Easy, incredibly tasty Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is the perfect make ahead breakfast for any occasion! It is packed with veggies, sausage, cheese, and eggs and topped with a layer of tater tots for the ultimate gooey, cheesy breakfast.
Looking for delightful breakfast options? Don’t skip out on this cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole, overnight French Toast Casserole, savory Breakfast Muffins, and Corned Beef Hash.
Why This Recipe Works
Make Ahead for Brunch: If you are planning a brunch for the family or with friends, this tater tot casserole is perfect to make ahead and bake the day of! You can assemble everything the night before, then bake before you are ready to serve in order to have the gooiest, freshest breakfast casserole.
All the Best Breakfast Flavors in One: Not only is this tater tot breakfast casserole easy to make, it is also packed with all of the best breakfast flavors! I used lots of veggies in this recipe like bell peppers, onions and mushrooms along with savory breakfast sausage and eggs to all combine with the cheese and tater tots so that each bite has a little bit of everything!
Ingredients
Tater tot breakfast casserole calls for easy to find ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Eggs & Milk: I combine eggs and milk for a super fluffy egg base!
- Onion: Sautéing the onion is the first step in starting to build lots of flavor.
- Red & Green Bell Pepper: Red and green bell pepper are added for flavor and the addition of some fresh veggies!
- Ground Breakfast Sausage: It is easiest to add ground breakfast sausage that is already seasoned here and it is generally easy to find at your local grocery store!
- Shredded Cheese: I like added shredded cheddar cheese, but you can use your favorite kind of shredded cheese.
- Mushrooms: Slice your mushrooms however big or small you would like!
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is added to the mushrooms to create a creamy and moist layer.
- Frozen Tater Tots: To top it all off, add frozen tater tots right from the bag onto the top of the casserole!
Here’s How to Make It
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside. (photo 1)
- Sauté Onions & Peppers: In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the oil over a medium high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers with a pinch of salt, and cook until the pepper has started to soften and the onion has started to color, about 5 minutes. (photo 2)
- Brown the Sausage: Add the ground sausage and continue to cook, breaking it up with the back of your spoon until the sausage is cooked through and browned slightly. Stir the cooked sausage mixture into the egg mixture along with half of the cheese. (photos 3-4)
- Sauté Mushrooms: Next, wipe out the pan with a piece of paper towel before returning it to the heat and melting the butter. Add the mushrooms with a little more salt and pepper and cook until soft and slightly browned. Stir in the heavy cream and season to taste before removing it from the heat. (photos 5-6)
- Assemble: Butter a large baking dish or prepare it with cooking spray. Pour in the egg mixture and spoon the mushroom mixture over the top. With the spoon, swirl the mushroom mixture slightly into the egg mixture so they’re combined in places, but still separate. (photos 7-8)
- Add Tater Tots & Bake: Arrange the frozen tater tots on top and sprinkle over the rest of the cheese. Bake for 50 minutes until the cheese has melted and the tops of the tater tots are golden. (photos 9-10)
Expert Tips
- Add some more veggies! You can really pack this one with more veggies of your choice like tomatoes, broccoli or spinach!
- Watch the cooking time. Make sure to keep an eye on the casserole and don’t over bake! The eggs are going to be pretty moist due to the milk and heavy cream, but you don’t want them to be over baked. Once the tater tots are done cooking, the rest is good to go!
- You can skip the breakfast sausage and add bacon instead if you prefer. Or, for a healthier option try chicken sausage!
- Does you family love brinner? This is a great breakfast for dinner idea that the whole family will love!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! After baking and cooling to room temperature, you can cover the top of the baking dish well in plastic wrap, using a few layers if necessary. Then add a layer of aluminum foil to prevent against freezer burn. When you are ready to eat it, let it thaw slowly overnight in the fridge and then pop it in the oven to reheat the next morning!
This breakfast casserole will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days. To reheat, you can pop it in the microwave but we recommend putting it until the broil for a minute or so to make it nice and toasty on the top again!
More Breakfast Recipes to Try
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- salt - to taste
- cracked black pepper - to taste
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 white or brown onion - sliced
- 1 red bell pepper - chopped
- 1 green bell pepper - chopped
- 8 oz ground breakfast sausage
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese - divided
- 4 tbsp butter - plus extra for the dish
- 8 oz mushrooms - sliced
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 10 oz frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the oil over a medium high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers with a pinch of salt, and cook until the pepper has started to soften and the onion has started to color, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground sausage and continue to cook, breaking it up with the back of your spoon until the sausage is cooked through and slightly browned.
- Stir the cooked sausage mixture into the egg mixture along with half of the cheese.
- Wipe out the pan with a piece of paper towel before returning it to the heat and melting the butter. Add the mushrooms with a little more salt and pepper and cook until soft and slightly browned. Stir in the heavy cream and season to taste before removing from the heat.
- Butter a large baking dish or prepare it with cooking spray. Pour in the egg mixture and spoon the mushroom mixture over the top. With the spoon, swirl the mushroom mixture slightly into the egg mixture so they are combined in places, but still separate.
- Arrange the frozen tater tots on top and sprinkle over the rest of the cheese. Bake for 50 minutes until the cheese has melted and the tops of the tater tots are golden.
Notes
- This casserole can be assembled up to a day ahead, but check it in the oven after just 40 minutes as the tater tots would have thawed in the fridge. If the tater tots are golden, they’re ready to serve.
- This casserole reheats well in the microwave but you may want to finish the tater tot topping under the broiler to make sure they stay nice and crispy!
- For a cheesier bake, add another 1/2 cup shredded cheese to the top of the casserole.
I love your receipts! I am looking for a make ahead Breakfast casserole (a savoury as opposed to sweet) that does NOT include cheese (no allergy just an aversion) any suggestions? Or what can I replace the cheese in ones I found?
I have this casserole and another that you can just not add the cheese on top 🙂
Oh yum! I’ve made several variations of this dish for many years and am excited to try this version. I like preparing them the night before for busy Christmas mornings or lazy Sunday brunches. The only difference for me is I prefer layering the tots on the bottom and adding the egg mixture over the top. I love crispy tots on their own, but in this casserole I like all the other ingredient flavors soaking into them overnight. They’re not crispy, of course, but they have great potato texture and more flavor. For those preferring to prepare theirs the night before and want their tots on the top & crispy, you can prepare the casserole and omit the tots until you’re ready to cook it the following day – just takes a minute to spread them out over the top. Thank you, Tiffany, for raising the bar with your casserole version.
Can this recipe be made without mushrooms?
This sounds great! Can you substitute the tater tots for frozen hash browns or would they bake too quickly?
This recipe hasn’t been tested with hash browns but it should work. You may need to watch the amount of moisture since the hash browns will release more moisture than the tater tots would. I also have a “Homemade Sausage Breakfast Casserole Recipe” which has hash browns if you’d prefer to follow that recipe instead.