Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is brimming with eggs, sausage and cheese making it a perfect one dish meal for not only breakfast but also anytime you’re craving a super yummy dish. It’s easy to make and the leftovers are amazing.
This Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is perfect for any occasion, whether it be a simple family breakfast or a special Mother’s Day Bruch.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is simple and straightforward to prepare. You just need to layer the ingredients and bake the dish, making it an excellent option for both beginners and experienced cooks.
- Make-ahead convenience: Prepare the casserole the night before and refrigerate it, then pop it in the oven in the morning for a stress-free, hot breakfast.
- Great for leftovers: The casserole is just as delicious when reheated, making it perfect for a quick breakfast or lunch throughout the week.
- Perfect for special occasions: This casserole is an excellent choice for holidays, brunches, and family gatherings, as it can easily feed a large group.
Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need
I suspect that you have most, if not all, of the ingredients for this delicious casserole on hand.
Tater Tots: Who doesn’t love tater tots made from grated potatoes with a crunchy coating on the little cylinders?
Sausage: I like to use hot or spicy sausage, but you can use whatever type of bulk breakfast sausage you desire.
Veggies: To add flavor to this casserole, I used onions, red bell pepper, jalapeño peppers, and garlic sautéed in some butter. The red bell pepper was more for color than anything else. Therefore you could definitely use green bell pepper if that’s what you have on hand.
Cheese: I like to use both extra sharp cheddar cheese in the casserole for its flavor and Colby Jack cheese on top for contrast. However, you could use just cheddar cheese or mix and match different cheeses.
The Custard: The custard made with eggs, milk, half and half seasoned with salt and pepper, holds the casserole together.
Steps: Making the Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
When I make this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole right before baking it, I like to cook the tater tots according to the package directions.
If I make the casserole the night before, then I just use the frozen tater tots.
Either way, the tater tots somewhat lose their shape and blend with the other ingredients.
- I started by browning the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the sausage was nicely browned, I drained it on paper towels and set it aside.
- I wiped out the pan used for cooking the sausage and added some butter.
Once the butter was melted, I added the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers.
I sautéed the veggies over medium heat until they started to become tender. This took 7 to 8 minutes.
Next, I added the garlic and cooked the mixture for another 30 seconds or so until the garlic was fragrant.
- Once the veggies were tender, I transferred them to a bowl to cool slightly.
- Once the veggies were cooked, I made the custard by whisking together the eggs, milk, half and half, salt, and pepper. I used a large measuring cup for this to make it easy to pour the final mixture.
- For the final preparation step, I added the cooked veggies and the shredded cheddar cheese to the custard. I stirred the mixture to make sure that everything was well combined.
- To put the Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole together, I started by adding the Tater Tots to a casserole dish that I had sprayed with non-stick spray. Then, I topped the tater tots with the cooked sausage.
- Next, I poured the custard mixture over the tater tots and sausage and spread the mixture so that it was even.
- I covered the dish with aluminum foil and popped it into a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, I removed the casserole from the oven and topped it with the shredded Colby Jack cheese. I returned the casserole to the 350°F oven for another 10 minutes until the cheese was melted and bubbly.
Yummy Breakfast Casserole
Talk about amazing. All of the flavors of the Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole perfectly complemented one another. The leftovers were equally amazing. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Although my preference is to cook the tater tots before adding them to the casserole, you can either cook the tater tots according to package directions or add them uncooked to the casserole. Either way, the tater tots tend to disintegrate somewhat, adding a delicious taste and texture to the casserole.
I like to use Jimmy Dean Hot sausage in this casserole but feel free to use whatever sausage you like.
The red bell pepper primarily provides color to the casserole. Therefore, you can definitely use green bell pepper in place of red bell pepper. Also, you can use green bell pepper in place of the jalapeño pepper.
Half and half adds some richness to the casserole. However, you can definitely substitute milk for the half and half.
The cheese used in this casserole is a personal preference. I personally like the tang of extra sharp cheddar cheese and the contrast that Colby Jack provides. However, regular cheddar cheese can also be used. Also, you can use the same type of cheese for the top of the casserole as you use in the casserole. If you’d like more zip, you could use pepper jack cheese. Bottom line, use whatever type of cheese you like.
This casserole makes a lot. Therefore, it’s not unusual to have leftovers. Actually, the leftovers are excellent. I like to warm the leftovers in the microwave for a minute or two.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- I’m a huge fan of Tater Tots and prefer this breakfast casserole over the more traditional breakfast casserole using bread.
- This recipe is easily customizable. For example, you can substitute bacon or diced ham for the sausage. You can also mix and match the cheeses. For a spicer casserole, use Pepper Jack cheese. You can also use Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese. Just make sure that you use quality cheeses that easily melt.
- I like to wait to add the cheese on top of the casserole. This way, the cheese on top is ooey gooey and less likely to become crusty.
- If you make this casserole ahead of time, cover it with aluminum foil and refrigerate. Allow it to come to room temperature before baking it.
Other Delicious Breakfast Recipes
If you’re looking for other awesome ideas for breakfast, check out these tried and true recipes. They are some of my favorites!
Breakfast Tortilla Hack: Breakfast Tortilla Hack is a new way to wrap a flour tortilla around yummy breakfast ingredients.
Tasty Breakfast Quesadilla Wraps: Move over Taco Bell, there’s a new and better Breakfast Crunchwrap® wannabe in town! Tasty Breakfast Quesadilla Wraps are Oh So much better. Imagine melty cheese, crunchy hash browns, and scrambled eggs, topped with crispy bacon and Pico de Gallo wrapped in a flour tortilla and cooked to perfection!
Classic Eggs Benedict: Eggs Benedict is the quintessential dish served at a Jazz Brunch in New Orleans.
Sous Vide Bacon and Gruyère Egg Cups: Sous Vide Bacon and Gruyère Egg Cups are amazingly delicious, easy to make, and quite versatile. With their velvety texture, they’re perfect for an elegant breakfast, light brunch, or a take-along breakfast. In addition, they can be refrigerated and reheated with no loss of flavor.
Make-Ahead Sausage ‘n Cheese Breakfast Casserole: This easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole is loaded with savory sausage and cheese. It takes minutes to put together and can be made the night before and baked in the morning.
Eggs Benedict on Hash Brown Rounds: Eggs Benedict on Hash Brown Rounds is the ultimate in decadence that is certain to become the star of your brunch table. Crispy homemade hash brown rounds replace the traditional English muffins to provide an amazing crunch and taste to this otherwise traditional fare.
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Recipe
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (about 4 cups) frozen tater tots, cooked according to package directions (See Tip 1)
- 16 ounces bulk breakfast sausage (See Tip 2)
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped (about ½ cup) (See Tip 3)
- 2 medium jalapeño peppers, seeds and membrane removed, finely chopped (about ¼ cup) See Tip 3)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 5 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup half and half (See Tip 4)
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
- 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (See Tip 5)
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Colby Jack cheese (See Tip 6)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a shallow 2 ½ quart casserole dish or a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Brown sausage over medium heat, about 10 minutes. Drain well on paper towels.
- Wipe out the skillet used to brown the sausage with paper towels. Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, red bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers; sauté until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Transfer vegetables to a bowl to cool.
- Whisk together eggs, milk, half and half, salt, and pepper in a large measuring cup or bowl. Add cooked vegetables and 1 ½ cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add tater tots to the prepared casserole dish. Top with cooked sausage. Pour egg custard mixture over tater tots and sausage. Spread to even out.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and remove aluminum foil. Sprinkle on 1 cup of shredded Colby Jack cheese. Return, uncovered, to 350°F oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Yield: 8 servings. (See Tip 7)
Chula’s Expert Tips
- Although my preference is to cook the tater tots before adding them to the casserole, you can either cook the tater tots according to package directions or add them uncooked to the casserole. Either way, the tater tots tend to disintegrate somewhat, adding a delicious texture to the casserole.
- I like to use Jimmy Dean Hot sausage but feel free to use whatever sausage you like.
- Feel free to use green bell pepper in place of the red bell pepper and/or the jalapeño peppers.
- You can substitute ¼ cup of milk in place of the half and half, making a total of 1 cup of milk to be added.
- I like the tang of extra sharp cheddar cheese but feel free to use whatever cheese you prefer.
- You can use the same cheese on top of the casserole as you use in the casserole if you like.
- The leftovers are excellent. I like to warm the leftovers in the microwave for a minute or two.
Nutrition
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
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