Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

I used to think of biscuits and gravy as quintessential diner food. Something I would only tackle for myself (seemed like too much work) and certainly not something I would make at home to serve other people (seemed like it would take all morning!). Until now…

Instead of preparing this breakfast one plate at a time, this time around I prepared the fast and fabulous sausage gravy and spooned it over and between layers of canned biscuit dough, all in one easy dish.

Into the oven it went and out came the softest biscuits and most luscious gravy, with buttery tops to boot! Breakfast in a dish, placed smack dab in the middle of the table for all to dig into and, trust me, on weekend mornings it disappears FAST!

Why This Casserole Works

This recipe has two redeeming features over typical biscuit and gravy casseroles. First of all, the gravy is made from scratch.

This only takes three steps (brown sausage, stir in flour, whisk in milk and cook until thickened) and about 10 minutes, and is SO much better.

Secondly, this recipe avoids the problem of having a layer of doughy, soggy biscuits on the bottom (caused by ladling piping hot gravy over the top of the raw biscuit dough). The biscuits on the bottom of the casserole are given a jump start in the oven before the top biscuits and the sausage gravy are added.

Then everything bakes together and you have a winner. Easy, delicious, and only requires a skillet and baking dish! Makes 8.

The Ingredients

The list is short. Sausage and biscuits carry most of the flavor, so those are the two worth thinking about.

Breakfast Sausage

For 1 pound breakfast sausage: This will season the whole gravy so choose carefully!

I like to get a pound of sage breakfast sausage from the meat counter but if your store doesn’t have that then a tube of the regular or hot Jimmy Dean is fine. If you like things hot then use a hot/spicy breakfast sausage, that’s great too!

I would just stay away from mild Italian (the fennel isn’t good in a breakfast gravy) and the super cheapo generic brands which will leave the gravy kinda tasteless.

Flour

Three tablespoons of all-purpose flour thicken the gravy. It cooks right in the pan with the sausage and the fat, which makes a roux.

Whole Milk

You’ll need 2 1/2 cups whole milk for the gravy. It’s the whole milk that makes this dish so luscious and creamy.

Two percent will work, but the sauce won’t be as rich. Don’t use skim milk; your gravy will turn out too watery to coat the biscuits.

Cayenne, Salt and Black Pepper

Add a pinch of cayenne with the other seasonings. You won’t really taste it, it’s not really hot, but it adds a bit of warmth and without it, the gravy tastes kind of bland.

Finish it off with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sausage gravy needs LOTS of black pepper, more than you’d expect.

Taste it before putting it in the dish and adjust with salt and/or pepper as needed.

Canned Biscuits

One 16 oz can Pillsbury flaky biscuits, cut into quarters or sixths (the smaller the pieces, the more surfaces to soak up the gravy!)

I’m a huge fan of canned biscuits for this. They’re flaky and, honestly, I like them better than homemade.

Melted Butter

Two tablespoons of melted butter get brushed over the top layer of biscuits. It adds flavor and helps the top brown.

How to Make Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

Start by heating the oven to 375°F and spraying a large baking dish with cooking spray.

Brown the Sausage

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon until it forms small crumbles. The meat should be cooked until browned, not gray.

Drain off most of the excess grease, but leave about 1 tablespoon behind for the roux.

Make the Gravy

Sprinkle flour over sausage. Stir flour into the sausage. Cook, about 1 minute or until flour mixture is clumpy and pasty (this will cook out the raw flour flavor).

Add cayenne, salt and pepper. Add ALL of the milk AT ONCE, stirring constantly.

Stirring constantly bring to a boil. Lower heat, allow to simmer about 5 minutes or until gravy is thickened, stirring occasionally.

When done it will coat the back of a spoon. Another trick is to put a spoon on the bottom of the skillet and drag it upwards, you should be able to see where you dragged it through the gravy. When done take it off the heat.

Pre-Bake the Bottom Biscuits

Half of the pieces of biscuit should be laid down in a single layer on the bottom of your baking pan. Put them in the oven for a few minutes, about 3-4.

The biscuit pieces should puff up a bit around the edges and should mostly look set when you remove them from the oven. Pour the gravy over the biscuits.

Top and Bake

Scatter the remaining biscuits pieces over the top of the gravy. Brush with the melted butter.

Bake for 17 – 18 minutes, or until gravy is bubbling at edges and biscuits are golden.

Before removing casserole from the oven check to make sure biscuits at the bottom layer are done, as a tap with spoon should not feel squishy. If not cover casserole with foil and cook approx 5 minutes longer.

Remove casserole and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving, because this will help thicken the gravy some and will allow easier and neater servings.

Tips for Getting It Right

Sausage gravy is notorious for being underseasoned, so make sure it has enough salt and use more pepper than you think it needs. Whole milk tastes better and gives the gravy more body.

Pre-bake the bottom layer of biscuits just for a few minutes so that they’ll be sure to fully bake (and not taste steamed and doughy) in the casserole.

Give the flour a good minute of cooking with the sausage, which takes the edge off any pasty raw flour taste, and browns it ever so slightly for a toasty nutty flavor.

Brush the top biscuits with butter before baking for better browning. Let stand for 5 minutes after taking it out of the oven, to let the gravy thicken a bit and set up, making it easier to scoop into pieces.

Mistakes to Avoid

A couple common mistakes: The pan needs to be nice and hot before adding the sausage, otherwise you’ll get gray steamed sausage instead of browned sausage. Same thing happens if the pan is overcrowded.

The sausage needs space, time and medium-high heat to brown so that you have browned bits on the bottom of the pan, as those little browned pieces provide a lot of the flavor in the dish.

Common Mistake: Removing all fat after sausage is browned. Although you should pour out most of the grease, leave about a tablespoon in the pan for making the roux. Any more than that and the excess fat will just float on top of the gravy and give it a nasty greasy quality on the tongue.

You’ll also want to avoid adding the milk bit by bit, dump it all in at once, and stir vigorously.

Another common mistake is to take the gravy off the heat too soon because it should simmer for a full 5 minutes. This will result in a too-thin gravy which will soak into the biscuits, leaving you with a very soggy casserole.

Common Mistake: Not tasting the gravy before adding to the casserole dish. You won’t have a chance to fix the seasoning once the gravy is in the dish, so taste plenty while it’s still in the skillet.

Add more pepper, because you probably need more pepper than you think!

Choosing Your Biscuits

Flaky biscuits will tear apart into layers. This is desirable for the recipe. Buttermilk biscuits also work.

The Grands variety make the casserole more hearty and slightly thicker.

For the dough, you can use either store-brand refrigerated biscuits (totally OK) or homemade.

If you make them from scratch, I’d highly suggest giving the bottom biscuits (before you pile everything else on top of them) a head start in the oven for a few minutes so they’ll be more likely to cook through.

I do NOT suggest using crescent roll dough. When combined with the gravy, it turns to mush.

The Skillet

Any big ole’ skillet will work just fine for this recipe, but cast iron is definitely preferable because it holds onto the heat better.

That means more even browning on the sausage, and more opportunity for some tasty browned-on bits that will only improve the flavor of the gravy.

A 12″ skillet would be best. It’s big enough to work with but small enough to take to the table.

What to Serve With It

This casserole is hearty enough to be a complete meal. Hash brown potatoes on the side give it a delicious crunch.

For a more expansive brunch, you can serve it with scrambled eggs and fruit salad. This makes a great holiday brunch dish for Christmas morning, Easter, Mother’s Day … You name it!

It also goes right from the oven to the table.

Ways to Change It Up

Here are a few changes you might like to make:

• Spice it Up: use hot breakfast sausage and/or add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper or a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce to the gravy or dice up some jalapeños (or canned diced green chiles) and add them to the recipe.
• Make it Cheesy: stir 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese into the gravy and/or sprinkle some of the cheese on top of the pieces of biscuits.
• Make it Hearty: add 3 or 4 scrambled eggs, layering with the pieces of biscuits and sausage gravy.
• Make it Light(er): use turkey breakfast sausage, drain as much of the grease as humanly possible and make the gravy using 2% milk. The result is slightly less rich and creamy but still fine.
• Add Some Vegetables: saute diced onion and pepper (green, red … your choice!) and stir into the gravy.

Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating

This dish does keep well and can be made ahead! The gravy can be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

When ready to use it will be very thick, so warm it right up on the stovetop over low heat and add a little milk to thin it, if necessary, before using. In the morning just slice the biscuits and follow the directions to put it together, which only takes 5 minutes!

Leftovers covered tightly will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. As it sits the biscuits do get a little softer as they absorb the gravy and the flavor of it all melds together, and some people prefer eating this casserole this way!

To reheat one serving, transfer to a microwave safe dish, cover, and heat 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Can also be reheated in a skillet over low heat until heated through.

To reheat the entire casserole, if the gravy looks at all dry add a splash of milk and stir, cover casserole with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until hot all the way through.

Freezing

This casserole does not freeze well after being baked (biscuits will fall apart after being thawed). However the gravy does freeze well.

Allow to cool completely then place into a container or spoon into a zip top freezer bag and lay flat until frozen so they take up less room and stack nicely in freezer.

Gravy can be thawed in refrigerator overnight and reheated on the stove top (adding a splash of milk) and used to make a fresh casserole.

Using Up Extra Gravy

If you do make too much gravy don’t throw it out, it can be refrigerated and used for 3 days! Spoon it over:

• Toast
• Biscuits
• Scrambled eggs
• Mashed potatoes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make it with homemade biscuits?

Yes. However, I do pre-bake the first layer of biscuits for about 3 to 4 minutes (maybe 5 if your oven tends to run on the cooler side). Otherwise they will be a tad underdone.

Why are my bottom biscuits underdone?

They probably didn’t pre-bake long enough. Try to cover with foil (tight so as to hold in the steam) and bake about 5 minutes longer, checking to see if they are done cooking through.

How much grease to leave in skillet?

You want to drain most of it. Leave maybe a tablespoon, you do want some of the sausage flavor, but not so much as to make the casserole too greasy. If I see more than maybe 1/4″ deep I would pour it off.

Can I use turkey sausage?

Yes as long as it’s breakfast sausage (already seasoned). Plain ground turkey will not have enough flavor for the casserole to taste right.

Can I use ground beef?

You can, but I wouldn’t. I don’t think it would taste right to me. Doesn’t sound like breakfast gravy! 🙂

Can I double this recipe?

Sure just make sure your baking pan is big enough (at least a 9×13). Keep in mind it will take longer to cook.

Can I use 2% milk instead of whole?

Yes, the casserole will not be as rich and the gravy may be a tad thinner, but will still turn out ok. Skim will probably be too thin in my opinion (not coat the biscuits as well).

Can I assemble this dish and freeze for a later date?

I would recommend not freezing it. I think it will make the biscuits get soggy upon thawing. If you are looking for something to freeze, just freeze the gravy.