Apple Sausage Hash Casserole {keto, paleo, Whole 30}

There’s no better start to a holiday morning than with a warm breakfast casserole, like this hearty and sweet apple sausage hash casserole recipe!

For Mother’s Day, I made brunch for my family and created my Mexican Egg Hash Casserole.

It went over so well that I decided to do brunch for our Father’s Day get together!  

Of course I couldn’t make the same recipe, so it was back to the drawing board for some new flavors. 

I actually took a recipe for apple sausage patties and instead of making them into patties, I left it as sausage crumbles for the base of this recipe.  

Apple Sausage Hash Casserole Recipe Variations

You could make this recipe faster by using pre-made sausage instead of starting with plain ground pork. 

Just make sure you omit the cumin and ground mustard if you are using a sausage that’s seasoned.

Using Italian sausage would also be a way to change the flavor.

You could also switch the cumin and ground mustard for a tablespoon of Italian seasoning for a different flavor.

This casserole could also handle a lot more vegetables if you wanted!

Our favorite vegetables to add are diced bell pepper, chopped celery, or sliced mushrooms.

How to Make Keto-Friendly Apple Sausage Hash Casserole

As many of you know if you have been following my blog, I’m a keto girl turned more into a whole foods diet.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to get over the carb load of sweet potatoes, so you can make this with no potatoes as well if you are on the keto track!

You can also make this with less sweet potatoes to lower the carb count as well. 

And to totally change the carb load up, swap out the sweet potatoes for one head of cauliflower that has been riced.

Follow the directions using raw cauli-rice, so start by sauteing the cauli-rice in the melted butter in    Step 3.

To add more fat, mix in 8 ounces of cream cheese with the sausage mixture to cream things up a bit.

And don’t hold back on the cheese for the topping!

How to Make Paleo/Whole 30 Friendly Apple Sausage Hash Casserole

With a few modifications, this casserole is perfect for a paleo or whole 30 diet!

I use butter for almost everything, but it’s very easy to swap out the butter with avocado oil.

The recipe also lists shredded cheese to go on top, but this casserole is delicious without the cheese!

With just those two changes, this casserole easily fits the Whole 30 and paleo diet.

How to Make Apple Sausage Hash Casserole Ahead of Time

Egg casseroles are perfect dishes to make ahead of time!

I always love a brunch recipe that I can make ahead of time, that way there’s less prep time in the morning.

When I host a brunch, I save those precious morning moments for last minute things like making hot chocolate and cutting up fresh fruit!

If you plan to serve the egg casserole within a few days, you have two options which I have detailed here.

Otherwise, if it’s going to be more than 3 days before you want to serve the casserole, I would read further down for directions on how to freeze the casserole and plan to thaw it accordingly.

Option 1: Leave the casserole unbaked (my preferred option)

This is my preferred make ahead option, but it’s not the only one!

Prepare the entire casserole, and then WAIT to bake the dish.

Just cover the pan with Bee’s Wrap or foil and place in the refrigerator.

Remember not to set anything on top of it, or else you will have an egg-y mess on your hands!

About 45 minutes before you want to serve the egg casserole, turn the oven to 350 degrees and pull the casserole out of the fridge.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the middle is set.

Serve hot!

Option 2: Bake the casserole and reheat it later

Prepare and completely bake the casserole.

Let the casserole cool all the way.

Then cover it with Bee’s Wrap or foil and store it in the fridge.

About a half hour before you want to actually serve the egg casserole, pull it back out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter while the oven preheats.

Then, reheat in the oven at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

Reheating at the lower temperature will allow it to reheat all the way through, but not totally dry everything out.

The risk of drying out the eggs is always my top concern when reheating egg casserole, which is why this is my least favorite make ahead option.

How to Freeze and Reheat Apple Sausage Hash Casserole

If you want to make this egg casserole more than a few days ahead of time, freezing the casserole is the perfect solution!

There are a couple of options if you want to freeze it.

Option 1: Freeze the casserole without the eggs (My preferred method)

Make the casserole all the way up to the point where you would add the eggs, BUT WAIT TO ADD THE EGGS AND CHEESE.

To freeze, wrap the top with something a bit heavier duty like aluminum foil and place in the freezer.

Two days before you want to eat the egg casserole, remove it from the freezer and put it in the fridge.

You can pull this out of the freezer the day before, but it may not have thawed completely before you want to warm it back up.

About a half hour before you want to actually serve the egg casserole, pull it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes to let the pan warm up a little bit.

After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

At this time, whisk up the eggs and pour them on top of the casserole.

Then top with the shredded cheese if using.

When the oven is ready, bake for 35-40 minutes.

Option 2: Freeze the entire casserole unbaked

This is VERY similar to option 1.

The only difference is that you would go ahead and add the eggs and cheese.

Then you would put foil on top of the casserole and freeze it.

My only concern with this method is sometimes freezing raw eggs can do wonky things with them

This is why I prefer the first option.

But if you are afraid you will forget to add the eggs and cheese on top, this might be the way to go for you.

To cook, thaw and bake as in option 1.

Option 3: Freeze the casserole completely baked (GREAT lunch option!)

So there is an option to freeze this as a completely baked casserole.

I use this method when I’m saving a few of the leftover pieces for lunch portions, but you can also freeze the entire casserole.

The only downside to this method is that the egg casserole can let off a little water when you reheat it, but that’s normal and will not affect the flavor at all!

For me, I just don’t like the aesthetics of it if I’m serving it to others, but it doesn’t bother me at all for lunch portions!

To freeze, wrap the top with something a bit heavier duty like aluminum foil and place in the freezer.

Two days before you want to eat the egg casserole, remove it from the freezer and put it in the fridge.

You can pull this out of the freezer the day before, but it may not thaw completely before you want to warm it back up (again, not a big deal for just a lunch portion).

About a half hour before you want to actually serve the egg casserole, pull it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes to let the dish warm up a little bit.

This will also help it finishing thawing if any of the egg casserole is still frozen.

After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 300 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes.

For lunch portions, use the toaster oven at work or the microwave.

Cook time will depend on if the casserole was completely thawed before reheating.

Apple Sausage Hash Casserole {keto, paleo, Whole 30}

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• Author: Monster Cookie
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 12 servings 1x

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Description

There’s no better start to your morning than with a warm breakfast casserole, like this hearty and sweet apple sausage hash casserole recipe!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 medium sweet potatoes (or 1 large head of cauliflower, riced for keto)
• 12 Tablespoons butter + 1 Tablespoon (or avocado oil for paleo/Whole 30)
• 2 teaspoons salt (divided) 
• 2 pounds pork (you can also use beef or do a 50/50 split if you aren’t a big fan of pork) 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder) 
• 1 medium onion, chopped (or ½ teaspoon onion powder) 
• 1 Tablespoon cumin 
• ¼ teaspoon ground mustard 
• 2 Granny Smith apples, chopped 
• 12 eggs
• 8 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese (omit for paleo/Whole 30) 
• (Optional) Top with chopped green onions 

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. Shred the sweet potatoes in a food processor or with a hand grater. 
3. Melt 12 Tablespoons of butter in a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook until soft (about 8 minutes). Layer into the bottom of a deep sided 9×13” casserole dish. 
4. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the other 1 Tablespoon of butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes until fragrant and softened. 
5. Add the cumin, ground mustard, pork, and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt to the skillet and cook until the meat is browned. 
6. Add the chopped apple and cook 5 minutes, or until the apple is slightly softened.
7. Layer the pork and apple mixture on top of the sweet potatoes. 
8. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Pour the eggs over the top of the beef mixture and shake the pan slightly to help the eggs settle into the cracks. Top with cheese, if using. 
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the eggs are set in the middle (just give the pan a jiggle and see if the middle wiggles) and the top is golden brown. 

Notes

Storage: If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy leftovers either cold or reheated in the oven! Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until hot all the way through!

Freezing: This recipe can also be frozen. I like to freeze in individual portions and then get them out the night before I want to eat them. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes if thawed, or even longer if the casserole was still somewhat or mostly frozen when you put it in the oven. Reheat until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees!

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes