Tater Tots for breakfast? The answer is always Yes! This Minnesota girl will find any excuse to use tater tots, even in a breakfast casserole! It is a hearty, make-ahead egg bake that is perfect for a crowd or a hungry family!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Make it the night before for an easy breakfast.
- Flexible Recipe
- Easily Gluten Free and Low FODMAP
Featured Ingredients
- Tater Tots - Everyone’s favorite ingredient. They soak up the creamy egg mixture and create a perfect texture.
- Eggs - Fresh local eggs are the best, but whatever kind you can afford will work, too.
- Milk - Use regular milk, lactose-free milk, or unsweetened almond milk.
- Sour Cream - For the ultimate creaminess, use a full-fat option.
- Pepper Jack and Cheddar Cheese - Two great cheese options - one classic and one with a hint of spice.
- Breakfast Sausage - The flavor of the breakfast sauce compliments the other ingredients in this recipe. Our favorite is turkey sausage or homemade breakfast sausage.
- Salt & Pepper - Seasoning is needed for the eggs.
- Green Onions - Adds color and a bit of onion flavor that won’t overpower the eggs.
- Red Bell Pepper - Adds a beautiful pop of red and a wonderful flavor.
See the recipe card for the exact measurements and complete instructions.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a large skillet, cook the breakfast sausage on the stovetop. If using turkey sausage, be aware it can be watery; cook off all the liquid, then break it up into small pieces. If sausage needs to be drained, place it on a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 2: Place the tater tots in a single layer in a greased 9x13-inch pan. Top the tater tots with the sausage, diced red peppers, chopped green onions, and half the shredded cheese.
Step 3: Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl. Add the milk and sour cream. Whisk the eggs until thoroughly combined with the milk and sour cream.
Step 4: Pour the egg mixture over the tater tot layers. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and sit overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours.
If you want to bake right away, you can. The breakfast casserole will have a more potato texture.
Bake it at 350 degrees F. for 45-55 minutes. Cover for 30 minutes and remove the cover for the last fifteen minutes of baking time. Sprinkle the other half of the shredded cheese over the top for the last fifteen minutes. Serve immediately with toppings if wanted.
Tips and Tricks
Cook the breakfast sausage in advance and freeze until ready to make the egg bake.
Cut the recipe in half and make it in a pie plate like a quiche.
Use any leftovers for meal-prepped breakfast burritos!
This breakfast casserole is great for Christmas morning. The ability to make it in advance is a perfect way to enjoy Christmas morning while breakfast cooks in the oven.
Ingredient Swaps
- Sausage Options: If you want to substitute the ground turkey sausage for a pork breakfast sausage like Jimmy Dean, or a chicken breakfast sausage. We have tried it, and it works great!
- Plain Greek Yogurt - Swap out the sour cream and use Greek yogurt for a protein option.
Variations
The basics of the casserole, the tater tots, and the egg mixture should stay the same, but feel free to experiment with different meat, cheese, and veggie combos.
- Ham and Swiss Cheese Breakfast Casserole: Use diced ham and Swiss cheese instead of sausage and pepper jack and cheddar cheese.
- Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Breakfast Casserole: Use fully cooked bacon and cheddar cheese.
- Veggie Lovers Breakfast Casserole: Add chopped broccoli, chopped spinach, and mushrooms - go wild!
- Protein-Packed Breakfast Casserole: Swap out the sour cream and use cottage cheese!
Reader Love
"Made this for breakfast today for 7 adults and everyone loved it! Super easy and great for making in bulk."
- Steph
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Toppings
When serving tater tot breakfast casserole, add a few optional toppings. Then, everyone can customize their piece.
- Hot Sauce or Green Taco Sauce
- Homemade Salsa or Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
- Sour Cream or Lime Crema
- Chopped Green Onions, Chopped Cilantro
- Crumbled Cooked Bacon
- Diced Tomatoes, Avocados
Storing and Reheating
Store: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat: Place leftovers on a microwave-safe container and reheat for 1 to 2 minutes. It will heat more evenly if you cut up the piece of egg bake into smaller pieces.
Freeze: To freeze egg casserole, place baked casserole in a freezer-friendly container and keep it in a freezer for up to four months. Defrost and reheat.
Special Diet Options
Gluten Free Breakfast Casserole: Use gluten free tater tots - like the Ore Ida brand. Also, make sure the sausage doesn’t have any hidden gluten.
Low FODMAP Breakfast Casserole: Use onion-free tater tots, unsweetened almond milk or lactose-free milk, green onion tops, and an onion and garlic free breakfast sausage.
FAQs
Not letting the casserole sit overnight will give a more potato-y texture versus a breakfast casserole texture.
No. Add them to the casserole in their frozen state. One step and done!
Yes, however, you will not need to make it in advance. In fact, you may not want to because the hashbrowns will thaw and lose a bit of their texture.
They are both made from ground pork. However, the spices are different. Breakfast sausage is flavored with rosemary, sage, and thyme. While Italian sausage uses fennel for that classic black licorice flavor.
A quiche is typically baked with some sort of crust, either potato or pastry in a pie pan. While a breakfast casserole is made in a larger baking dish with potatoes, bread, or hash browns and no crust.
Go for a Tex-Mex option and add hot sauce, salsa, and sour cream.
The Minnesota classic, tater tot hotdish, sloppy joe tater tot bowls, and freezer breakfast burritos.
What To Serve With Breakfast Casserole
To complete breakfast, serve this breakfast casserole with a few side dishes. Make homemade maple pecan granola and turn it into parfaits with Greek vanilla yogurt and fresh berries. Add a pan of made-from-scratch cheesy potatoes. If serving brunch, make a couple of Bloody Marys!
Additional Breakfast Recipes
- Breakfast Meatballs - Make breakfast fun with these flavorful breakfast meatballs.
- Perfect Griddle Pancakes - The perfect pancake recipe to use on a hot griddle.
- Homemade Blueberry Syrup - There is nothing greater than blueberry syrup made from scratch.
Discover even more breakfast recipes! Both old favorites and brand-new ideas!
Love This Recipe?
Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating + comment. It helps so much, and we love hearing from everyone! Thank You -Venessa
Recipe
Overnight Breakfast Casserole With Tater Tots
Equipment
- 9x13-inch Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound breakfast sausage (Note 1)
- 26 ounces frozen tater tots about 7 cups
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
- 9 large eggs
- ½ cup milk (Note 2)
- ½ cup sour cream (Note 3)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- If baking immediately, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large frying pan, over medium heat, cook the breakfast sausage until no pink remains. Break into small pieces.
- Grease a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Place the tater tots in a single layer across the bottom of the pan.
- Dice the red pepper and chop the green onions. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined.
- Sprinkle the breakfast sausage evenly over the tater tots. Followed by the diced red pepper, green onions, and half of the shredded cheese.
- Pour the egg mixture over tater tots, sausage, and peppers in the pan.
- If wanted, cook the egg casserole immediately in a preheated 350 degree F oven. Follow the cooking instructions below.
- To bake later, cover and refrigerate overnight - up to 18 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and add the remaining shredded cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until no longer jiggly. Serve warm. Garnish with chopped green onions, salsa, sour cream, or hot sauce if wanted.
Steph Peterson says
Made this for breakfast today for 7 adults and everyone loved it! Super easy and great for making in bulk.
Venessa says
So happy you tried it and everyone loved it!
Katie Jaeckels says
Hands down best egg bake I’ve had! Highly recommend.
Venessa Mandelkow says
Thanks Katie! We love this egg bake too.
-Venessa