Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
This tater tot breakfast casserole is easy to throw together and filled with hearty sausage and diced ham. It’s completely dairy free and can be assembled in advance to simplify your morning.
Why I love tater tot breakfast casserole
About a month ago now, some of my girlfriends were in town for a concert, and even though the rest of us didn’t have tickets, we all decided to make a big night of it and went for dinner together. In the morning, I invited everyone over for a nice little brunch at home.
I saw quite a few breakfast casserole recipes out there, but I wanted to make one that was a little lower in calories, so I used reduced-fat breakfast sausage, low-fat milk and no cheese. It’s still not the healthiest choice in the world, but it’s a lighter version, so I’m happy about it.
I even made a second casserole using dairy free milk so that Marc could have something to eat, too, since he was home with Ellie.
The breakfast casserole turned out amazing. The eggs and tater tots are extra fluffy and the flavor from all the mix-ins really work. It’s like my favorite omelet/breakfast scramble in make-ahead breakfast casserole form.
If you like this recipe, you have to try these sausage and scrambled egg sandwiches, and these scrambled eggs without milk and this asparagus quiche with bacon.
Searching for sweeter breakfast recipes? dairy free french toast / cheddar chive waffles & eggs with strawberry candied bacon / bananas foster pancakes / easy dairy free cinnamon rolls
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make tater tot breakfast casserole
Combine the mix-ins. Stir together the cooked sausage, ham, bell pepper, green onion and tater tots. You can do this directly in the baking dish you will use.
Whisk the egg mixture. whisk together eggs, milk and salt & pepper until smooth. Pour over mix-ins in the baking dish.
Bake for 45 – 55 minutes. You will want to make sure the eggs have set and tater tots are golden brown.
Allow the casserole to cool before slicing and garnish with chopped fresh chives.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Sausage – You can easily change things up by using a different mix-ins. I would recommend using only cooked meats though, uncooked meats will release too many fats as they cook.
- Mix-Ins: Try making this a Mexican breakfast casserole by using chorizo sausage, adding black olives and topping it with pico de gallo.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Make ahead tips:
- You can make this casserole ahead of time if you want. The night before would be perfect, but you could prep everything a few days in advance.
- If you’re going more than one day in advance, try mixing the egg mixture and storing it separately, so nothing gets soggy. When you’re ready to cook, just pour the eggs over and bake.
Ingredients
- 1 16- ounce roll breakfast sausage (cooked)
- 3/4 cup diced ham
- 3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion (about 3)
- 1 2- pound bag tater tots
- 8 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups dairy free milk
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- In a large baking dish combine cooked sausage, ham, bell pepper, green onion and tater tots, stirring to mix ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and salt & pepper until smooth. Pour over mixture in dish.
- Bake for 45 – 55 minutes or until eggs have set and tater tots are golden brown.
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Plain Chicken.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I was looking for an easy dairy free breakfast for Christmas morning.
One question….. are you using the tater tots while they are still frozen? or are they thawed?
I was thinking the same thing- are the tots frozen when combined the day before or do you need to cook them first?! Looks delish! (Thank you!)
The tater tots can stay frozen.
I am confused. How is this dairy free? It has both eggs and milk in it.
Eggs are not a dairy product, and the recipe calls for dairy free milk (such as oat, soy, almond milk etc).
12 pounds of tater tots and 8 eggs??
That reads ONE 2-pound bag of tater tots.
what was the weight of the breakfast sausage?
It should be 1 pound.
do you need to grease/spray the baking dish?
My granddaughter has AlphaGal allergy- no protein from animals on hoof (cows, pigs, venison). No milks, cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese etc. But there are a lot of plant based subs available. She can have plant butter, plant based cheese & oat/almond milk.
So I’m going to try with turkey sausage.
I will check back when I have tried more recipes.
Oh turkey sausage would be great I’m sure!