Our Favourite Hearty Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Are you on the lookout for a breakfast recipe that effortlessly gathers the family around the table, sparking joy and setting a positive tone for the day? Perhaps something comforting, savoury, and deeply satisfying, which doesn’t require you to spend hours in the kitchen? We completely understand. This is precisely why we’ve poured our hearts into creating the ultimate Hearty Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, a brilliant one-pan dish destined to become your signature bake for relaxed weekends, celebratory brunches, and festive family meals.

This recipe represents more than just a morning meal; it’s a delightful convenience. It masterfully layers fluffy eggs, seasoned sausage, and molten cheese beneath a crown of wonderfully crisp tater tots. It’s the kind of dish that warms you from the inside out, creating cherished moments with every bite. Whether you’re nourishing a growing family or entertaining friends, this casserole is a resounding success. Let’s get started and bake something truly special together!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple to Put Together: Featuring straightforward layers and requiring very little prep work, you can have this dish ready for the oven in a flash. It’s a superb choice for cooks of any experience level.
• Ideal for Advance Preparation: We adore a recipe that helps us manage our time effectively. You can assemble this casserole the evening before, then simply bake it in the morning for a stress-free and delicious start to your day.
• Guaranteed to Delight Everyone: The classic combination of crispy potatoes, savoury sausage, and gooey, melted cheese is a universal favourite. We find it’s always a winner with both younger and older family members.
• Easily Adaptable: If you don’t have sausage, feel free to use bacon. Fancy a different kind of cheese? Just swap it in! This recipe serves as an excellent foundation for you to customise with your preferred ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 450g (1 lb) pork sausage meat, casings removed
• 10 large free-range eggs
• 120ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 250g (about 2 cups) grated mature cheddar cheese, divided
• 900g (2 lb) bag of frozen tater tots
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced (for garnish)

Step-by-Step Instructions for Your Casserole

Putting together this wonderful breakfast bake is an enjoyably simple affair. We’ve outlined the process in clear, easy-to-follow steps to guarantee a perfect outcome each time. Let’s put on our aprons and begin!

1. Prepare Your Sausage and Vegetables

Our first task is to build a solid foundation of flavour. This initial stage is vital for creating the rich, savoury depth that makes this casserole so wonderfully satisfying.

1. To begin, set your oven to preheat at 190°C (170°C Fan / Gas Mark 5). Apply a light coating of grease to a 9×13-inch (23x33cm) baking dish.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the chopped onion and diced bell pepper. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, until they’ve softened and the onion has become translucent.
3. Introduce the sausage meat to the pan. With a wooden spoon or spatula, break it apart into smaller pieces. Continue to cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring periodically, until the sausage is nicely browned and thoroughly cooked.
4. After cooking, it’s important to drain away any rendered fat from the pan. A handy trick is to tip the pan slightly and use a spoon to scoop out the excess. This step ensures your casserole won’t be overly greasy. Set this mixture aside for now.

2. Create the Creamy Egg Mixture

The egg mixture acts as the delicious binding agent for our Sausage egg tater tot bake. We aim for a light, creamy, and well-seasoned base to perfectly complement all the other components.

1. In a generously sized mixing bowl, crack all 10 eggs. Pour in the milk and add the salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Whisk everything together with gusto until the mixture is uniform, a pale yellow colour, and has a slightly frothy top. Check to ensure no streaks of yolk or white remain, as this helps achieve a fluffier texture in the finished bake.

3. Assemble Your Hearty Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

Now comes the enjoyable part – assembling all our prepared elements! Proper layering is the secret to making sure every single spoonful is bursting with flavour and texture.

1. Distribute the cooked sausage and vegetable mixture evenly over the bottom of your greased baking dish.
2. Sprinkle roughly three-quarters of the grated cheddar cheese on top of the sausage layer. We hold back the remainder to create that irresistible golden, cheesy crust at the end.

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3. Carefully and evenly pour the whisked egg mixture over the sausage and cheese, making sure to cover the entire surface.
4. To finish, arrange the frozen tater tots in a neat, single layer across the top of the egg mixture. It’s perfectly fine for them to touch, but try not to overlap them, as this ensures they all bake to a perfect crisp.

4. Bake to Golden Perfection

For the final stage, we let the oven perform its magic, transforming the assembled layers into a bubbly, golden-brown masterpiece. Your kitchen is about to be filled with the most amazing aroma!

1. Scatter the last of the cheddar cheese over the tater tot topping.
2. Transfer the dish into your preheated oven and let it bake for 45-55 minutes.
3. The casserole is ready when the eggs are fully set in the middle (a knife inserted into the centre should come out clean), the cheese is melted and bubbling, and the tater tots have turned a beautiful golden brown and are crispy to the touch.
4. Take the casserole out of the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before you serve. This resting period lets it firm up, which makes slicing and serving much neater. Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly sliced spring onions for a pop of colour and fresh flavour.

Tips, Tricks, and Variations

One of the greatest qualities of this recipe is its wonderful adaptability. Here are a few of our favourite ways to put a personal spin on your Breakfast potato casserole.

• Meat Variations: You can exchange the pork sausage for cooked, crumbled bacon, diced ham, or even some spicy chorizo for an added punch. For a vegetarian version, a plant-based sausage crumble works well, or you could simply pack it with extra vegetables like mushrooms and spinach.
• Cheese Choices: While mature cheddar is a fantastic choice, this Cheesy breakfast bake is also delicious with other cheeses. Consider trying a blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar, a fiery pepper jack for a bit of heat, or even Gruyère for a more complex, nutty taste.
• Add More Veggies: Don’t hesitate to incorporate other vegetables. Sautéed mushrooms, wilted spinach (just be sure to squeeze out all the excess moisture!), or sliced jalapeños for a spicy kick are all excellent additions.
• For Extra Crispy Tots: If you’re a fan of an exceptionally crispy topping, you can pre-bake the tater tots on a separate tray for about 15 minutes before arranging them on the casserole. This gives them a head start on becoming perfectly crunchy.

For those who love casseroles for any meal, our Low Carb Chicken Casserole is another fantastic one-dish meal that proves comforting food can also fit into a healthier lifestyle.

Storing and Reheating Your Casserole

This casserole makes for brilliant leftovers, serving as a delicious treat for days to come. To store it, first let the casserole cool down completely. Then, either cover the dish securely with foil or transfer individual slices into airtight containers. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

For reheating, the microwave offers a quick solution. However, for the best possible texture, we suggest warming it up in the oven. Place a portion on a baking sheet and heat at 175°C (155°C Fan) for 10-15 minutes, or until it’s heated all the way through. This method helps the tater tots regain their crispiness.

FAQ

The Perfect Centrepiece for Any Brunch

This recipe is far more than a simple breakfast; it’s an ideal Brunch casserole. It is hearty enough to be the star of the show, and its beautiful golden finish makes it a stunning focal point on any dining table. We love to serve it with a side of fresh fruit salad, some creamy yoghurt, and a pot of hot coffee for a complete and effortless brunch that will surely impress your guests.

Speaking of meals that please a crowd, if you’re planning your next family dinner, why not try our Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe? It’s another simple yet impressive dish that everyone loves.

For food safety, it’s always important to ensure your eggs are cooked through. According to the Food Standards Agency, cooking eggs until both the white and yolk are solid minimises any risks, which this casserole method achieves perfectly.

Conclusion: Your New Favourite Breakfast Awaits

We are truly convinced that this Hearty Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole will soon become a cherished staple in your recipe repertoire. It strikes the perfect balance between simplicity, comfort, and universally appealing flavour. It elegantly solves the “what’s for breakfast?” puzzle, offering a warm and satisfying meal that feels both special and remarkably easy to prepare.

So, the next time you’re in need of a show-stopping breakfast that doesn’t chain you to the kitchen, we hope you’ll give this recipe a try. We can’t wait for you to experience the satisfaction of pulling this golden, bubbly creation out of your oven.

Have you made our recipe? Perhaps you have your own unique twists? Please share your thoughts and creations in the comments below – we always enjoy hearing from our fellow food lovers!

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Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 65 mins
Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 450g (1 lb) pork sausage meat, casings removed
• 10 large free-range eggs
• 120ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 250g (about 2 cups) grated mature cheddar cheese, divided
• 900g (2 lb) bag of frozen tater tots
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C Fan / Gas Mark 5) and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and bell pepper until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add sausage meat to the pan, breaking it apart with a spoon. Cook for 8-10 minutes until browned. Drain excess fat.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder until fully combined.
5. Spread the cooked sausage mixture evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with three-quarters of the shredded cheddar cheese.
6. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and cheese layer.
7. Arrange the frozen tater tots in a single layer on top of the egg mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese.
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the eggs are set, the cheese is bubbly, and the tater tots are golden brown and crispy.
9. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with sliced spring onions and serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving):
600 calories,
25 g carbs,
27 g protein,
41 g fat