Breakfast Casserole with a full layer of tater tots!
Breakfast pork sausage, eggs, and cheddar cheese will help you get the day started off right! Recipe is perfect for holiday and make head mornings with quick assembly. Just pop into oven and then enjoy!
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole with Sausage & Eggs
There is no doubt that my sausage hash brown breakfast casserole is one of the most adored recipes here on Salty Side Dish. But I also get tons of questions on if the hash browns can be substituted for tater tots, so I decided to give this hack a try!
The great news? Substituting the hash browns for tater tots worked perfectly for a delicious dense potato base in this breakfast casserole. The best part about using tater tots over hash browns is that they already have a layer of fried outsides and brings a bit more crisp to the casserole – no matter whether you choose this recipe or the other one, you will NOT be disappointed in this filling, delicious, and memorable breakfast.
- 8 eggs
- 1 pound pork sausage (jimmy dean)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk or heavy cream
- 1 package frozen tater tots (approximately 24 oz)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
RELATED RECIPES : Amish Breakfast Casserole, Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Bake
Why to make Breakfast Casserole…it’s delicious, that’s why!
- Feeds a crowd – This recipe is easy to make even larger with a bigger dish and a few changes!
- Variations – You can truly make this one your own! Substitute with other cooked meats, add veggies like fresh red and green peppers or top with bacon with a crunch.
- Make Ahead – You can pre-assemble this tater tot casserole by making, adding foil on top, and pulling out next morning for cooking.
Breakfast Casserole with Tater Tots and Sausage
Recipe Instructions – full printable version at the bottom of the post without images
Preheat oven to 375 and spray 9 x 13 pan with non stick cooking spray.
Brown the meat – I like breakfast sausage, but you can use any beef you like, over medium heat in a skillet, breaking meat into small pieces. Drain any excess grease and set cooked meat aside.
Whisk together 8 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and all spices together.
Now its time to assemble the tater tot casserole.
Layering Casserole
Start with adding your frozen tater tots in the bottom of the dish. Its fine if some overlap!
Now add cooked sausage, two cups of cheese and finally pour egg mixture on top.
Cover casserole dish with foil. This helps the edges not cook too quickly and burn.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes to start, remove foil from dish, and then bake for another 15-20 until center egg is fully cooked.
Please note that all oven times can vary and gas stoves often cooker quicker so check at the 40 minute mark. Your eggs may be cooked.
More Delicious and Easy Breakfast Side Dish Recipes
Serve along side one of the following breakfast recipes
- Diced Skillet Breakfast Potatoes – Easy Skillet Breakfast Potatoes fried up in a cast iron pan are such a simple side dish to make. Often referred to as “home fries†you can skillet fry up your potatoes and enjoy super tender centers and crispy skins.
- Blueberry Breakfast Cake – Blueberry Breakfast Cake is a delicious way to bring in the blueberry picking season! Packed with fresh blueberries and perfect as a pairing with your morning coffee.
- Slow Cooker Grits – Grits have never been easier! Slow cook your grits (on high, low or overnight!) for a classic bowl of savory grits just begging for cheese, butter and bacon. Even if you have never made grits before, this one is for you!
- Cast Iron Blueberry Cake – Grab your cast iron pan and whip up this blueberry cornmeal cake in just under an hour. A seriously southern, homemade cake that is perfection in every tasty bite.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 1 pound pork sausage jimmy dean
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk or heavy cream
- 24 oz. frozen tater tots
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and spray 9 x 13 pan with non stick cooking spray.
- Brown the meat - Medium heat in a skillet, breaking sausage into small pieces. Drain any excess grease and set cooked meat aside.
- Whisk together 8 eggs, a cup and a half of heavy cream (whole milk if you have to, but heavy cream is better) and all spices together.
- Add frozen tater tots in the bottom of the dish until a full layer is formed.
- On top of tater tots, add the precooked sausage, two cups of cheddar cheese, and finally pour on whisked egg mixture.
- Cover casserole dish with foil. (This helps the edges not cook too quickly and burn.)
- Bake tater tot casserole for 40 minutes to start, remove foil from dish, and then bake for another 15-20 until center egg is fully cooked if necessary. Note that some ovens cook faster and check at the 40-45 minute mark for cooked egg.
- Serve tater tot casserole hot with sour cream, tomatoes, salsa, or crunchy bacon.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is an automated estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator or app.
Nutrition
Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.
Comments & Reviews
Rach says
Do you have to thaw the tater tots beforehand?
Trisha says
Nope!
LD says
Can you make this the night before
Trisha says
Yes, it sure can!
Dawn says
If I’m making this the night before, should I bake it the night before, too, or can I just assemble and bake it in the morning?
Trisha says
You just assemble and bake morning of. 🙂
ELAINE BURNETT says
Can I subsitute frozen hash browns for the tater tots?
Trisha says
Yes you can! Just remember that they wont have the same already cooked crunch on them tater tots have. I have a recipe here – https://www.saltysidedish.com/sausage-hashbrown-breakfast-casserole/
Brian says
Best breakfast casserole I have made to date!! Definitely a keeper!! I added some red and green peppers and just a few jalapeno’s for a little extra flavor and spice.
Lynn says
This is my favorite breakfast casserole! I made it for company and it was a BIG hit! I didn’t have heavy cream so I used half and half instead, and used pepper jack cheese for the top of the casserole to add a little spice.
SO GOOD!
Sherrie says
Can this recipe be cut in half for a small family?
Trisha Haas says
Yes, you can cut the recipe down and it should be fine. My only hesitation is the timing. Depending on the size and depth of your pan, you may have to shorten the cooking time. It’s not something I have done so I cannot give you exact cooking time for what pan but I would make sure to start checking at the 30 minute mark and remove foil and then finish out cooking.
Mallory says
This was so good ! I added onions and sweet peppers to the sausage and then at the end topped the casserole with some crumbled bacon and it was amazing !
Christina says
New family fav! Made last night (halved recipe) for breakfast as dinner and used ham steak I had on hand (cubed) instead of sausage. Also added a handful of frozen chopped bell pepper and jalapeno. Turned out great! I found cooking time to be the same as suggested. Used glass 8×8 pan. Left overs got eaten today so I made again for my “brunch”. Used rest of ham and added some cooked bacon. Forgot to add any veggies, out of cream so I used some sour cream and skim milk. Worked well. A very versatile and forgiving recipe. Also meant to say I assembled beforehand and stored in frig until I baked. Definitely adding to my meal rotatation.
Megan Burton says
Hi!
Can you make/assemble the casserole two nights before and still refrigerate it? I am hosting a Sunday Brunch for my sister’s wedding and Saturday I won’t have time to prep it 🙂
Wanted to double check because of the tater tots (wasn’t sure if they got soggy?)
Trisha Haas says
Ill be honest – I have never prepared TWO days in advance, but I don’t feel like it should be an issue since it just bakes right back up.
I don’t want to tell you FOR SURE FOR SURE but I also don’t see a huge problem.
What you COULD do (and what I would do) is set everything but the eggs and then have them prepared in a bowl and pour them on at the end. Basically like, set all the parts separately, and then it should take minutes to add the egg layer if you are concerned about the wet ingredients setting on the tater tots.
Judes F, says
I am about to prepare this recipe for the second time. Make certain you grate the cheese yourself. Do not use a bag of cheese. Buy a 10-12 oz. cheese stick/brick (i.e., Cabot or Farm Valley). YOU decide what the mix ins will be. I threw in a little already cooked bacon and sliced sauteed mushrooms. I may sprinkle a few jalapenos and a few slices of grape tomatoes. Be creative. Two days later, I smooshed a square after I warmed it up and threw that on top of a toasted bagel with ketchup. Heaven.
Judes F says
I did reduce the sodium and any additional spices to 1/4 teaspoons. I happen to like eggs, potatoes and cheese flavor more than seasoning (cheddar and pepper jack — depends how I feel when I prepare).
Kelly says
Just made this and it is DELICIOUS!!!! Definitely a keeper!!!
Christina says
This was amazing! I half-ed the recipe (used an 8×8) because I’m only feeding two people and I doubled the meat because why put a half of a roll of sausage in the fridge? It worked, and I’d recommend doing that because it made the meat layer nice and thick. I’ll be making it again and I’ll be adding bell pepper next time.
Chrissy Marie says
I can’t wait to make this and try it. One question, does it matter what size eggs you’re using? I accidentally bought medium size eggs and just wondering if I should add a few more.
Trisha Haas says
I havent tested it on every size eggs, but medium or large should have around the same time.
MK says
This was my first time making this. I wanted something easy for Christmas morning. I didn’t want the soggy bread bottom typical breakfast casserole. I also wanted to make a streamlined casserole because I have picky teenage boy eaters. This was so good! The only thing I did different was I did less salt because the sausage and tater tots are so salty… I did add a dollop of sour cream and fresh salsa to mine. I think it added a little something something.
TJ says
Breakfast for anytime of the day!! I would omit the salt. I wanted to make this as hot & fresh as possible to share with my work-fam so I measured out all the ingredients the night before (wait till the day of to crack/whisk the eggs!) and I cooked the sausage the night before to give me a head start. The timing was perfect, it cooked in 40 mins. My single layer of taters ended up becoming almost a double layer but it did not effect the cook time. A very easy recipe I would highly recommend A++
JoEtta says
I have made this multiple times for my family and it’s devoured as soon as it cools off. The adults sprinkle some hot sauce on before serving since the kids prefer it mild. Absolutely delicious! I will continue to make it again and again!
Liz says
This was a big hit! I added pepper jack cheese and onions and red pepper as someone suggested and used medium hot sausage, Delicious!!
Michelle says
Would it help to cook the tater tots first? To give it some crisp? Has anyone tried this before? It looks delicious, thanks for sharing.
Trisha Haas says
In this recipe, we dont cook them. Even if you took the time to crisp them up, once you pour the eggs on there, they could soften back up. I haven’t taken the time to see if it makes a difference but as you can see from ratings, the recipe seems find as is. I will say, as with all recipes, you can use your own expertise, experience, and tastebuds to make changes that suit your family. I encourage it! 🙂
Judes Fiszel says
I placed half the bag of tater tots on bottom and half toward the top of recipe. When all is said and done, I broiled the top of dish for three to four minutes. BTW, I buy a good bag of tater tots and not a store brand.
Ry says
Made it last night and we enjoyed it. I think the guy that said cook the tater tots first was on to something because the tots didnt get crispy like I wanted. Added green onion fresh garlic and bell pepper. Also added cream of mushroom because we make the traditional egg casserole with bread and use it. I have a deep dish casserole so I used all 32 oz of tots and doubled the sausage. My partner liked it better than the bread one but I still prefer it. Solid recipe tho
Rich S. says
Will a plant based sausage ( like “ beyond meat “ products) work in this dish ?
Thanks
Trisha Haas says
I havent done it but I dont see why not!
Lisa says
My husband and I loved this recipe. He loved it so much , that he took it to work for lunch the next day.very good!
TaMara says
Hi. Can this be frozen and reheated?
Trisha Haas says
Do you mean prior to baking it (Like assembling) or making it and freezing leftovers?