Sausage
$0.97per plate
Prep
15 min
Breakfast · Breakfast Casserole
Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
This biscuits and gravy casserole takes the diner plate apart and bakes it as one dish: quartered biscuits folded into thick peppery sausage gravy, topped with cheddar, and baked until the biscuit tops are golden and the gravy underneath is bubbling. It feeds eight for about $0.83 a plate. There is no egg custard in it, which is what separates it from every other breakfast casserole on the site. The structure comes from a flour-and-milk roux instead, so it stays a gravy dish rather than turning into a baked omelet. Cutting the biscuits before they bake is the important part: quartered pieces let gravy reach the middle instead of leaving raw dough under a browned dome. If you would rather have it the classic way, we also make sausage gravy over split biscuits, and there are more breakfast ideas priced per plate alongside it.
$0.83per plate
Estimated recipe total
$6.64 · serves 8
Cook
30 min
Total
50 min
Serves
8
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/biscuits-and-gravy-casserole
Equipment
- Large skillet
- 9x13 baking dish
Variations
- Use hot or sage sausage for a spicier or more traditional flavor.
- Fold in scrambled eggs with the biscuits for a heartier, all-in-one breakfast.
- Leave off the cheese for a plainer, more classic diner-style pan.
1 How to make it
1
Heat the oven and cut the biscuits
Heat the oven to 375 F and grease a 9x13 baking dish. Open the biscuits and cut each one into quarters. Cutting them is what lets the gravy get into the middle; whole biscuits bake into domes with raw dough underneath.
2
Brown the sausage
Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles, for 7 to 9 minutes, until browned with no pink left. Do not drain it. The rendered fat is the fat for the roux, which is where the gravy gets its flavor.
3
Make the gravy
Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until the flour disappears and smells toasted rather than raw. Pour in the milk a splash at a time at first, stirring after each addition so no lumps form, then add the rest. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the salt and pepper. It should be a little looser than you want to eat, because the biscuits drink some of it in the oven.
4
Combine and top
Take the skillet off the heat and fold in the quartered biscuits so every piece is coated in gravy. Scrape it all into the baking dish and spread it level, then scatter the cheddar across the top.
5
Bake until golden and bubbling
Bake uncovered 28 to 32 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned in spots, the gravy is bubbling at the edges, and the biscuit pieces are cooked through. Test by pulling a biscuit from the center apart with a fork; it should be fluffy and dry inside, not doughy. If the top is dark before the middle is done, tent with foil.
6
Rest, then serve
Let it stand 5 minutes so the gravy settles and thickens slightly, then spoon it out. Serve it with plenty of extra black pepper at the table, which is how biscuits and gravy is supposed to be eaten.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Homemade or frozen biscuits. Frozen biscuits work if you thaw them enough to cut. Homemade dough can be dropped over the gravy in spoonfuls instead of cut, though it needs 5 to 10 more minutes to bake through.
- Add eggs. For a heartier pan, scramble 6 eggs softly and fold them in with the biscuits. It changes the dish toward a standard breakfast bake, so add them only if you want that.
- Spicy or sage sausage. Hot sausage adds real heat and sage sausage leans more traditional. Both swap in one for one, and neither changes the method.
- Skip the cheese. Traditional biscuits and gravy has no cheese at all. Leave it off for a plainer, more classic pan; the casserole browns less on top but tastes closer to the diner version.
3 Budget tips
- A can of biscuits and a pound of sausage feed eight people here, which is the cheapest way to put a hot, filling breakfast in front of a crowd.
- Milk and flour do most of the stretching. Three cups of gravy turns one pound of sausage into a full pan.
- Store-brand sausage and store-brand biscuits both behave exactly the same in this dish and save close to a dollar together.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 3 days. The biscuits keep absorbing gravy as it sits, so leftovers are thicker and denser than the fresh pan.
Freezer
This one does not freeze well. Flour-thickened milk gravy separates and turns grainy when frozen and thawed, and the biscuit pieces go pasty. Make it the day you want it.
Reheating
Reheat a portion in the microwave for 60 to 90 seconds, adding a splash of milk first and stirring it in to loosen the gravy back up. In the oven, cover with foil and warm at 350 F for about 20 minutes.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
410
Protein
17g
Fat
27g
Carbs
23g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Values shift with the sausage and biscuits you use. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Why is my biscuits and gravy casserole doughy in the middle?
Usually the biscuits went in whole. Quartering them lets heat and gravy reach the middle of each piece. The other cause is pulling the pan when the top looks brown but the center has not caught up; test a biscuit from the middle with a fork and keep baking, tented with foil, until it is fluffy inside.
Should the gravy be thick before it goes in the oven?
Slightly looser than you would want to eat. The biscuits absorb gravy as they bake, so a gravy that is already thick in the skillet comes out of the oven pasty. It should coat a spoon but still pour easily.
Can you make biscuits and gravy casserole ahead?
You can make the sausage gravy up to two days ahead and refrigerate it, then reheat it with a splash of milk, fold in the biscuits, and bake. Do not assemble the whole thing ahead, because raw biscuit dough sitting in gravy turns gummy.
Can you freeze it?
We do not recommend it. Milk gravy thickened with flour separates and turns grainy after freezing, and the biscuit pieces soften into paste. This is a dish worth making the morning you want it.
How is the price per plate figured?
About $6.64 for the biscuits, sausage, flour, milk, cheddar, and seasoning, divided across eight servings, which is roughly $0.83 each. The sausage is the biggest line at $3.30 and the biscuits are next at $1.50.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 9x13 baking dish. A 9x13 dish is the standard size for casseroles and baked pasta, so one dish feeds the whole table. Best for casseroles, baked pasta, stuffed peppers, and baked oatmeal.
- Mixing bowls set. A set of nesting bowls handles prep, mixing, and marinades without dirtying every dish in the house. Best for mixing meatball and patty mixtures, tossing ingredients, and holding prepped components.
- Measuring cups and spoons set. A basic set of measuring cups and spoons keeps amounts consistent, which keeps budget recipes reliable. Best for rice, liquids, and any recipe where the ratio matters.
- Instant-read meat thermometer. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of doneness, so lean or cheap cuts stay juicy instead of overcooking. Best for chicken, pork, and meatloaf, where a few degrees decides juicy or dry.
This one is also part of our American Comfort Classics collection.
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