My breakfast casserole with a tater tot crust is a fluffy egg casserole baked up with lots of sausage, onions, peppers, and cheese, topped with everybody’s favorite hash browns. It’s a fun way to serve breakfast to a hungry crowd.Â
a breakfast casserole is a delicious idea that just makes sense!
Chuck everything you love about breakfast into a casserole and let it bake away while you brew the coffee? Genius. I don’t think I’ll ever cook breakfast the old fashioned way again 😉
what you’ll need
- a dozen eggs
- breakfast sausage ~ any kind you like. It’s easiest to use loose bulk sausage.
- onion ~ red or yellow.
- bell peppers ~ any color, but remember the reds, oranges, and yellows are sweeter than the green. I like to use all of them.
- cheese ~ I use half cheddar and half pepper jack.
- half and half ~ or milk to cut calories and fat.
- Tater Tots ~ I used the new minis. There’s no need to thaw the Tots, just layer them on from frozen.
how to make a breakfast casserole
- Brown the sausage
- quick sauté the onions and peppers
- whisk the eggs with half and half, then stir in the cheese
- Layer it all up in a casserole.
- Top with Tater Tots
- Bake. The Tots will turn golden and the eggs will puff up and smell wonderful. Â
change it up!
This casserole is quite versatile, and it can be varied in the same ways you might jazz up scrambled eggs.
- You can use bacon instead of, or in addition to the sausage.
- Or leave out the meat entirely to make it vegetarian.
- Make this a southwest breakfast casserole by using chorizo, adding a drained can of fire roasted chiles, some chile powder, black olives, and a Mexican blend grated cheese. Serve with sour cream and salsa.
- Omit the tater tot crust and top with more cheese.
- Give it a kick with minced jalapeños.
- Add mushrooms, sautéd first to remove some of their moisture.
to make ahead
Prep the casserole without the tater tots, cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Let sit on the counter for an hour before baking to come up to temperature.
Top with the tater tots just before baking.
more hearty breakfasts we love
Breakfast Casserole
My breakfast casserole with a tater tot crust is a fluffy egg casserole baked up with lots of sausage, onions, peppers, and cheese, topped with everybody's favorite hash browns. It's a fun way to serve breakfast to a hungry crowd.Â
Servings: 15 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb loose breakfast sausage
- 1/2 large red or yellow onion, diced
- 2 colorful bell peppers, diced
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- 12 eggs
- 1 cup Half and Half
- 2 cups shredded cheese, I used half cheddar and half pepper jack
- Tater Tots. You won't need the whole bag, but I used just over 100 mini Tots.
garnish
- sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F Lightly spray a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove to a plate but don't wipe out the pan.
- In the same skillet saute the onions and peppers over medium high heat for a couple of minutes, just to soften slightly and brighten the colors.
- Whisk the eggs until well blended.
- Blend in the Half and Half.
- Stir in the cheeses, adding a teaspoon each of salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Add the sausage to the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Top with the peppers and onions. Spread out evenly.
- Pour the egg and cheese mixture over everything. Note: I take a fork and gently mix everything together at this point.
- Arrange the Tater Tots on top of the casserole in any pattern you like. Lay them down gently, don't push them down into the liquid.
- Bake for about 55-60 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the center is cooked through. It should not be jiggly when shaken. Note: if the crust seems to be browning too quickly you can loosely cover with foil toward the end of cooking.
- Slice into squares and serve topped with sliced green onions, if you like.
Nutrition
Calories: 276 kcal · Carbohydrates: 9 g · Protein: 14 g · Fat: 20 g · Saturated Fat: 8 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 175 mg · Sodium: 453 mg · Potassium: 266 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 919 IU · Vitamin C: 23 mg · Calcium: 153 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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Can this be assembled the night before and cooked the next morning?
Yes, but I would add the Tater Tots right before baking. You might be able to add them the night before, but I haven’t tried.
Looks good can the recipe be halved ? It`s just the two of us around here,also what would be the best way to reheat leftovers?
Yes, for sure, you could bake it in a square pan. We reheated leftovers in the microwave, but in a low oven would be best.