These easy Breakfast Enchiladas are filled with sausage, eggs, peppers, and cheese, then topped with both red and green enchilada sauce. Bake them right away, or assemble them the night before for an easy make-ahead breakfast.
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🔎 Quick Look: Breakfast Enchiladas
⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 1 hour
🕒 Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
👥 Servings: 8
🌯 Filling: Breakfast sausage, bell peppers, and cheddar cheese
🍳 Eggs: No scrambling needed- the egg custard cooks and firms up inside the enchiladas
🌶️ Enchilada Sauce: Red and green, or use your favorite
❄️ Make Ahead: Assemble breakfast casserole the night before and refrigerate, or bake right away
⭐ Difficulty: Easy
❤️ Why You'll Love It: Cheesy, hearty breakfast enchiladas with savory sausage and two enchilada sauces. They're easy enough for a weekend breakfast and can be made ahead for an effortless brunch.
A Note from my Kitchen
When creating these Breakfast Enchiladas, I tested the recipe several different ways. My first batch included hash browns because I thought potatoes would make the enchiladas extra hearty and filling. In theory, it sounded delicious. But after testing them, I found the potatoes made the filling a little too soft without adding the extra flavor I was looking for. I left them out of the next batch and liked the enchiladas much better.
Then came the great enchilada sauce debate! I made one batch with green enchilada sauce and another with red. My husband and I really enjoyed both and couldn't decide which one we liked better. So instead of choosing, I decided to use both, red sauce over half and green sauce over the other.
This is sometimes called "Christmas-style" enchiladas, and it turned out to be our favorite version. You get a little of both flavors, and the red and green sauces make the finished dish look beautiful. Of course, if you prefer one enchilada sauce over the other, simply use your favorite over the entire dish.
One thing that makes the recipe a little easier than other breakfast enchiladas is how the egg mixture cooks. Instead of scrambling the eggs before filling the tortillas, you simply pour the egg custard over the rolled enchiladas. As they bake, the tortillas absorb some of the custard, allowing the eggs to firm up inside the enchiladas. It sounds a little unusual, but it works beautifully and saves you an extra step.
I hope you love these as much as we do. Enjoy! Xoxo -Katie.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
You will need the following ingredients to make breakfast enchiladas.
- Eggs - The eggs combine with the half-and-half to create a creamy custard that cooks and firms up inside the enchiladas as they bake. There is no need to scramble the eggs first.
- Green onions - Add fresh onion flavor and a pop of color. You can leave them out if you do not like onions.
- Breakfast sausage - Use mild or hot breakfast sausage depending how much spice you like. Pork, turkey, or chicken breakfast sausage will all work. You can also substitute with cooked chorizo.
- Green and red bell pepper - Add flavor, color, and a little texture to the sausage filling. I like using both for the combination of colors, but you can use just one if that's what you have on hand.
- Cheddar cheese - I use cheddar cheese for its sharp flavor and melt. Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, or a Mexican cheese blend would also work well.
- Half-and-half - Whisked with the eggs, half-and-half creates the creamy custard that cooks inside the tortillas. Heavy cream can be substituted for an even richer filling. I do not recommend using milk, as the additional water can make the enchiladas softer and the egg mixture not set as firmly.
- Flour tortillas - I recommend 8-inch flour tortillas because they roll easily and hold up well to the egg mixture. I tested this recipe with low-carb tortillas and found that they became too soft and soggy, particularly when reheated, so regular flour tortillas give the best results.
- Red enchilada sauce and green enchilada sauce - I use both sauces, pouring red over one half of the enchiladas and green over the other. This gives you the best of both flavors and makes a beautiful presentation. However, if you prefer one enchilada sauce over the other, simply use your favorite over the entire dish.
*The full recipe with ingredient measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
How to Make Breakfast Enchiladas
Follow these simple steps to make breakfast enchiladas.
- Crumble and cook the breakfast sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the diced red and green bell peppers and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the sausage and pepper mixture with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish. Spoon ⅛ of the sausage mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tightly and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper. Pour evenly over the enchiladas. At this point, you can cover the dish and refrigerate overnight or bake immediately.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the red enchilada sauce over one half of the enchiladas and the green enchilada sauce over the other half. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with sliced green onions. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, or until the egg mixture is set and cheese is melted.
- Remove the casserole from the oven. Let the breakfast enchiladas rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve as is or garnish with your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, avocado, and jalapeños.
Watch how to Make
What can I do with leftover enchilada sauce?
Since this recipe uses both red and green sauce, you may have some of each left over. Don't throw away the leftover enchilada sauce. Refrigerate it for another meal or freeze it in small portions for later. I like to spoon leftover red or green enchilada sauce over eggs, breakfast burritos, nachos, tacos, or quesadillas. They also can add extra flavor to Mexican rice, chili, or taco soup.
Can you use the low-carb tortillas?
I tested this recipe with the low-carb tortillas, but I found that regular flour tortillas gave much better results. The low-carb tortillas were slightly soggy when freshly baked and became even softer when reheated as leftovers. For that reason, I recommend sticking with regular flour tortillas. If you do not mind the texture, and choose to use low-carb tortillas, bake the enchiladas right away rather than assembling them ahead of time.
Can I make breakfast enchiladas the night before?
Yes. Assemble the breakfast enchiladas through the egg-mixture step, cover, and refrigerate overnight. When you're ready to bake, add the red and enchilada sauces, cheese, and green onions, then bake as directed. You can also bake them immediately if you don't need to make them ahead.
If you make these Breakfast Enchiladas, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think! I would love to hear from you, and so would my readers.
📖 Recipe
Breakfast Enchiladas with Sausage, Eggs, and Cheese
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 8 flour tortillas 8 inches
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1½ cups Half and Half
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cup green onions sliced
- 5 ounces red enchilada sauce
- 5 ounces green enchilada sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional toppings such as salsa, sour cream, avocado
Instructions
- Crumble and cook the 1 pound breakfast sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the diced 1 red bell pepper and 1 green bell pepper and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the sausage and pepper mixture with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish. Spoon ⅛ of the sausage mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tightly and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the 6 eggs, 1½ cups Half and Half, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the enchiladas. At this point, you can cover the dish and refrigerate overnight or bake immediately.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the 5 ounces red enchilada sauce over one half of the enchiladas and the 5 ounces green enchilada sauce over the other half. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese. Top with sliced ¾ cup green onions. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, or until the egg mixture is set and cheese is melted.
- Remove the casserole from the oven. Let the breakfast enchiladas rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve as is or garnish with your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, avocado, and jalapeños.
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