's a cinch to bake it over the weekend and keep it in the fridge.
Then in the mornings before school, simply reheat individual portions.
Add a smoothie or a side of fruit and breakfast is served!
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
When I was devising a new egg bake recipe, I really wanted to include yummy sausage, but I wasn't crazy about using such a fatty option.
So I decided to make my own lightened-up, homemade "sausage" with lean ground beef plus all of the herbs and spices typically found in breakfast sausage. I wasn't sure it would work, but it turned out delicious and adds so much flavor to the casserole!
If you prefer, it would also be easy to use ground turkey in this recipe instead of beef.
How to Make It
This ground beef and egg recipe couldn't be any easier to throw together:
- After browning your beef (or turkey) and mixing in the seasonings, transfer to a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle with grated cheddar.
- Pour eggs (whisked with milk) over the top.
- Bake until puffy and golden...and that's it!
As previously mentioned, this is a great recipe for hectic, early mornings before school or work since it can be made ahead of time and reheated. But this breakfast casserole would also be perfect for entertaining overnight guests or hosting a brunch!
How to Make Ahead
If you'd like to freshly bake this ground beef breakfast recipe in the morning, you can always reduce prep time by doing some of the steps the night before:
- Brown/season the beef "sausage."
- Grate the cheese.
- Whisk the eggs.
Then cover the ingredients (separately) and pop everything in the fridge. In the morning, all that's left to do is layer the ingredients in the dish and bake!
Cutting the Recipe in Half
Also, if a full 9- by 13-inch dish of breakfast casserole is more than you need, you can easily cut this recipe in half, bake it in an 8- by 8-inch dish instead, and slightly reduce the cooking time.
If you like, you could even cook and season the full pound of ground beef, then use half of it immediately and freeze the rest for the next time you want to make a half-recipe.
Easy peasy!
So if you need a new yummy, low-carb, protein-packed breakfast idea, this Ground Beef, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Casserole is sure to fit the bill! Back-to-school time is hard enough. At least it's easier to get out of bed (for parents and kids alike) when there's a tasty, filling breakfast to look forward to. 😉
More Recipes for Breakfast or Brunch
- Frittata Muffins
- Easy Egg Bake with Cheddar & (Optional) Green Chiles
- Cheesy Ham & Grits Breakfast Casserole
- Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage
- Asparagus Tart with Ham + Mushrooms
Ground Beef and Egg Breakfast Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef, or turkey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage, *see NOTES below
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, DIVIDED
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon marjoram
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 ounces (about 1 ½ cups) grated cheddar cheese
- 8 eggs
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the center position of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish (or coat with cooking spray).
- Set a large skillet, pan, pot, or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking apart and stirring as the meat cooks. In the meantime, mix the brown sugar, sage, basil, ¾ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, onion powder, marjoram, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a small bowl until combined; set aside. Once the meat is done cooking, drain the grease from the skillet and stir in the spice blend. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Spread the seasoned meat in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the meat with the grated cheddar. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard powder, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and ground pepper (to taste) until well combined. Evenly pour the egg mixture over the beef/cheese in the dish.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until the eggs are puffed and golden brown and the center is set. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- If using dried ground sage, decrease the amount to ¾ teaspoon as it is more concentrated than dried (rubbed) sage leaves.
- A half recipe may be baked in an 8- by 8-inch square dish. Check for doneness after about 40 minutes.
- For extra flavor from the herbs, crush the dried sage, basil, and marjoram in your fingers before mixing them into the spice blend.
Nutrition
Seasoning blend adapted from AllRecipes
Hi, single man here, with no clue whatsoever on what I am doing. I just had a pound of beef thawed, which was for spaghetti, but no noodles! So I found this and it looked awesome. I have cast iron skillets but not one casserole dish. Would I burn this up in a frying pan, if set on low or something? Thanks!
Hi Dan! If your cast iron skillet is well-seasoned, you can definitely use it to make eggs in the oven (kind of like a frittata). But I'm guessing you might have to halve this recipe to do so, depending on the size of your skillet? Alternatively, you could cook the beef in your skillet on the stove (per the recipe) and then add the eggs and cheese and soft-scramble everything togethher. So yes, I would say this recipe could definitely be adapted to a skillet, but I can't advise on exact quantities or baking times since I haven't tested it myself. Good luck if you decide to give it a try! 🙂
This came out great! I loved the mixture of different spices,etc. I didn’t have any milk on hand, but was too hungry and lazy to run out to get some. I substituted with 4 oz of cream cheese and about 6 ounces of whipping cream. Delicious!
I made this recipe with some leftover ground turkey that I had and it was absolutely delicious! I love how the spice blend makes the meat taste like sausage. This is a great lower carb option compared to most breakfast casseroles and it was so yummy. I will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Super sinple & delicious
Covered while baking?
Bake it uncovered. If it looks to be getting too brown on top before it's cooked through, you may cover it at that point, but I've not had that issue.
Two days ago I made some burgers and was disappointed in them, so I thought I had poor beef. Today I made this, without a lot of expectations. Boy, was I wrong!
It was beautiful and smelled wonderful. I was sold on the first bite. It was amazing! I shared with a neighbor and she thought so too. I will definitely try more recipes of yours.
JK
I live in Egypt where there are No pork products. This casserole is great for the pork sausage cravings.
It is so easy to throw together. Because it’s just me and my husband I make a full batch then cut into 8 pieces and freeze 4 so when we travel we have breakfast ready to pop in the microwave the morning after we return.
Thank you for sharing.
This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much. I'll be adding in sauted veggies too and making more of a fajitas flavor casserole because I intend to pass it off as dinner. I was wondering what you thought the success of making it thicker in a smaller but deeper baking dish would be.?..
I think you can definitely make this recipe in a smaller but deeper dish. You will just have to watch the baking time, and if the top starts to darken before it's done in the center, cover with foil until cooked through. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! It is literally in the oven as I type this ... I needed a quick and economical breakfast casserole to welcome my son home tomorrow morning who has been gone for a month and this has all his favorites combined! I can't wait to surprise him with it!
I hope it was a hit, Kim, and that you had a nice reunion with your son! 🙂