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...
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.
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!
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
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.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
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
- ½ cup milk
- 10 oz. can Rotel drained
- 1 lb sausage (buy bulk) cooked brown & crumbled
- 3 cups Monterey jack cheese grated
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Brown 1 lb. of sausage, set aside.
- Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with coconut non-stick spray, break 4 cups tater tots into the bottom of the dish.
- Sprinkle browned sausage on top of crumbled tater tots.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, can of Rotel, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add 2 cups of grated cheese into the egg mixture (reserve 1 cup for top of casserole).
- Pour mix over the 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.
- Bake 45-50 minutes until brown and bubbly.
Notes
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!)
Has anyone made this ahead of time and then froze it?
Not that I know of...you would need to defrost it for at least a couple days in the fridge before baking because it's a huge casserole dish. It should work just fine as I freeze eggs and tater tots. I wouldn't add the cheese on top until right before baking, let us know if you test it out and how it goes Andrea!
I usually make breakfast casserole with bread. I love this gluten-free option.
This pleased a whole house full of fussy guests. Whenever I need a recipe for a special occasion Lisa's site is my go-to!
Thank you so much Karen! Glad you made the recipe and loved it, easy and everyone is happy...thanks for your great comment and for letting everyone know it was a hit!
"An easy 15-minute recipe to make ahead ..." --- You are speaking my language Lisa! Plus, my boys LOVE this dish and I suspect they wouldn't mind if I snuck it in at dinner every now and again. Looking forward to trying some of those variations!
Oh my goodness these are heaven for breakfast!! Super simple to make and absolutely delicious!! I'll be making this dish this weekend for the second time!