Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole with Sausage
The tater tot breakfast casserole with sausage is cheesy, crispy and flavorful! Easy dangerously good! A perfect egg casserole crowd pleaser for sure!
Ingredients
- 32 oz frozen tater tots
- 12 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup mild salsa
- 3 cups shredded cheese I used Mexican shredded cheese
- 2 2/3 cup bell peppers I used red, green, yellow and orange
- 2/3 cup diced onions
- 2 tsp finely minced garlic
- 1 minced jalapeno
- sliced green onions optional
- 12 oz fried breakfast sausages sliced
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 2 pinches chili powder
- 3 pinches onion powder
- 3 pinches garlic powder
- salt and pepper for taste
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan. Either line up the cooked or frozen tater tots in the pan.
- Then using the same pan the sausage was cooked in, sauté the bell peppers, onions over medium heat about 5 minutes. Once the vegetables are soft, add the minced garlic on top of the onions and peppers. Cook until fragrant about 20 seconds. Set to the side.
- To a large bowl add whisk together the eggs, seasonings, salsa, milk. Add sausages and sautéed vegetables and one cup of shredded cheese. Mix once more.
- Pour the egg mixture over the cooked tater tots. Spread the egg mixture evenly over the tater tots. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs set then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted to your preference. Garnish with green onions. Slice and Serve.
- If you choice not to cook the tater tots first then bake for 40 mins or until the eggs are set then sprinkle with cheese and bake until the cheese has melted.
Notes
TIPS TO MAKE THIS TATER TOT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
- There are a couple ways you can make this tater tot breakfast casserole. I've tried all three ways. Also I didn't use the entire bag of tater tots. I used just enough to fill up the bottom of the baking pan.
- I prefer to pre-bake the tater tots or air fry them before I pour the egg mixture over them. The taters come out super crispy baked or air fried. I'll be posting air fryer recipes in the future.
- If you would like to fry the tater tots in oil that works great too. Just make sure you drain them on paper towels. It's not mandatory to pre-cook the tater tots BUT the egg casserole will be way better if you pre-cook them.
- As I mentioned earlier, I found that straight from the freezer tater tots that weren't baked, or air fried tasted too potatoey (not a word! 🙈) and mushy. But that's just my opinion because apparently, a lot of people enjoy using frozen tater tots.
- You may love it that way too. So I'm not judging. Cook them if you have time. It's so worth it. The texture is way better plus who wouldn't love biting into melty cheese and sausages and eggs then crispy tater tots.
- Bonus, if you pre-cook them you won't have to wait until the taters cool off. Just pour the egg mixture right over the crispy hot tater tots. Another bonus, this trick also cuts the baking time down some.
- Cover the pan tightly with saran wrap then aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months.
- To bake it - thaw overnight in the freezer. Set on the counter for 30 minutes before baking.
PREPARE IN ADVANCE
- To make this in advance with frozen tater tots - Prepare it per the recipe, but instead of popping it into the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap then place it into the refrigerator.
- Cooked tater tots - I recommend you prepare the egg mixture per the recipe. Cover the bowl tightly then refrigerate.
- When you are ready to make the egg casserole, either fry, air fry, or bake the tater tots and then line the taters in the pan. Pour the chilled egg mixture over cooked tater tots. FYI, It may take longer to cook since the egg mixture is cold.