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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
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What kind of sausage did you use?
Hi, Tina! Any regular or hot breakfast sausage will do. I usually use Jimmy Dean sausage in my recipes. Happy cooking!
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.
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.
I hope the casserole is a hit! Enjoy, and happy cooking.
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.
I’m glad you were able to find ways to make the recipe your own, Orla. Enjoy the casserole, and happy cooking!
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;)
That sounds delicious, Lauren! I’m happy to hear that everyone loved the casserole; enjoy, and happy cooking.
So before I make this; is it 50 to 60 minutes or 70 to 75 minutes?
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!
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
Some recipes are just classics, Regina!
Can this be assembled the night before?
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!
Why does the pic have the tots on top ??
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.
Do you cook the tots first or assemble with frozen tots?
Hi, Kathryn. I assemble with frozen tater tots. I hope you love the casserole!
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.
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.)
I have used this recipe for years and love it. The sausage can be replaced with chopped ham or chorizo
I love it with ham too. I’ll have to try chorizo soon.
Turned out delicious 😋
Needs more cheese…and I tweeked with red bell peppers and smoked turkey sausage. Our visiting guest doesn’t eat pork.
I’m glad it was a win for you, Linda!
Can this recipe be cut in half? If so what size pan should I use and how long should it cook for?
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.
Has anyone tried doubling this recipe for a crowd? Any advice on cook time for 2x recipe?
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.
Could you bake this recipie in muffin tins to make individual portions. How much time would you bake it?
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.
Made this for Mother’s Day and it was a big success! I cooked the tater tots first as we like them really crispy and cooking them first helps retain the texture. My only critique is the time listed on the recipe. It says 5 min prep and 50 min cook. But you cook 50 min covered, then an additional 20-25 min uncovered. Also, the 5 min prep does NOT include the time needed to cook the sausage. So plan for additional time if you’re making this, but otherwise a really good recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it, Sara!
I’m confused. Recipe says bake 55-60 minutes. Doesn’t say to cover. Yet several comments & responses say cook covered 55 minutes, then uncovered another 20. Which is it?
Hi there. In the notes, it says that if you’re prepping this casserole in advance, you’ll want to cover it with foil and refrigerate overnight. If you cook it the next morning, you’ll want to set it in the oven cold from the fridge, cook for 50-55 minutes, then uncover it and cook for another 20 minutes. Happy cooking!
I was searching for a breakfast casserole and landed on yours because of the tater tots. I used bacon and sausage and added some green pepper for a vegetable. Gotta be sneaky
Everyone loved it and I’ve made it for three weekends!
I’m glad to hear that everyone’s been loving the casserole, Barb. Happy cooking!
Hello! After making Could I put in tortillas and freeze; for breakfast burritos? (Place in freezer with parchment paper and tin foil, then Warm for 3 minutes in the microwave until cooked through?)
Sounds good to me, Kimberly!