Overnight Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole (Make-Ahead)
This Overnight Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is a delicious make-ahead dish filled with veggies, cheese, and tater tots. An easily customizable breakfast perfect for holidays or weekday mornings.
Easy Cheesy Breakfast
Cheesy potato casseroles make the most filling and delicious breakfasts. This Overnight Tater Tot Casserole is filled with savory tater tots and extra cheese. Customize it with any veggies or breakfast meats so your entire family will enjoy it. This is such a simple yet popular breakfast to prepare for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Very filling with extra cheese and potatoes.
Fully customizable with any vegetables or breakfast meats.
A holiday favorite when entertaining guests.
Easy to make ahead and enjoy later.
Ingredients
- Tater tots– the best part of this dish is that it is made with frozen tater tots. Any brand or shape seems to work for this recipe. No need to thaw them out either! You will need around 6 cups or 24 ounces of tots.
- Eggs– large regular eggs worked well in the recipe but can be easily swapped out for brown eggs or more egg whites.
- Vegetables– you need 2 cups of any variety of veggies like peppers, onions, mushrooms, or zucchini. The casserole in the pictures has red and green peppers and onions. I do recommend onions or onion powder as it gives a very savory flavor to the dish. Cook all the veggies until they are softened but still have a little crunch. You can also use frozen vegetables and there’s no need to thaw, just add frozen.
- Breakfast meat– 2 cups of any meat like sausage, bacon, ham, turkey sausage, or chicken will taste great in this casserole. Cook the meat and drain any excess grease before adding it to the casserole.
- Shredded cheese– Colby and Cheddar cheese are the most popular breakfast cheeses since they are mild and pair nicely with eggs but switching it up with bold flavors like Swiss or Pepper Jack would give it a nice twist.
- Milk
- Seasoning salt
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions and a list of ingredients.
Instructions
This breakfast casserole is so easy to make. All you have to do is:
- Prepare meat and vegetables- Start by cooking all the meat and raw vegetables. Drain any excess grease from the meat. The vegetables should be cooked through but still have a little crispiness to them.
- Assemble the casserole – Add the tater tots to a 9×13-inch pan. No need to make it look pretty, they only need to be in a single layer. Sprinkle the meat and vegetables all over the top of the tots. Then you will take a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and seasoning salt together, and pour this all over the casserole. Add all that cheese all over the very top.
- Refrigerate– Put a cover of aluminum foil over the top and let it refrigerate overnight. This will help all the liquid soak up into the potatoes. You can also make it the same day and skip this step. The eggs won’t have soaked into the potatoes to break them down as much but it will still be delicious.
- Bake and enjoy– When you are ready to bake the casserole, remove the pan from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature as you preheat the oven. Leave it covered and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover to let the cheese on top melt and bake for 15 more minutes until it is all cooked through and bubbly. Serve with any toppings like green onions, sour cream, salsa, ketchup, or anything you like!
Variation Ideas
This recipe is very easy to switch up to suit your taste. A few ideas to try:
- Add jalapenos for a little spice.
- Sharp Cheddar cheese would give it a strong cheese flavor.
- Try ground turkey sausage or shredded chicken for red meat.
- Make it vegetarian and only use vegetables.
- Take out the vegetables and use extra meat for a very hearty breakfast.
Frequently Asked Questions
This make-ahead hash brown casserole can be made the same day as prepared. The potatoes will not break down as well but it will still bake well and taste delicious.
This casserole is very filling on its own with potatoes, meat, and vegetables. Since this is very savory, any fruit like mixed berries or oranges would taste delicious on the side.
Helpful Tips
* Cut into individual squares and freeze for up to 2 months to enjoy for easy meal prep.
* Refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking so the liquid will soften the tater tots.
* Use any variety of meat, vegetables, and cheese.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
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Overnight Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 6 cups frozen tater tots (24 ounces)
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups shredded cheese
- 2 cups breakfast meat cooked and drained
- 2 cups vegetables cooked
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with tater tots. Add meat and vegetables evenly over the top of the potatoes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and seasoning salt. Pour over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the entire top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator and allow the casserole to warm up to room temperature while preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake an additional 15 minutes until the center has set and the cheese has completely melted. Remove and allow to cool a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cover any leftovers in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
- Cut into individual squares and freeze up to 2 months.
