Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is an easy, extra cheesy combination of early morning favorite foods layered into a delicious one-dish meal. This recipe is so quick and easy to prepare using simple ingredients and bakes into a full-flavored, hearty, crowd-pleasing casserole that is perfect to serve for breakfast or brinner!
Best Tater Tot Sausage Breakfast Casserole
This Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is the best blend of breakfast basics, like potatoes, sausage, eggs, and cheese, that is so easy to prepare in under 20 minutes and then baked right away or refrigerated for a wake-n-bake, make-ahead meal.
This recipe starts with a simple sausage mixture that is smothered in seasoned eggs, then topped with cheese and tater tots, baked and sprinkled with more cheese. It’s creamy, gooey, rich, and bursting with the perfect amount of potato puff in every delicious bite.
What I love most about this recipe is that it is a hearty and filling meal-in-one that bakes in a single pan, so you get several food groups included on your plate with each serving; it’s a satisfying, satiating breakfast or breakfast-for-dinner dish filled with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to fuel you through the day.
Why we love this Tater Tot Casserole Breakfast
- Quick and easy to prepare.
- Uses simple ingredients that you most likely have at home.
- Combination of my favorite breakfast foods layered into one delicious dish.
- Comforting, hearty, and satisfying family-friendly meal.
- No need to thaw the tater tots before baking; they cook soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
- Perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast, Sunday brunch, holiday morning meal, or breakfast-for-dinner.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole ingredients
- Ground breakfast sausage
- Onion
- Red bell pepper
- Eggs
- Milk
- Garlic powder
- Pepper
- Colby jack cheese
- Frozen tater tots
Tater Tot Casserole Breakfast Substitutions and Additions
- Mix Up The Meat: Instead of ground sausage, try bacon, ham, chicken sausage, or turkey bacon in your breakfast casserole.
- Vary The Veggies: Mushrooms, tomatoes, fresh spinach, or even broccoli are just a few examples of vegetables that complement the tater tots. I recommend you sauté the vegetables first before adding them to the casserole or they will remain raw when baked.
- Tasty Toppings: Ketchup, a dollop of sour cream, a drizzle of hot sauce, salsa, sliced avocado, or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, will taste delicious with this breakfast casserole.
- Change The Cheese: Feel free to swap the Colby Jack cheese for another cheese that melts well such as Cheddar, Mozzarella, Gruyere, Swiss, Pepper Jack, Fontina, or Gouda.
- Vegetarian Version: If you follow a vegetarian diet, you can omit the sausage and replace it with some vegetables or your favorite non-meat substitute.
- Add Some Spice: I love to chop up three to four jalapeños and add it to the egg mixture. Green chilies and spicy cheese will also add a kick.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole with Sausage Recipe Tools
- Medium skillet
- 9×13 Casserole pan
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring tools
- Whisk
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How to make this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Sausage recipe
This Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is the best way to serve your favorite breakfast foods in one satisfying, easy-to-make meal. Simply layer sausage, eggs, cheese, and potatoes in one pan and bake–it’s a delicious, super satisfying dish that you can eat for breakfast of dinner.
- Add sausage, onions, and bell pepper to a skillet and cook over medium heat.
Pro Tip: Sausage is done cooking when it’s browned and crumbled.
- Drain the grease and spread the sausage mixture in the casserole pan.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, garlic powder, and pepper in a mixing bowl and pour it over the sausage mixture.
- Sprinkle cheese over the sausage mixture.
Pro-Tip: I prefer to use freshly grated cheeses because packaged cheeses contain anti-clumping chemicals which inhibits their melting ability.
- Sprinkle tater tots into the casserole pan.
Pro-Tip: Don’t thaw the tater tots! The tater tots will have the best texture if they aren’t thawed first. - Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F.
Pro-Tip: This dish should be baked uncovered. This will allow the tater tots to brown and get crispy on the outside. - Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top of the casserole and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to serve this Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole
This Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is a meal-in-one–all it needs is a side of fruit! However, it pairs really well with a sweet item if you are serving a more elaborate feast. For some easy recipe inspiration, check out my Cinnamon Roll Casserole, French Toast Muffins, or my Cream Cheese Banana Bread.
How to store Tater Tot Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- To Store: You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- To Freeze: If you want to freeze this casserole, cover it tightly before baking and freeze for up to 2 months. See FAQ below.
- To Reheat: You can bake from frozen the casserole and add bake time until fully cooked through.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Sausage FAQs
You can absolutely make this casserole ahead of time. Simply prepare your casserole according to the instructions, but do not add the tater tots. Cover the unbaked casserole with foil and place it in the fridge overnight. The next day you can top it with the tater tots and bake it according to the directions. I wouldn’t add the tater tots the night before because it will become too soggy.
Technically, you can freeze the unbaked casserole after assembly by covering it tightly and freezing it until ready to bake. Then, you’d bake it from frozen (not defrosted) and add bake time until fully cooked through. However, I the texture may come out differently from my original recipe. My suggestion would be to pre-assemble the casserole the night before (without adding the tater tots) and keep covered in the fridge. Then bake according to recipe instructions.
Yes, you can use hash browns instead of tater tots in this casserole for a slightly different texture.
It really shouldn’t dry out. Just be sure not to overbake.
Tater tot casserole is delicious leftover and can be reheated in the oven or microwave.
More like this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole with Sausage
- Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Easy Pancake Muffins
- Dutch Baby Pancakes
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
- Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole (Sausage Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1½ cups Colby jack cheese divided
- 28 oz frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 inch casserole pan.
- In a medium skillet, combine the sausage, onions, and bell pepper over medium heat. Cook until the sausage has browned and crumbled. Drain the grease from the sausage mixture and spread it in the casserole pan.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage mixture.
- Sprinkle half the cheese and the tater tots into the casserole pan.
- Bake the casserole for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top of the casserole and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- To Freeze: If you want to freeze this casserole, cover it tightly before baking and freeze for up to 2 months. See FAQ below.
- To Reheat: You can bake from frozen the casserole and add bake time until fully cooked through.
- Don’t thaw the tater tots! The tater tots will have the best texture if they aren’t thawed first.
- I prefer to use freshly grated cheeses because packaged cheeses contain anti-clumping chemicals which inhibits their melting ability.
- This dish should be baked uncovered. This will allow the tater tots to brown and get crispy on the outside.
The recipe says that cook time is one hour 20 minutes but it bakes for only a total of 45 minutes. Is the other cook time for browning the sausage?
That is just us over-estimating the time to cook the rest of the ingredients. It shouldn’t take nearly that long to brown the sausage.