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!
Table of Contents
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.
Jamie says
This sounds so good! Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for cashews? My daughter is allergic to those and to pistachios. I miss cooking with them! Thanks
Vaishali says
Hi Jamie, you can use pumpkin seeds instead of the cashews for the cheezy sauce! Hope you try.
Sheila says
I made this and it is delicious!! It's definitely going to be an oft-repeated dish in my household. Thanks!! I'd love to upload my video/photo, but don't see how to do it here.
Sheila says
Also meant to give it a 5-star rating.
Vaishali says
Hi Sheila, so happy you made it. I'd love to see it! If you have an Instagram account can you share the photo there and tag me @holycowvegan? Otherwise email at myveganworld@gmail.com. Thanks!
Brenda Kuciemba says
Delicious! Wonderful for brunch.
Vaishali says
Awesome!
Hannah says
My family and I have made this recipe probably every other weekend for the past couple of years. I don’t know how I haven’t commented before. We absolutely love it. I am gluten free and sub Morningstar vegan chorizo in place of the sliced sausage and it’s still very good! We even make it ahead the night before sometimes and it still turns out as great as if we made it right before baking. Thanks for giving us a Saturday staple for years to come! Yum!
Vaishali says
Hi Hannah, that's so great to hear. So happy you and your family have loved this recipe.
Anonymous says
Hello,
Are we supposed to use the water used to soak the cashews in the sauce too? Just want to make sure it won't be too runny. Thanks.
Vaishali says
Yes, use the water!
Jill says
Just as a recipe note for myself...1/2 tsp salt and 2-3 tblsp lemon juice to cheese sauce. Double recipe to bake in 9x13 dish. Thanks for the recipe! Even meat eaters enjoyed!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear.
Autumn says
Vaishali, this is AMAZING!!! I use the tofurky Italian sausages, although I usually eat oil free so I may try to make my own from oats one day. This recipe is so good! I have made it about 5 times in 3 weeks. Just amazing! THANK YOU!! This will definitely be a staple in my home from now on.
Vaishali says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Christina Patra says
Hi is this the temperature for a fan forced oven? Looking forward to making it for friends this weekend 🙂
Dwayne Gilbert says
Can this be done in a slow cooker
Brittney Derrick says
Love this casserole. It's a new go-to in our house. Even my Omni mom who purses her lips at most meat substitutes and tofu, LOVED this. I made it for Christmas morning and will make it again for Mother's Day brunch. So easy to mix it up with different vegetables too! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Vaishali says
Excited to hear!
Elizabeth says
How can I add tofu to this recipe?
ElizabethB says
I think pressing the tofu and then making an Italian seasining marinade would work. Maybe a firm tofu?
ALFR says
I was thinking the same thing! I'd love add a tofu scramble vibe. Did you try it?
DJ says
You're recipe looks delicious. I am looking forward to perusing your recipe collection!
I would like to request a cooking alternative for those of us who either do not have access to, or have made the choice not to expose ourselves to microwaves.
Thanks.
Vaishali says
Hi DJ, just place the potatoes with water in a saucepan and boil them until tender, as you'd do for mashed potatoes. Don't let them get so soft that they get waterlogged, though, so check frequently.
Paige says
Delicious flavor, just made it for the first time. Think I over did my potatoes because they were softer than I like. Could I just put them in the pan raw and have them cook in the oven instead of the microwave and oven?
Julia says
10/10. Easy, healthy and tastes great. Also a versatile base recipe to make slight changes to depending on what you feel like or have to hand. I'm planning to make this as part of a Christmas brunch we're hosting next week. I think I'll try adding some mushrooms and bell pepper and swapping out the sausage links for crumbled vegan breakfast patties.
Brenda says
Made this for group brunch and everyone - vegan and non-vegan - loved it! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
SJ says
Do you drain the cashews or use the soaking water?
Vaishali says
Use the water!
Robin Wagar says
In the write up about the cashew sauce you mentioned turmeric but it is not in the list of ingredients for the casserole. How much turmeric did you use. I want to make this Friday for our daughter and family who are coming to visit and are Vegan.
Thank you
Vaishali says
1/2 a teaspoon!
Robin Wagar says
Thank you!
Olivia says
Can I replace the cashews with anything? Making this for a brunch and one little girl has a cashew allergy.
Vaishali says
Pumpkin seeds.
James Blowers says
Hi, thank you very much for sharing this recipe. It was great! My whole family enjoyed it this morning. In fact, I was very pleasantly surprised that the five of us (ranging from whole food/Vegan to carnivore) finished off the entire thing. Thanks again!
Dianna says
Amazing!! I took it to work for a staff pot luck!this will be a go-to for me. Thank you!
Vaishali says
Happy to hear that!
Sabrina says
No microwave home what do you suggest to do with the potatoes??
Vaishali says
Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and let them boil about 10 minutes or until tender.
Liane says
Can this recipe be made in advance, then freeze, thaw and cook? I’m wanting an easy Christmas morning option to just pop in the oven. Thanks!
Nancy says
Sounds great & easy! Can I use tahini instead of the soaked cashews? What quantity?
Steph says
Ohhh my... I love what you started here. I have a problem with taking a recipe like this and then added my own twists ... I could list them all but... Then it's a whole other recipe now isn't it?
This is great! Thank you so much for adding a new bit of excitement to my morning meals... Yummmmy! Already shared it with some friends!
Lynn says
Hi,
Just wondering if it would be possible to substitute a vegan cheese instead of making the cashew cheese for my daughter who has a tree nut allergy?
Vaishali says
Yes add the vegan cheese over the potatoes. Your casserole might be a bit dry though so for a better texture combine a cup of any nondairy milk with the other ingredients in the cheesy sauce except the cashews and water and pour over the potatoes before adding the cheese.
Supriya says
This was a unanimous hit at our house and gave us something to nibble on throughout the day. I added a bottle of Just Egg egg replacer to the cheese sauce (got the idea from your leek and spinach frittata recipe) and added some tortillas in the middle of the casserole (that is, I poured half the mix in the casserole dish, layered some corn tortillas, then poured the rest of the batter in). It was so yummy, and everyone kept raving about it. I have made so many of your yummy recipes over the years and have yet to find one we didn’t all love. Thanks for all you do on this site!
Vaishali says
Supriya, so great to hear and thanks for the kind words. Great idea to add tortillas and love the egg replacer use too! Bravo ?
Cherilyn Thrush says
I’d love to use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. Would I cook them the same way?
Vaishali says
Yes lower the microwave time a bit if needed!
Cherilyn Thrush says
Perfect! Thank you so much!
Karma says
How much is in one serving ?
Stef says
Holy cow is right! This is SO freaking good! I only had 2 sausages on hand, so I added some Lightlife bacon. I also threw in a few handfuls of baby spinach and kale. I wasn’t sure about draining the water from the cashews or not, so I did. Then, I ended up adding some unsweetened almond milk to the cheesy sauce. This was eggy and savory and awesome! Thank you!
Laurel says
THIS WAS SO GOOD!!! We needed a vegan alternative to our traditional Christmas egg casserole and this came up in a search. We all loved it-- vegans, vegetarians and carnivores. We used Hillary breakfast sausages and made it the day before. It looked like it had soaked up the "cheese" sauce and would be dry but wasn't at all after baking. Several of us added hot sauce to it upon serving and the youngest teen ate it as made. Super new dish for us to have for dinner, Christmas, breakfast, whatever. And one I can take to the carnivore extended family gatherings if doubled or tripled. Thank you!!
Ericka says
Trying this this morning, and so far so good. I also wasn’t sure whether to include the soaking liquid based on the instructions (when I did it came out thin?), and didn’t see an instruction for which size baking dish to use. Those two clarifications would be helpful. I didn’t have any Italian sausage, so I had to substitute apple sage sausage. I think it’ll still be fantastic. Eagerly waiting for it to come out of the oven. Thanks for the recipe!
Ash says
For the cheesy sauce do you use the water that the cashews are soaked in or do you strain them first?
Vaishali says
You can use the soaking liquid!
Robin says
I had to add another handful of cashews as the sauce was too runny. However, it turned out great! I made it with frozen diced potatoes, and put the sauce in while vegges were in skillet. That thicken the sauce quickly - very good. Thank you!
Netta says
I am making this for breakfast tomorrow, can't wait. I love the sound of that sauce. Your magic cheesy sauce is one of our favorites.