This Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is an easy, hearty, family favorite that will have kids AND adults coming back for seconds and thirds! It can be prepped in less than 20 minutes and baked immediately OR refrigerated until ready to serve. This breakfast casserole is made with crispy tater tots, eggs, juicy sausage, onions, bell peppers, sharp cheddar and pepper Jack cheese all baked together to create a mountain of creamy, cheesy, potato goodness. It’s the epitome of comfort food, and the epitome of YUM. You don’t want to miss this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onions and bell peppers and cook while crumbling the sausage until the sausage is cooked through and onions are softened. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Drain grease and add the mixture to the baking dish. Set aside to cool slightly.
Add half of the tater tots to the baking dish with the sausage and half of both cheeses (3/4 cup each cheese). Stir everything to combine then spread into an even layer.
Pour Egg Mixture over the sausage mixture, then sprinkle remaining tater tots over top.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 70-80 minutes or until eggs are set. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Return to the oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped chives or green onions if desired.
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Notes
Turkey: you can swap with turkey sausage and a 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. I also like to add 1 teaspoon beef bouillon.
Cheese: use the suggested sharp cheddar and pepper Jack or swap the pepper Jack for another cheese that melts well such as Mozzarella, Gruyere, Swiss, Monterrey Jack, Colby Jack, Fontina, or Gouda. Use only freshly grated cheeses as packaged cheeses contain anti-clumping chemicals which inhibits their melting ability.
Variations: you can swap out the meat and vegetables for your favorites but keep the proportions the same so there is enough egg mixture to envelop the filling.
Storage: cover tightly or transfer to an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store for up to 5 days.
HOW TO REHEAT
Microwave: warm individual servings on a microwave safe plate in the microwave for about a minute or until warmed though. I like to cut my slice in half before microwaving so it warms evenly.
Oven: you can reheat the entire pan by covering with foil and baking at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes or until heated through (will depend on number of servings left).
OVERNIGHT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
Assemble the breakfast casserole according to recipe instructions but DON’T add the tater tops on top. Keep this half of the tater tots frozen until ready to use.
Tightly cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate unbaked casserole a few hours up to 24.
When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
Add the remaining half of frozen tater tots and bake according to recipe directions, adding an additional 10-15 minutes as needed.