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This breakfast lasagna is a crowd-friendly recipe with bacon, breakfast sausage, white sauce, and lasagna noodles. It’s layer upon layer of my brunch favorites in one baking dish! Best of all, just like a classic lasagna, you can assemble this breakfast version ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it for later.
Lasagna That You Can Eat For Breakfast or Brunch
While I swear I could eat classic lasagna for breakfast, I can’t think of a better day-after-the-party brunch than a slice of warm, cheesy breakfast lasagna and a Bloody Mary. There’s something about layers of savory breakfast sausage, bacon, three types of cheese, pasta, and veggies that can instantly bring me back to life.
A side of breakfast potatoes doesn’t hurt, either. Of course, this easy brunch lasagna goes just as wonderfully with a mimosa or even a refreshing glass of agua fresca.
Why This Breakfast Lasagna Belongs On Your Table
- Easier than dinnertime lasagna. While traditional lasagna often calls for hours of simmering to make a meat sauce or ragu for the filling, this breakfast lasagna is the opposite. It takes minutes to prep, and then into the oven it goes.
- All your breakfast favorites in one slice. This recipe has salty bacon, savory sausage, eggs, veggies, and plenty of cheese layered in a casserole dish with white sauce. One slice, and breakfast or brunch is sorted!
- Make-ahead. Like my breakfast casserole, you can assemble your lasagna the night before. Wrap it to keep in the fridge, and it’s ready to bake first thing in the morning. Just add a few extra minutes to the baking time to take the chill off.
Recipe Ingredients
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy breakfast lasagna recipe. Scroll to the recipe card for the full list and amounts.
- Bacon – You can use slices of streaky bacon or smoked bacon.
- Breakfast Sausage – If the sausage is in casings, you’ll need to remove them. You can also substitute the breakfast sausage with chopped, pre-cooked ham. Since the ham is already cooked, you can skip the browning step and toss it with the cooked bacon, spinach, and peppers.
- Onion – Chopped finely. Use shallots for a milder flavor.
- Fresh Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers – These are my veggies of choice for this casserole, but the recipe is very flexible. I’ll use a jar of marinated roasted red peppers or pimento peppers and chop them. Other times, I use a few spoonfuls of red pepper relish. If you’re using frozen spinach instead of fresh, thaw it completely and squeeze out the excess moisture beforehand.
- Milk and Half-and-Half – Any kind of milk will work, and you can swap half-and-half with heavy cream if you’d prefer a richer sauce.
- Flour – All-purpose is best to thicken the cream sauce.
- Eggs – Lightly beat the eggs to combine.
- Cheese – I use a mix of shredded cheddar, Mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. For the meltiest results, grate the cheeses fresh from the block. However, packaged, pre-shredded cheese will also work in this recipe.
- Lasagna Sheets – I love to cook with fresh lasagna sheets, but you can use dried if needed. If you’re using dry lasagna noodles, boil them according to the package directions. Alternatively, you can increase the baking time by 10 minutes.
Can I Use No-Boil Lasagna Sheets?
Sure. If fresh lasagna sheets aren’t available where you are, oven-ready (no-boil) lasagna noodles will work instead. In this case, I recommend increasing the milk in the recipe by ¼ cup and adding a bit more sauce between the layers. The lasagna noodles need to be well-covered as they’ll soak up more sauce than fresh ones. After baking, allow the breakfast lasagna to rest and set up for 5-10 minutes so it’s easy to slice.
Temper the Eggs to Avoid Curdling
The quick white sauce in this recipe is similar to béchamel, with the addition of eggs. The egg in the sauce helps thicken and bind the ingredients, and makes the lasagna sliceable. To avoid scrambling the eggs when you whisk them into the simmering sauce, you can temper them separately using some of the warm milk mixture. Whisk ½ cup of the warm milk mixture into the beaten eggs, and then pour them back into the skillet.
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Breakfast Lasagna
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon slices, or smoked bacon
- 1 pound breakfast sausage, or ¾ pounds chopped pre-cooked ham
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 4 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, chopped
- 3 cups milk
- 1 cup half and half
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs, beaten to break up the yolks
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 9 lasagna sheets, cooked according to the package directions
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350ºF, pull out a 9×13-inch baking dish, and grab a large skillet.
- Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon in the skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Crumble the bacon and set it aside in a bowl. Drain most of the bacon fat, but reserve 2 tablespoons in the skillet.
- Cook the onions, sausage, and veggies. Cook the onions in the bacon fat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently until softened. Add the breakfast sausage and cook it until browned, breaking up the lumps with a wooden spoon. Then, stir in the spinach and roasted peppers. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the bacon and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Make the sauce. Add 2 cups of milk to the same skillet, and stir in the half-and-half. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining milk with the flour until smooth to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the skillet with the milk and half-and-half cream mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, whisking constantly. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to stand for a few minutes. Gradually whisk in the eggs, whisking continuously so they don't scramble. Then add the cheddar cheese. It doesn't matter if the cheese doesn't melt completely; it will melt while it bakes.
- Assemble the lasagna. Spread ½ cup of the cheese sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange three lasagna sheets over the sauce. Top the lasagna noodles with ⅓ of the sausage mixture and ⅓ of the mozzarella. Repeat layers until you use up all of the ingredients, making sure the mozzarella is the last layer. Finally, add the parmesan on top.
- Bake. Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, uncovered. If the top is browning too quickly, cover the lasagna with aluminum foil halfway through baking.
- Rest, then serve. Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Equipment
Notes
- Instead of breakfast sausage, you can use the chopped pre-cooked ham. If you are using ham, toss it with cooked and crumbled bacon, spinach, and roasted peppers.
- You can temper your eggs with some warm milk sauce to avoid curdling. Add ½ cup of the milk sauce into the bowl with eggs, then pour the eggs back into the milk mixture.
- Instead of roasted peppers, you can use jarred pimentos.
- If you notice your lasagna is browning too much, cover it halfway through baking with aluminum foil.
- Instead of onions, you can use shallots for a milder onion flavor.
- If you’re using fresh lasagna noodles, you don’t have to precook them. If you are using dry noodle sheets, make sure to cook them first, or increase the baking time by 10 minutes. No-boil lasagna sheets will also work, but add about 1/4 cup more milk to the sauce mixture.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Breakfast Lasagna
- Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon in a skillet, or cook a batch of air fryer bacon until crispy. Afterward, crumble the bacon and set it aside.
- Cook the sausage and veggies. Cook the onions in a couple of spoonfuls of leftover bacon fat until softened, then add the sausage, breaking it up while it cooks. Lastly, stir in the spinach and red peppers. After the spinach has wilted, transfer the sausage mixture to the same bowl as the bacon.
- Make the sauce. To the same skillet, add milk and half-and-half. Whisk additional milk with flour to make a slurry, then add this to the skillet. Whisk and season the sauce, and bring it to a simmer. Cook, continuing to whisk, until the sauce thickens. Then, take the sauce off the heat.
- Add the eggs. When the sauce has cooled slightly, slowly stream in the eggs while whisking. This way, they won’t scramble. Lastly, stir in the shredded cheddar. Don’t worry if the cheese doesn’t melt fully here. The oven will take care of that.
- Assemble the lasagna. While the oven heats to 350ºF, spread about ½ cup of cheese sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Add three lasagna sheets over the sauce, followed by ⅓ of the sausage mixture and ⅓ of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers until you’ve used up your ingredients. Make sure to end with a layer of mozzarella, and sprinkle over the Parmesan.
- Bake it. This breakfast lasagna goes into the oven at 350ºF for 45 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and bubbly. If you notice the top is browning too quickly, cover the lasagna with aluminum foil halfway through baking. Afterward, let it rest for 10-15 minutes outside of the oven before slicing. Enjoy!
Can I Freeze This Breakfast Lasagna?
Absolutely! While the cooked leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, you can freeze this breakfast lasagna, baked or unbaked. Wrap the lasagna tightly in two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze it for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, thaw it completely in the fridge. Reheat or bake the lasagna in a 350ºF oven until it’s cooked throughout.
