A crowd-pleasing, make-ahead Southwestern breakfast casserole layered with flaky biscuits, spicy chorizo (or sausage), peppers, cheese, and an overnight egg custard. Ready to bake in the morning, this Breakfast Biscuit Casserole is easy to throw together, a family favorite, perfect for weekends and holidays.
Try other popular breakfast recipes like this one for Three Cheese Italian Breakfast Casserole.
Why This Recipe Works
This breakfast biscuit casserole is technically a “strata”. A strata is made from a mixture which consists mainly of bread, eggs and cheese. A strata is traditionally prepared and then covered to sit overnight in the refrigerator. This allows the bread to soak up some of the liquid and soften. And that’s what we’re doing here.
My recipe takes advantage Southwestern culture by spicing things up with chorizo sausage and jalapeno peppers. And lots of cheese. Who can argue with that?
- This is a 9 x 13″ pan make ahead cheese breakfast casserole that is prepared the evening before. Just pop it in the oven the next morning to serve that hungry breakfast crowd.
- It’s Make ahead. So easy to assemble the night before.
- This breakfast casserole will feed a crowd – about 12 hungry folks.
- You really don’t need many side dishes. How about some fresh fruit, slices of avocado, or a bowl of mixed berries and a tall glass of orange juice? Or even a simple green salad turns this one into a brunch-style meal.
- It’s easy to customize. Try this with cubed ham, crumbled bacon or your choice of cheese. Maybe some sauteed mushrooms or onions? Make it your own.
Let’s take a look
Ingredients You’ll Need
Tip: Try making my Fried Biscuits. This is a recipe for canned biscuits that are pan fried to a buttery golden treat. Use any of these leftover fried biscuits to make this casserole recipe.
- Cooked Biscuits. Use leftover homemade biscuits, or cooked Pillsbury Grands canned biscuits to make this an easy fix.
- Cheese: A combination of shredded cheddar and grated Parmesan.
- Sausage: A combination of cooked breakfast sausage and cooked Mexican chorizo.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Spinach: You can use frozen spinach, but be sure and press out as much moisture as you can before cooking.
- Cheese: Experiment with any good melting cheese. White Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Muenster (my favorite melting cheese), Provolone and Colby are all good choices here. To ramp up that Southwestern flavor experience, choose Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese.
- Sausage: This recipe calls for a combination of Mexican Chorizo and traditional breakfast sausage. You can use all chorizo or all breakfast sausage rather than a combo. Use leftover Christmas ham in place of sausage.
- Dairy: Half and Half can be substituted for the whole milk.
- Jalapeno Pepper: If you don’t like the spicy heat that Jalapeno Peppers bring, substitute Poblano Pepper or even a bell pepper. Any color will work. Try a 4-ounce can of chopped Hatch chile peppers from the Mexican aisle.
Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy.
- Step 1: Chop the cooked biscuits and place half of them into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Your trusty Pyrex baking dish will work great for this recipe.
- Step 2: Add a couple fist fulls of fresh baby spinach on top of the chopped biscuits.
Pro Tip: Don’t try to cut corners and pull those flaky biscuits into layers. Cut the biscuits into square cubes or chunks to make that first layer fluffier rather than flat and heavy.
- Step 3: Add the crumbled and cooked sausages on top of the spinach.
- Step 4: Add shredded cheeses and sprinkle on chopped jalapeno.
- Step 5: In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk until well combined.
- Step 6: Add the remainder of the chopped biscuits to the top of the casserole and pour in the milk egg mixture. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. You’ll cook the casserole the next morning.
Make Ahead
- Best Practice: This already is a make-ahead overnight breakfast casserole which is assembled the night before and baked the next morning.
- Assemble and Freeze: Not highly recommended, this casserole can be assembled and then frozen to use later. Keep in mind this may compromise the custard texture. I’d suggest baking first then freezing. Thaw baked casserole overnight in the refrigerator, then heat gently in a 175 degree oven. This may take an hour or so for the casserole to become warm enough to eat. Keep the heat low as to not cook the casserole any further, you just want to warm it.
Leftovers and Reheating
- Store any leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- To reheat, the 50% power feature on your microwave oven is your best friend. Place individual servings on a microwave safe plate and reheat in 30 second increments until the casserole is hot enough to eat. This gently reheat method will preserve the custard’s fluffy texture and avoid heat spatters in the microwave.
- Freeze any leftover casserole by covering with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to three months. Be sure to label with date and contents.
Tips for Success
- Use the middle rack of the oven for even baking.
- Please don’t try to save fat calories by using 2% or non-fat milk. A lower fat milk will produce too much water and cause the strata to be soggy.
- Choose bulk sausage. You can purchase sausage links, but it will be more time consuming to remove membranes and crumble into chunks.
- Use a serrated knife to make cutting any bread easier.
- If you use a clam shell of tender baby spinach, you won’t have to remove the stems.
- You can add salt and freshly ground pepper if you’d like, but the cheese and sausage are naturally salty in nature. Go light with seasoning.
- Test for Doneness: Make sure the casserole is cooked through by sticking a knife in the middle. If the knife comes out clean, the casserole is done. If the casserole is jiggly, it needs more time in the oven. You can test the center of the casserole with an instant read digital thermometer. 160 degrees is a good temp to insure the center is cooked.
- Don’t use uncooked biscuit dough, the biscuits must be pre-cooked for this biscuit egg casserole.
Storage and Freezing
- Storage: Store any leftovers by tightly covering the casserole pan with plastic wrap.
- Freezing: You can freeze the whole baked strata by covering tightly with aluminum foil. Just let the strata cool to room temperature then cover tightly with two layers of foil. The strata will keep for a couple of months. To reheat a whole strata, defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 300 and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, check the heat level of the strata and bake another 10 – 15 minutes.
- You can freeze leftovers in individual portions. Wrap in foil or store in an air tight container. Use a microwave to reheat the frozen pieces. Unwrap and then place on a microwave safe plate. Microwave at 50% power for about three minutes. Check the heat level and then microwave on high power in 30 second increments. Slower and gentler is always better when reheating food in a microwave oven.
How To Serve It
This Breakfast Biscuit Casserole can certainly benefit from some toppings. Here are some ideas.
- Sour cream, Mexican Crema, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, Mexican salsa, or pico de gallo are all good choices here.
- Serve with mixed fresh berries, coffee or mimosas or if serving during the holidays, take a look at my recipe for Chambord and Prosecco Cocktail. It’s an easy, festive, crowd pleasing beverage.
FAQ’s
Let the casserole sit covered in the refrigerator for around 8 hours. I’ve also prepared this casserole first thing in the morning to cook that evening for dinner. Works like a charm.
The biscuits may have been undercooked, or torn into too small of chunks.
24 hours is a good rule of thumb. Any longer than that and you’ll compromise the texture of the biscuits. If you can’t bake it within that time, wrap well with plastic wrap, then with foil. Freeze for up to two months.
More Breakfast Casserole Recipes
You’re going to love this sausage egg biscuit casserole recipe. I hope you give it a try, especially if you’re a big biscuit breakfast fan.
And don’t miss this great Breakfast Burrito Casserole. It’s another make ahead, overnight recipe that will WOW your crowd.
And if you’re looking for more breakfast recipe ideas, don’t miss my Breakfast Category. You’ll find lots of eye-opening recipes including the most popular on my site for Home Fried Potatoes with Ham.
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Southwestern Breakfast Biscuit Casserole – Make Ahead
Equipment
- 1 9 x 13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 8 cooked biscuits rough chopped. If using Pillsbury, use the regular biscuits rather than the large "Grands".
- ¼ pound chorizo sausage crumbled, cooked and drained
- ¼ pound breakfast style sausage crumbled, cooked and drained
- 2 handfulls fresh baby spinach About 5 ounces
- 2 small jalapeno seeded, deveined, chopped or thin sliced
- ½ cup shredded cheddar
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan
- 10 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
Instructions
- Chop the cooked biscuits and place half of them into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Your trusty Pyrex casserole dish will work great for this recipe.
- Add a couple fist fulls of fresh baby spinach on top of the chopped biscuits.
- Add the crumbled and cooked sausages on top of the spinach. Sprinkle on the grated cheeses and chopped jalapeno pepper.
- In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk until well combined.
- Add the remainder of the chopped biscuits to the top of the casserole and pour in the milk egg mixture. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Please don’t try to save fat calories by using 2% or non-fat milk. A lower fat milk will produce too much water and cause the strata to be soggy.
- Choose bulk sausage. You can purchase sausage links, but it will be more time consuming to remove membranes and crumble into chunks.
- Use a serrated knife to make cutting any bread easier.
- If you use a clam shell of tender baby spinach, rather than regular spinach, you won’t have to remove the stems.
- You can add salt and freshly ground pepper if you’d like, but the cheese and the sausage are salty in nature. Go light with seasoning.
- Make sure the casserole is cooked through by sticking a knife in the middle. If the knife comes out clean, the casserole is done. If the casserole is jiggly, it needs more time in the oven.
Nutrition
Southwestern Biscuit Breakfast Casserole …It’s What’s for Brunch
This Biscuit Breakfast Casserole Recipe was first published April of 2012 and republished June of 2023 to add step by step instructions.
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Absolutely 100% yes yes yes! I love everything about this breakfast beauty, Lea Ann.
Thanks Chris. It was pretty dern good.
chorizo,sausage,spinach and jalapenos..I’m in!!
🙂
I love the Southwestern flavors! This would be such an awesome breakfast!
Thanks Natasha!
A spicy sausage and biscuit strata sounds quite delicious.
Thanks Karen … it was. And I’ve got lots in the freezer for when I’m feeling thin. 🙂
A strata is our favorite for Sunday brunch. It’s what I always serve on Christmas morning. I love your version, Lea Ann, with chorizo and those yummy biscuits.
I see more strata’s in my future. Christmas morning sounds perfect.
I love stratas! They come in so handy for a Christmas or Easter breakfast/brunch when you have guests. What a delicious way to use those biscuits!
I really needed to use up those biscuits and they made a perfect platform for all this cheesy goodness.
Great idea for using up leftovers and such a nice change for breakfast or brunch. Love your placemat!
That placemat comes from Ikea. Thanks Karen.
I’ll be right over! You saved me one right?! LOL! Looks delicioso!
Actually I’ve got several containers in the freezer … come on over. 🙂
What a great looking strata!! Wish I had some of it right now! YUM!
Thanks Jenn!
You had me at 2 jalapenos. 😉 I have never eaten a strata, but it looks beautiful (that photo alone would make me order it) and sounds delicious! What a great idea for company breakfast.
I had never eaten a strata before either, but seen recipes here and there. Then someone had brought one to the Easter Brunch that was made with English muffins. I knew I had to put those biscuits to work.
Love those stratas! Especially since they need to be in the fridge overnight…no work the next day. We have one every holiday morning. Super idea to use your leftover biscuits in one…never would have occurred to me, Lea Ann.
I couldn’t believe how it transformed from flat to fluffy in the oven. I agree about the no work the next day. Sure was nice to pop it in the oven.
I’ve never thought of using biscuits in a strata. Very clever Lea Ann. I could eat breakfast/brunch anytime day or night, especially if it included some of your spicy strata.
Sam
Me too Sam!
That looks awesome. I’ve never made a strata with biscuits and think it would be great.
I had a strata on Easter that was made with English Muffins on the bottom. Gave me the idea.
You are rocking the strata! This sounds so good!
Thanks Jane! 🙂
I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten a strata but this sure makes me want to. I’d like to have our kitchen in pristine condition just once – we usually just return it to the normal condition 🙂
My kitchen was in pristine condition for only about 15 minutes when we moved in.