A good breakfast skillet is one of those meals that just makes sense. Everything cooks in one pan, it feeds the whole family, and there's something for everybody in it. Potatoes, sausage, eggs, cheese. What more do you need?
This one is loaded with Yukon Gold potatoes, breakfast sausage, onion and green bell pepper, a good Cajun seasoning, and plenty of cheddar with eggs baked right on top. It's filling, it's easy, and it only takes one skillet to make.
Do you love a hearty Southern breakfast? You should try our Sausage Gravy or our Crustless Breakfast Quiche!
Why You'll Love This Breakfast Skillet
- One Pan – Everything cooks in the same skillet, so there's a lot less to clean up afterward.
- Filling – With sausage, potatoes, and eggs, this one will keep everybody full for a good while.
- Customizable – Swap the cheese, change up the toppings, or adjust the spice to suit your family.
Ingredients Needed
- Breakfast Sausage – I used a full pound of ground breakfast sausage, mild. Use hot sausage if your family likes more spice. You can use as little as ½ pound.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes – I like Yukon Golds for this recipe, but you can use red (new) potatoes or fingerlings if that's what you have on hand.
- Onion and Green Bell Pepper – A classic pairing for a breakfast skillet.
- Garlic – Just one clove, minced.
- Tony Chachere's – This is my go-to Cajun seasoning for this recipe, but any Cajun or Creole blend will work, or you can just use salt and pepper. Our homemade blackened seasoning is excellent here too.
- Eggs – Baked right on top so everyone gets their own.
- Cheddar Cheese – I used cheddar, but see the substitution ideas below if you want to switch it up.
How to Make a Breakfast Skillet
- Cook the sausage. Brown it in your skillet, crumbling as you go, then set it aside and leave the fat behind.
- Cook the potatoes. Add them to the skillet and season with Tony Chachere's. Let them get a good crust before stirring.
- Add the onion and pepper. Cook until softened, then stir in the garlic.
- Add the sausage back in and stir everything together.
- Add the cheese, then the eggs. Sprinkle on the cheddar, make a few wells, and crack in your eggs.
- Bake until the eggs are done the way you like them.
Sara's Pro Tips
- Dice your potatoes small. True ½-inch cubes are what you're after here. Much bigger than that, and you'll end up with potatoes that are still hard in the middle while everything else is ready to go.
- Don't disturb the potatoes too soon. Leaving them alone in the hot skillet is what gives them a good crust. Let them sit, then flip.
- Stop the potatoes early. Pull them off the heat just shy of fork-tender. They'll keep cooking once the skillet goes in the oven, and you don't want mushy potatoes by the time the eggs are done.
- Watch your eggs closely. Ovens vary, and eggs go from runny to overdone fast. Start checking at the 8-minute mark if you like a runny yolk.
More Breakfast Skillet Ideas
Once you've got the basic method down, a breakfast skillet is easy to make your own. Here are a few breakfast skillet ideas to make it your own:
- Change up the cheese – Cheddar is what I went with, but Pepper Jack or a Mexican blend would be great, too!
- add some heat – a diced jalapeño or a few dashes of hot sauce stirred in with the vegetables.
- Make it Tex-Mex – stir in a can of drained black beans before adding the eggs, and top with avocado and salsa once it's out of the oven.
- Swap the meat – crumbled bacon or diced ham both work in place of (or alongside) the sausage.
- Use different potatoes – frozen diced hash browns will save you some prep time.
- Add more veggies – mushrooms, spinach, or diced tomatoes can be stirred in with the bell pepper and onion.
Optional Toppings
Set these out and let everyone top their own bowl:
- Sliced avocado
- Salsa
- Hot sauce
- Sour cream
- Sliced jalapeño
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Sliced green onions
Storage Information
Store any leftover breakfast skillet in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, or warm everything back up in a skillet over medium-low heat until heated through.
Keep in mind that baked eggs don't reheat quite as well as freshly cooked ones. The yolks will firm up further once reheated, even if they started out runny. This dish is really at its best fresh out of the oven.
Recipe FAQs
Nope. Cast iron gives you the best crust on the potatoes, but any oven-safe 10-inch skillet will work just fine.
I wouldn't because they tend to get a little soft. You can use red/new potatoes or fingerling potatoes, though!
Any Cajun or Creole seasoning blend will do the trick. You could also use a seasoning salt if that's what you've got on hand.
Want more Breakfast Recipes?
- How to Make Old Fashioned Sausage Gravy
- Sausage Balls (A Family Tradition)
- Cheesy Grits Bowls
- Crustless Breakfast Quiche
📖 Recipe
Breakfast Skillet with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
- 1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes about 5 medium, diced into ½-inch cubes
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Tony Chachere's or favorite Cajun/Creole seasoning, to taste
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it into crumbles, until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Add the potatoes in a single layer and season with Tony Chachere's. Cook undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes to brown, then stir and cook 3 to 4 more minutes until just shy of fork-tender.
- Push potatoes to the edges and add onion and bell pepper to the center. Sauté 3 minutes, then stir together. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add the sausage back to the skillet and stir to combine. Spread into an even layer.
- Sprinkle cheddar evenly over the skillet. Make 4 wells and crack an egg into each. Season eggs lightly with Tony Chachere's.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes for runny yolks, or 12 to 14 minutes for fully set yolks.
- Serve hot, straight from the skillet.
Tell us what you think!