Why This Recipe Stands Out
- Tater Tots: Every kid and grownup alike loves tater tots, especially when layered on top of all your hot breakfast favorites.
- Crispy: The tater tots will bake up beautifully golden and crispy on top.
- Bacon: This is (kind of) optional, but crispy, smoky bacon crumbled on top of this breakfast casserole makes it a standout!
- Overnight: Fully assemble this tater tot casserole the night before and bake it in the morning—super easy!
- Family and Friends: You’ll essentially become the king or queen of breakfast, once they taste this tater tot casserole. Every time we bring this recipe to a brunch party, we get recipe requests—you will, too.
Simple Recipe Ingredients
Bacon: 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled; I really like thick cut, applewood style bacon here. Get it really nice and crispy, let the oil drain, and crumble away. You can do this ahead of time, as the bacon stays crisp on the counter while you prepare the rest of the breakfast casserole.Sausage: ground breakfast sausage, no casings; my favorite kind are the Italian seasoned, but feel free to use your preferred ground sausage. You’ll brown it and break it up in the skillet before adding to the breakfast casserole.
Cheese: sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided; sharp cheddar is the best. It imparts such a big cheesy flavor and melds beautifully in this casserole recipe.
Milk: whole milk is preferred for a creamier texture, but you can use low-fat if you prefer.
Eggs: if you’re wondering why there aren’t more eggs in this breakfast casserole recipe, it’s because 3 large eggs is just the right amount to allow the tater tots to crisp up nicely during baking.
Tater Tots: your favorite brand will work fine, as long as it’s un-seasoned. Just be sure to keep it frozen until ready to assemble.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Brown Sausage: In a very large skillet, cook sausage on medium high heat, breaking up the meat and browning it. Drain and layer onto the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Evenly sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over cooked sausage.
Combine Filling: In a large bowl, hand-whisk together the milk, eggs, pepper, onion powder, and salt. Pour evenly over the cheese and sausage in baking dish. Layer top with frozen tater tots.
Bake: When ready to bake, set oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Once oven reaches 350F, place uncovered casserole in oven for about 35 minutes.
Topping: Top with additional 1/2 cup cheese, cooked/crumbled bacon, and bake another 5-10 minutes or until sides are bubbling and top is golden brown. Garnish with chopped parsley, let rest at room temp 10 minutes, and serve.
What to Serve with Tater Tot Casserole
- Fresh Fruit Salsa
- Berries
- Cut-up melons
- Yogurt Fruit Dip to go with fresh fruits
- Your favorite yogurt and granola
This Cheesy Tater Tot Breakfast Bake is super easy, can be prepped the night before, and incredibly delicious! Kids and grownups alike will devour this. Sure to be a family favorite.
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins Cook Time: 45 minutes mins Total Time: 1 hour hr Servings: 15
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 lb ground sausage, no casings
- 2 ½ cups cheddar cheese, sharp, shredded, divided
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 extra large eggs, or 3 large eggs
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp onion powder
- pinch of table salt, 1/8 tsp
- 2 lbs tater tots, frozen
- 3 TB freshly chopped parsley for garnish
1. Brown Sausage: In a very large skillet, cook sausage on medium high heat, breaking up the meat and browning it. Once cooked through, drain and layer onto the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Evenly sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over cooked sausage.
2. Combine Filling: In a large bowl, hand-whisk together the milk, eggs, pepper, onion powder, and salt. Once mixed, pour evenly over the cheese and sausage in baking dish. Layer top with frozen tater tots. If not baking right away, cover tightly with foil and chill in fridge until the next morning.
3. Bake: When ready to bake, set oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Once oven reaches 350F, place uncovered casserole in oven for about 35 minutes.
4. Top with additional 1/2 cup cheese, cooked/crumbled bacon, and bake another 5-10 minutes or until sides are bubbling and top is golden brown. Garnish with chopped parsley, let rest at room temp 10 minutes, and serve.
- For substitutions, variations, and serving suggestions, please see original article.
- Tater tot casserole can be fully assembled the night before, wrapped airtight and chilled, and baked the following morning.
- If casserole is very cold from the fridge, you may need to increase bake time by a bit; bake time always varies due to individual ovens.
- We recommend serving this casserole fresh, but leftovers can be covered and chilled. Reheat in the oven for best results. If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you!
