Grandma Mack's Breakfast Casserole

This is one of my favorite breakfast dishes. I usually make this when we have company or on any given holiday for breakfast. It is so simple to throw together and your guests will love it. I have been making this Breakfast Dish for so long that this is the first recipe that comes to mind when I want to wow some overnight guests. I originally found this recipe years ago in a 2003 Taste of Home 50Th Anniversary Cheese Cookbook. It was titled Grandma Macks Breakfast Casserole. Who is Grandma Mack you ask, well she is a proud Wisconsin Dairy Farmer so they utilize cheese in most all their recipes including this one. I can tell you one thing Grandma Mack sure can cook!! I fell in love with this recipe the first time I made it, now it is a regular breakfast dish in our house.

This is great served with fresh fruit on the side, sweet rolls or danishes. I always serve Sweet Cooked Apples along side this dish, so I am adding the recipe for that as well at the end of this post. I don't have a photo but the taste it just to die for. It reminds me of apple pie without the crust. My mother in law loves this recipe so I always try to make it when she comes to visit. You can prepare this recipe the night before which saves on time. I don't assemble the whole casserole the night before, I just brown up the sausage and store it in the refrigerator, make sure my cheese is shredded and thaw my hash browns in the fridge as well. That way in the morning its a snap to throw together. You are sure to please anyone with this breakfast casserole.

These are the ingredients you will need:
frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, 6 eggs, milk, cheddar cheese (shredded), Jimmy Dean Sausage cooked and crumbled or diced ham, salt, pepper and refrigerator crescent roll dough.


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and brown and drain the sausage.


Arrange the crescent rolls on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.


Place the ham or browned sausage on top of the crescent rolls. Beat the eggs and milk together; set aside.

Layer the hash browns over the meat, season with salt & pepper

then pour the egg mixture over the hash browns.




Top with cheese.


Bake at 375* for 30 -45 minutes or until egg mixture is done. use a knife to check if casserole is completely cooked. Sometimes the middle can be a stickler when using a smaller dish. If the egg mixture is still a bit runny lower the temperature a bit and cook a little longer that is why the cooking time can vary from 30 - 45 minutes.


Let cool and cut into squares.



Grandma Mack’s Breakfast Casserole
Courtesy of Grandma Mary Mack, Elkhorn, Wisconsin

1 tube (8 oz.) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls
2 cups breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled or
(2 cups cubed fully cooked ham)
6 Eggs
1/2 cup milk
Dash of salt and pepper
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) Cheddar or Monetary Jack Cheese, shredded

Arrange the crescent rolls on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Place the ham on top of the crescent rolls. Beat the eggs and milk together; set aside. Layer the hash browns over the ham, season with salt & pepper then pour the egg mixture over the hash browns. Top with cheese. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Makes eight servings.

* Make sure to press the rolls together at the seams after unrolling the dough *

If cutting the recipe in half use a 8 x 8 inch pan. you will have two crescent triangles left over. Use 3 eggs cut the milk to 1/4 cup. Use the same amount of sausage, hash browns and cheese.

Sweet Cooked Apples

5 Apples peeled, cored and sliced (kind of thick)
(I used granny smith)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 - 3 tablespoons butter
1/2 - tablespoons cornstarch

Place apples in a 2 1/2 Quart Pot Combine sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and nutmeg. Sprinkle over apples add water and dot with butter. Cover and bring mixture to a slow boil, then turn the heat down on low and simmer until the apples are tender and the water has cooked down. Gently mix so you don't break the apples up. You can adjust the spices and sugar to your tasting you might want more. I think I added a little more cinnamon and sugar as the apples cooked.


click here to print recipe


~ Tina ~