Say goodbye to leftovers with this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole. Layered with crispy tater tots, gooey cheese, savory sausage, and fluffy eggs this breakfast casserole has earned thumbs up around the table every time I serve it.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole with Sausage
I literally cannot believe that I haven’t tried this before. This tater tot breakfast casserole with sausage blew the lid off of my expectations. This is one breakfast that I’m going to be making regularly for years to come.
I adore the simplicity of breakfast casseroles. Just throw everything in a baking dish and wait an hour. It’s divine for a lazy morning. But, I had no idea that a breakfast casserole with tater tots could end up being so good.
As much as we love tater tots (and who doesn’t love crispy bites of hashbrown potatoes??) I don’t know why I never thought to use them this way before now. These pulled pork tater tot nachos are always a win and cheesy bacon tater tots disappear about as quickly as they can be eaten straight off the tray.
Tater Tot Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Bacon, diced ham, and pork or turkey sausage will all work well in this casserole. You just need about 1 pound (or 2 cups cooked) of whichever meat option you choose to use.
This tater tot sausage breakfast casserole is a great make-ahead breakfast. Cover the assembled casserole with foil and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, set the cold casserole on the counter while the oven preheats.
Bake for 50 minutes, leaving the top covered with foil, and then uncover to bake an additional 20-25 minutes, until the eggs have set. The top should be golden brown around the edges.
Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole
You can also freeze the cooked casserole for easy breakfasts. Just portion it into individual servings and store it in zip-close bags. Place the individual bags in a larger freezer bag or container and freeze until needed.
I’ve already made this twice more since I photographed it. It’s currently stacked in freezer bags in our freezer and my youngest son has been warming it up for his breakfasts before school. He LOVES it.
To reheat, thaw portions overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave OR reheat frozen portions at half power for 2 minutes and then at regular power until warm.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Recipe
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
- breakfast sausage
- frozen tater tots
- Mexican or cheddar cheese
- eggs
- milk
- salt and pepper
- garlic and onion powder
Start by preheating the oven to 350ºF. Then, grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter and set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the sausage.
Place the tater tots in the buttered baking dish. Then, add the cooked sausage and 1½ cups of cheese. Stir the ingredients to combine.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Then, pour the egg mixture over the tater tots, cheese, and sausage in the baking dish.
Top with the remaining ½ cup of cheese. Then, bake for 55-60 minutes until the eggs have set and the top is golden brown around the edges. Serve warm.
Breakfast Casserole with Tater Tots
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Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound regular or hot breakfast sausage cooked and crumbled
- 30 ounces frozen tater tots
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese divided
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper pepper
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter and set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the sausage.
- Place the tater tots in the baking dish, along with the cooked sausage and 1½ cups of cheese. Stir to combine.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Pour the egg mixture over the tater tots in the baking dish and top with the remaining ½ cup of cheese.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes until the eggs have set and the top is golden brown around the edges. Serve warm.
Tina says
What kind of sausage did you use?
Mary Younkin says
Hi, Tina! Any regular or hot breakfast sausage will do. I usually use Jimmy Dean sausage in my recipes. Happy cooking!
Jeffrey Rudish says
Hi Mary I’M JEFFREY I’M A CHEF TOO. CULINARY SCHOOL TRAINED.. EUROPEAN CLASSICAL FRENCH CUISINE.. ETC..
I FINE YOUR RECIPES, PROCEDURES AND KNOWLEDGE VERY INFORMATIVE AND HELPFUL… KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WAY YOU SHOW THE WORLD IN HOW TO COOK WONDERFUL AND TASTY DISHES.
Mamawatret says
I made this tonight to bring to my parents house in the morning. Hoping it will turn out fine to reheat the whole thing in the oven.
Mary Younkin says
I hope the casserole is a hit! Enjoy, and happy cooking.
Orla says
I used Gluten free Tater Tots (Orida) and Gluten free sausage links (Banquet) and added 4 extra eggs to stretch it a bit further and it was delicious.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you were able to find ways to make the recipe your own, Orla. Enjoy the casserole, and happy cooking!
Lauren says
Used leftover sliced deli ham, diced up, and used about 6 XL eggs, along with a cup of egg whites. Also added pickled jalapenos on 1/3 of the dish. Turned out great! Whole fam loved it;)
Mary Younkin says
That sounds delicious, Lauren! I’m happy to hear that everyone loved the casserole; enjoy, and happy cooking.
Ann Peavy says
So before I make this; is it 50 to 60 minutes or 70 to 75 minutes?
Mary Younkin says
Hi, Ann. You’ll want to bake the casserole with the top covered for 50-60 minutes, then take the top off and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes, so that the top will cook properly. Enjoy the casserole!
Regina Latoya Smith says
This is my grandmother’s recipe how did y’all it get??? I see ppls making it all the time but it came from my grandmother’s she made this up
Mary Younkin says
Some recipes are just classics, Regina!
Jeanie Parker says
Can this be assembled the night before?
Mary Younkin says
Hi, Jeanie. You should be able to assemble everything the night before. I’d still recommend cooking it the day of so that the tater tots are crispy. Enjoy!
Susan LaRose says
Why does the pic have the tots on top ??
Mary Younkin says
Hi, Susan. You can layer tater tots throughout the recipe if you like. Just make sure the layers are roughly evenly distributed to keep a consistent cook time, and keep an eye on the casserole while it’s in the oven.
Kathryn says
Do you cook the tots first or assemble with frozen tots?
Mary Younkin says
Hi, Kathryn. I assemble with frozen tater tots. I hope you love the casserole!
Kristie says
I tried to make this for Christmas morning. I followed the directions and baked for 1 hour. Eggs were still raw. I baked for another 30 minutes. Tater tots and cheese on top were burnt, eggs in the middle were still raw.
Mary Younkin says
Is there any chance you used a different size pan, Kristie? When I’ve made this in a deeper smaller pan, it always takes a good bit longer to cook. In a standard 9×13, it should’ve been exactly as listed in the card. (I just made it again yesterday.)
Carla says
I have used this recipe for years and love it. The sausage can be replaced with chopped ham or chorizo
Mary Younkin says
I love it with ham too. I’ll have to try chorizo soon.
Linda Morgan says
Turned out delicious 😋
Needs more cheese…and I tweeked with red bell peppers and smoked turkey sausage. Our visiting guest doesn’t eat pork.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad it was a win for you, Linda!
Hope momma says
Can this recipe be cut in half? If so what size pan should I use and how long should it cook for?
Mary Younkin says
You can make a half recipe in an 8-inch pan. The baking time will remain about the same, just check it 5 or so minutes early.
MG says
Has anyone tried doubling this recipe for a crowd? Any advice on cook time for 2x recipe?
Mary Younkin says
You can easily double this and cook it in (2) 9×13 pans. You shouldn’t need more than 5 additional minutes, if any at all. I wouldn’t recommend cooking this in the size dish required in order to contain a full doubled recipe. I don’t think it will cook evenly.
Lynda C Davidson says
Could you bake this recipie in muffin tins to make individual portions. How much time would you bake it?
Mary Younkin says
Baking in muffin tins should work fine. You’ll need to watch for doneness the first time though, as I’ve never tried that so I can’t speak to the required time.