What’s better than one great casserole? It’s two great casseroles in one easy recipe! Think of this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole as a marriage between classic Tater Tot Casserole and a Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole. Frozen tater tots, breakfast sausage and bacon, eggs, veggies, cheese, and simple seasonings are all you need to make this satisfying breakfast recipe that’s perfect for hosting guests, brunch, holiday mornings, and nourishing weekday starters.
This recipe was created in partnership with the Minnesota Pork Board.
Recipe Highlights: Breakfast Casserole With Tater Tots
- Get a filling and nutritious breakfast that supplies all your macronutrients: energy-supplying carbohydrates, digestion supporting fiber, high-quality protein, and healthy fats
- Because of the variety of food groups incorporated, you also get a nice mix of essential micronutrients, including calcium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats
- A versatile breakfast that can be served for simple mornings or fancy ones. Take it to a brunch or potluck or even serve it for Christmas morning
- Made with budget friendly and convenient ingredients, this casserole isn’t fussy to make
- This breakfast casserole comes together quickly, with a prep time of just 25 minutes (thanks to minimal veggie chopping), a cook time of 35 minutes, and a total time of 50 minutes.
What You Need To Make Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Here are the simple ingredients to gather to get this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole recipe on the table!
- Onion – use a medium yellow onion, or sub a red onion or white onion if that’s what you have on hand
- Bell pepper – use any color bell pepper, or replace with
- Ground breakfast sausage – use ground breakfast sausage or ground pork; may sub turkey sausage
- Seasonings – you’ll need garlic powder (may sub onion powder), Italian seasoning, fine salt, and black pepper
- Cooked bacon – stir cooked bacon into the casserole and sprinkle some on top, too
- Shredded cheese – use shredded Cheddar cheese, Colby-cheddar, Colby-Jack; may use sharp Cheddar cheese or Pepper Jack cheese, if desired
- Eggs – you’ll need ½ dozen large eggs
- Milk – you’ll need 1¼ cup milk of any dairy or unsweetened non-dairy milk; we tested with whole milk and 2% dairy milk
- Frozen tater tots – or use frozen crispy crowns; may sub frozen hash browns
- Optional for serving: Sour cream, sliced green onions, hot sauce, or jalapenos
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How To Make This Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Here are the steps to make this easy recipe for your next breakfast:
- Cook the veggies and sausage: In a large skillet or Dutch oven, saute the onion, bell pepper, and sausage until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the sausage is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Season the mixture with the seasonings. Stir in the cooked chopped bacon. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Transfer to a baking dish: Spread the veggie, cooked sausage, and bacon mixture to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Add half of the cheese and the full package of frozen tater tots to the mixture; stir and spread evenly in a single layer.
- Mix the eggs and milk: In a medium or large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour the egg mixture over and all around the ingredients in the baking dish.
- Top and bake casserole: Top with the remaining cheese and the remaining cooked chopped bacon. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition information, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Pork Facts You Should Know
- In the past 6 decades pork production has improved by using 75% less land, 25% less water, 7% less energy, and 8% fewer carbon emissions
- Minnesota pig farmers are committed to doing what is right for pigs, people, and the planet
- Lean cuts of pork like tenderloin and pork chop are an ideal addition to active lifestyles because they’re as lean as boneless, skinless chicken breast and are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals
- All cuts of pork are an excellent protein source, containing all nine essential amino acids, as well as many important B vitamins
Can I Make Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Ahead?
Yes! You can prepare this breakfast casserole recipe the day before, store it in the refrigerator, and then bake it the next morning so it’s hot and ready to serve as a nourishing breakfast.
Here’s how: Prepare the casserole through the step of mixing everything together in the casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate. In the morning, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the casserole for 25-30 minutes, and garnish as desired.
Tips From Dietitian Jessie
Registered Dietitian Jessie developed this recipe in her own kitchen and has these tips to share:
- To get a nice crispy topping on the tater tots and cheese, place the baked casserole under the oven broiler (on High) for 1-2 minutes.
- If your mornings are hectic or you want to make a special morning easier on yourself, take advantage of the Overnight Casserole option where you can prep the casserole the day/evening before and then simply bake it in the morning (see Notes section of the recipe card for instructions).
- During my testing, I enjoyed topping servings of this breakfast casserole with a dollop of sour cream and a few drops of hot sauce. It was also delicious with avocado slices and a sprinkle of green onions on top.
- This warm and hearty casserole would pair nicely with fresh fruit or even a very lightly dressed green salad, which is more of a French style breakfast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, after the casserole has been fully baked and cooled, you can store the casserole in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow the casserole to fully thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days before reheating in a 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
Alternatively, you can freeze individual portions of the casserole in freezer-safe bags or Souper Cubes 1-cup portions. Thaw portions in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat in a microwave or toaster oven for 2 minutes
Yes, you can substitute the frozen tater tots with a 1-lb bag of frozen hash browns. Stir them into the casserole ingredients in Step 4, still frozen.
Breakfast sausage is a type of fresh bulk sausage, typically made from ground pork and seasoned with sage, fennel, and/or thyme, as well as garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. It is sometimes sweetened with maple syrup.
No, we’ve tested the overnight option and the tater tots hold their shape well and then bake nice and crispy, even when the casserole is assembled one day ahead of time.
Reheat leftovers in a microwave or toaster oven for 1-2 minutes.
We found the easiest method was more of a mix-and-pour method vs a layering method. In this recipe for Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, we combined the cooked sausage, veggies, tater tots, bacon, and cheese in the baking dish, and then pour the egg-milk mixture all over and around the ingredients. Finally, we topped the casserole with more cheese and bacon before baking.
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Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Enjoy the breakfast casserole version of a favorite hearty casserole. Get a well-rounded and nourishing breakfast featuring breakfast sausage, veggies, bacon, eggs, cheese, and tater tots. We’ve also included a make-ahead option so all you need to do is pop the prepared casserole into the oven in the morning.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 1 lb ground breakfast sausage
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped, divided
- 2 cups shredded Colby-Cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese, divided
- 6 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups milk of choice (we used 2%)
- 1 (28-ounce or two 16-ounce) package frozen tater tots or crispy crowns
- Optional for serving: Sour cream, sliced green onions, hot sauce, additional bacon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Mist a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, mist the surface with cooking spray and add the onion, bell pepper, and sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the sausage is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Season the mixture with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper; stir until well mixed.
- Stir 4 slices of the chopped bacon into the mixture, then transfer it to the prepared baking dish.
- Add 1 cup of cheese and the full package(s) of frozen tater tots to the mixture in the baking dish. Toss until the ingredients are well incorporated and spread evenly.
- In a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup, combine the eggs and milk; whisk until the eggs are smooth. Season the liquid with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Pour the egg mixture over and all around the ingredients in the baking dish.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese and the remaining 2 slices of cooked chopped bacon.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the center is set and the top is lightly browned. Start checking doneness at 25 minutes, adding more minutes as needed.
- [Optional step for crispy topping] Turn on the oven broiler to High and broil the top of the casserole for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
- If desired, garnish servings with a dollop of sour cream, sliced green onions, hot sauce, or additional chopped cooked bacon.
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Notes
Overnight Casserole Option: Prepare the casserole through Step 7. Cover and refrigerate. In the morning, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the casserole for 25-35 minutes, until the center is set. Finish/garnish as written above.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe
- Calories: 500
- Fat: 33 g
- (Sat Fat: 10 g)
- Sodium: 880 mg
- Carbohydrate: 29 g
- (Fiber: 5 g
- Sugar: 5 g)
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 184 mg
Dietary
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The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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I’ve made this easily a dozen times- a great meal prep breakfast with room to adjust based on what you have in your fridge and pantry. I add a little cottage cheese for extra protein and it’s always a hit! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great! Thanks for the great feedback and 5-star review!
Made this for our first meal in 2025 and my goodness if my year is as amazing as this tested, then I will be so pleased!!!! Absolutely delicious, so much flavor, and very easy to make!
Thank you so much for the great feedback, Anna! We appreciate the 5-star review.
I did add more cheese than what’s called for. I used 4 cheese Mexican blend by Sargento and also added about 3/4 c parm to the topping. I didn’t use the broiler at the end but the crust still had some crunch especially at the edges and I believe it’s because of the added Parmesan. And oh, I used sweet potato tots instead, fam preference, and it turned out awesome!!
Thanks for the 5-star review, Helen!
Love this casserole! The OG recipe is a little potato and cheese heavy for us personally, so we do use less and skip the bacon but it’s so easy to adjust! Definitely a staple in our house.
Awesome, Millie!
Delicious 😋 I used a mixture of sharp and extra sharp cheddar cheese. Will make again!
Awesome Edna!