Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole (Hot Dish)

Name: Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 32 oz bag unfrozen tater tots (approx 6 cups, reserve 2 cups to decorate top of casserole); 8 eggs (or liquid eggs - Egg Beaters); 1/2 cup milk; 10 oz. can Rotel (drained); 1 lb sausage ((buy bulk) cooked brown & crumbled); 3 cups Monterey jack cheese (grated); 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

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Tater Tot Casserole is an easy breakfast recipe that takes 15 minutes to prep and bakes golden brown in just 50 minutes.

This breakfast casserole is made for lazy weekends or holidays when you need a breakfast or brunch recipe that feeds your family or when you have guests over for the weekend. I had fun decorating the top in a pretty diagonal pattern with the cheese and tater tots, of course, the design is all up to you!

There are many ways to customize this recipe, there is a list of ingredient swaps to make it just the way you want to. I know it will be a big hit in your home, my favorite part is the brown and bubbly edges...

EASY 15-minute recipe to make ahead for breakfast or brunch, bakes in 50 minutes. Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is perfect for lazy weekends or on holidays! You will love this tater tot casserole (tater tot hotdish). #tatertots #easybreakfastrecipe #easybreakfastideas #breakfastrecipes #brunchrecipes #easybrunchrecipe #easybrunchideas

Why You Will Love It

It's the perfect "lazy dish." Keep this dish in your recipe stash for the times when you need an easy dish, like weekends, holidays, and after the holidays.
Family and friends will love it. Trust me, everyone is going to be asking you for this tater tot casserole recipe!
Kids REALLY love it. Tater tots for breakfast? Their eyes will light up when you serve this dish. Kids-at-heart will feel the same way.
The ingredients aren't set in stone. The tater tots are non-negotiable, of course, but you can try other ingredients to mix it up and use things you have on hand. I'll share swaps with you, and some other ingredient ideas in the next section.

What's In This Breakfast Casserole?

32 oz bag unfrozen tater tots (approx 6 cups; reserve 2 cups to decorate top of casserole)
8 eggs or liquid eggs (Egg Beaters)
½ cup milk
10 oz. can Rotel, drained
1 lb sausage (buy bulk) cooked, browned & crumbled
3 cups Monterey jack cheese, grated
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Mix It Up! ~ Ingredients Swaps

The best part of this casserole is that you can mix n' match ingredients based on what you have in your kitchen. Make this Tater Tot Casserole your very own...

Use different cheeses

Goat cheese
Pepper jack cheese
Cheddar cheese
Colby cheese
Swiss cheese

Add veggies

Browned mushrooms
Caramelized onions
Green onions
Sauteed tomatoes

Add meat - leftovers or freshly cooked

Grilled flank steak or tri-tip
Browned hamburger meat
Chopped ham
Crumbled bacon
Rotisserie chicken
Chopped up leftover pizza (you read that right, try it OMG!)

Let's Bake It

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Step 2: Brown 1 lb. of sausage, set aside.

Step 3: Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray, break 4 cups tater tots into the bottom of the dish.

Two white casserole dishes side by side one with whole and the other with crumbled tater tots for a recipe.

Step 4: Sprinkle browned sausage on top of crumbled tater tots.

Step 5: In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, can of Rotel, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Step 6: Add 2 cups of grated cheese into the egg mixture (reserve 1 cup for the top of the casserole).

Step 7: Pour mix over the crumbled tater tots, place 2 cups of tater tots on top with remaining cup of grated cheese and decorate in a pretty pattern. Add extra cheese if desired.

TIP: Feel free to get creative and decorate the top with tater tots and cheese Try a pretty diagonal design or long rows just for the fun of it. Doesn't this look amazing?

Step 8: Put it in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until brown and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!

The History of Tater Tots

Did you know that tater tots originated in Ontario, Oregon in 1953? They were created by the founders of Ore-Ida when trying to come up with a creative (and profitable!) method to use up leftover cut-up potatoes. They finally figured out that chopping up the leftovers, adding seasoning and flour, and creating "tots" was the best thing to do.

Here is the funniest part of the tater tot story... at first, Ore-Ida offered them so cheap that no one bought them. People thought that such an inexpensive product was worthless. When Ore-Ida RAISED the price, people went crazy for them! These days, Americans consume 70 MILLION pounds of tater tots a year.

Some names for tater tots in other countries:
Potato Gems
Potato Pom-Poms
Spud Puppies
Squirt Browns

What is a Tater Tot Hotdish?

It's a name (and dish) that originated in Minnesota, and it's also a tater tot casserole. A tater tot hotdish contains ingredients like cream of mushroom soup, green beans, and cheddar cheese. Yum! I haven't tried a version of this hotdish for dinner yet, but it's on my to-make list.

More Breakfast Recipes

When hosting a brunch party, some of my go-to make-ahead brunch recipes are Mini Brie and Bacon Quiche made in a muffin tin, easy and so good fresh from the oven!

A popular Christmas breakfast idea everyone loves are these top reader favorites...Baked Parmesan Hash Browns. They are baked in a muffin tin with golden crisp edges and no stovetop mess!

Need something light and healthy for breakfast or a light selection to go with your hearty brunch? Whip up one of these healthy recipes: Avocado Toast, Pink Grapefruit Detox Smoothies, or Breakfast Yogurt Parfaits.

A vintage silver serving spoon taking out a piece of tater tot casserole just baked.

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