This cheesy vegan breakfast casserole has crunchy golden spuds and chewy vegan sausage baked in a cheesy cashew sauce. It's a filling, comforting breakfast and it's loaded with protein!
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Vegan breakfast casserole with sausage and potatoes
The very idea of a savory breakfast like this divine casserole is enough to get me out of bed on weekend mornings. It's full of protein and fiber - perfect to keep you going on a busy day - and every bite is loaded with chewy vegan sausage, tender potatoes and a creamy, cheesy, rosemary-kissed sauce.
It's all so delicious that every vegan - and non-vegan - friend I make this for always requests the recipe.
To me, the cook, a large part of the appeal is also that this casserole is so easy to put together. You need about 10 minutes to chop the veggies and make the cheesy sauce (which comes together in a blender). Bake the casserole for 30 minutes et voila! Breakfast is served.
The recipe is one-pot if you make the casserole in a cast iron skillet or in an oven-safe skillet that can go from the stove to the oven. If you don't have one, you can make the stovetop portion of the recipe in a skillet, then transfer the ingredients to a baking dish.
The casserole is gluten-free and soy-free and you can make it nut-free (see FAQs below). It is extremely kid friendly. When I served this to my son, Jay, for breakfast, he would polish off his plate and take second and even third helpings.
P.S. If you have an early morning or would like to serve this breakfast casserole on a weekday, I have a slow cooker version that you can put together at night and eat in the morning.
I am not vegan, but made this last year for nephew and his wife who are vegans for Christmas Brunch. My nephew asked if I was going to make the "Christmas Crack" casserole again this year. Of course I am. So it is delicious and incredibly easy to make. You do not have to be vegan to enjoy this dish. - Sue Duffy
Recipe card
Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (or sage, If using dried herbs, reduce to 1 tsp)
- 3 medium potatoes (red or yellow or russet, cut in a ⅓rd inch dice)
- 14 oz vegan Italian sausage (roughly chopped)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
For the cheesy sauce:
- ¾ cup raw cashews (soak for 30 minutes unless using a high-powered blender)
- 1½ cups water
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon rosemary (or sage)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C
- Make the cheesy sauce by combining all ingredients and blending into a really smooth paste. Set aside.
- Place the diced potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water by an inch, then bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes 10 minutes or until very tender. Drain out the water and reserve the potatoes.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions, garlic, parsley and rosemary (or sage) to the oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper and saute, stirring, for five minutes over medium heat or until the onions are soft.
- Add the sausage, red pepper flakes and potatoes and continue to cook, about five minutes. Check seasoning and add more pepper and salt if needed.
- If you are using a cast iron or a stove-to-oven skillet, arrange the potato mixture in an even layer and pour the cheesy sauce over it evenly. If using a baking dish, like I did, transfer the potato sausage mixture to the baking dish and pour the cheesy sauce on top.
- Transfer the skillet or baking dish to the preheated oven and bake 30 minutes or until the top starts to lightly brown. Switch to the broil function on your oven and broil for another five minutes on the highest setting, or until gold-brown spots appear on the potatoes and cheesy sauce. Garnish with more parsley if you wish, and serve hot or at room temperature.
Notes
- I've made this recipe with different varieties of potatoes, and they all work, but russets are my favorite because they thicken the sauce nicely and make it even creamier.
- You can add more vegetables to this casserole, including zucchini, mushrooms, sweet potatoes or carrots or even spinach. Zucchini, mushrooms, carrots and spinach can be added to the skillet directly, but cook the sweet potatoes before adding them, as you would the potatoes.
- To replace the cashews with a nut-free option, use 1.5 cups of any nut-free nondairy milk and add 2 tablespoon cornstarch to the blender.
- You can use any vegan sausage you like, but Italian sausage is preferred. Avoid using a sausage with a very strong flavor, like chipotle sausage, as it will overwhelm the other flavors.
- You can also use cubed, seasoned tofu or tempeh instead of the sausage.
- Use no-salt seasoning in the sausage-potato mixture to reduce your salt intake and add flavor.
- You can put the casserole together a day or two earlier and bake the morning you plan to serve.
Nutrition Information
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Recipe FAQs
You definitely can. Add any of these - zucchini, mushrooms, carrots and spinach - directly to the skillet. You can also use sweet potatoes but cook them until tender first.
Substitute the cashews and water for the sauce with two cups of any non-dairy milk and two tablespoons of cornstarch. Add garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, herbs, salt and ground black pepper and blend to make the sauce.
Yes, use super firm tofu or extra firm with the water pressed out, and cut into cubes. Season the tofu, even if it is with just salt and pepper, or use your favorite Italian seasoning. Add to the pan along with the sausages. You can also use tempeh.
You can put this breakfast casserole together up to a week in advance. Cover tight with cling wrap and refrigerate for a couple of days, and freeze for longer storage. Thaw and bake before serving.
To store after baking, simply cover and refrigerate or place in a freezer-safe container and freeze. Reheat before serving.
Teresa McNeal says
My non-vegan friends enjoyed this casserole as well. It was wonderful. I did add sweet potatoes, (cooked separately from potatoes because they takes longer to cook) zucchini and spinach to it, but it takes an hour and a half by the time you chop up everything and cook potatoes before you actually get it into the oven so I recommend planning or chopping ahead.
Gretchen says
We enjoyed this morning! I prepped it yesterday and then baked it this morning! I used "beef crumbles". Next time I will add tumeric to give it more of a cheesy look! We also added McCormick roasted garlic and herbs seasoning.
LB says
The upside down cranberry cake is delicious! Every time I’ve made it people ask me for the recipe. I just finished making it with my Mom, who wants to bring it to church this week. I should tell you that I put 2tbsp almond flour in the measuring cup for the flour, and I added a tsp of almond extract, because that’s my thing.
katie johnson says
Wow ! Looks and smells amazing ! I used extra garlic, baby collards chopped up for more greens. Everyone loved it. Thanks a bunch.
Vaishali says
Yay! So happy you made it. Great adds, especially the collards. Thanks for the feedback.
AK says
Such a yummy recipe! I will be making this again.
Tanya Davis says
Are the herbs in the recipe dried or fresh measurements?
Sharon says
Just wondering if cooking the potatoes in an air fryer would work? Recipe sounds delicious. Appreciate all your hard work! Made the tater tot casserole last year for Christmas brunch and it was a hit!
Vaishali says
Hi Sharon, you absolutely can cook the potatoes in the air fryer. So happy you loved the tater tot casserole--one of my favorites!
Amanda says
The reviews are great and I want to make this for a wedding brunch but would really like to make ahead of time. Could I bake it not all the way and freeze it and then thaw the night before and continue baking?
Vaishali says
Yes, you can bake, freeze, and warm through in the oven before serving.
Dawn S says
If I make this the night before do I combine everything together and refrigerate or do I cook the potatoes and then sausage and keep them together & keep cheese sauce separate until morning when I bake it? Thanks
Vaishali says
Just assemble everything and refrigerate.
Shannon says
This dish is amazing! Such a great base that is easy to mix up. Sometimes I’ll do half the amount of sausage it calls for and throw in whatever chopped veggies I have to make it a bit more well rounded and it’s awesome!! Thank you!!
Anonymous says
When is the ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes incorporated in the recipe? I don’t see it mentioned anywhere in the recipe instructions or in the blog post.
Vaishali says
Step 6! Add it with the sausage.
KJ says
This recipe has become a family favorite!!! Truly one of the best vegan recipes we’ve found in over three years. Well done and thank you for sharing your creation.
Vaishali says
So happy you loved it! We make it so often for breakfast too, especially this time of year during the holidays.
Ashlynn says
Hi! I was wondering if anyone has tried to make this in a slow cooker with any success. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Sue Duffy says
I am not vegan, but made this last year for nephew and his wife who are vegans for Christmas Brunch. My nephew asked if I was going to make
the "Christmas Crack" casserole again this year. Of course I am. So it is delicious and incredibly easy to make. You do not have to be Vegan to enjoy this dish.
Vaishali says
Hi Sue, that's an awesome nickname! Love it. 🙂 So happy you and your family have enjoyed the casserole.
Julie says
Can I add bell peppers to this dish? If so, how much would I add? I would also be adding spinach and mushrooms.
Elena says
Another easy-to-follow and delicious recipe! Definitely right for every meal. Thank you for sharing!
Elena xx
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Elena!
Jenni says
This was SO DELICIOUS!!! I rarely buy meat analogs, and was never a fan of sausages but gave this a try anyway, following the recipe exactly. I’m so glad I overcame my hesitancy, because this combination of creamy and savory hits the spot.
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Jenni. The vegan sausage is definitely great in this. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know you tried it.
Donna Griffard says
Tempeh worked great in this! There was no vegan sausage in our little town so I browned some tempeh with Braggs in a skillet and added chunks of it to the potato mixture. Recipe worked well but I added a lot of water to the “cheese” sauce to make it pourable. I also did not need to broil it. It was brown enough on top when I baked it and had gotten very crusty. Good recipe! We will make it again and add some peas and carrots perhaps!
Vaishali says
Hi Donna, I had forgotten to add the water to the recipe when I posted this last week and had added it in later--you need 1 1/2 cups, and the sauce should be quite runny. I am happy you still loved it. Thanks for letting me know.
Mindy says
Looks delicious! All I have is frozen breakfast potatoes. What would you suggest for cooking/baking time for that?
Vaishali says
Hi Mindy, follow the directions on the frozen potatoes package for cooking time. Just make sure the potatoes are tender when they go into the casserole.