Breakfast
$1.01per plate
Prep
15 min
Breakfast · Breakfast Casserole
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
This tater tot breakfast casserole puts the tots on top rather than underneath, which is the whole reason to make it this way. Sausage and a seasoned egg custard go in the dish first, then whole frozen tater tots get lined up across the surface and baked uncovered until they turn into a crisp golden crust over a soft set middle. It feeds ten for about $1.00 a plate. The tots go in straight from the freezer and never get stirred in, because tots that sit in liquid turn to mush and lose the thing you bought them for. That crisp lid is what makes this a different dish from our hashbrown breakfast casserole, where shredded potatoes are squeezed dry and pressed underneath as a base, and from the bread-based breakfast casserole. All three are in our breakfast ideas collection.
$1.00per plate
Estimated recipe total
$10.00 · serves 10
Cook
1 hr
Total
1 hr 25 min
Serves
10
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/tater-tot-breakfast-casserole
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
Variations
- Use 8 oz of chopped cooked bacon or 2 cups of diced ham instead of sausage; cut the added salt if using bacon.
- Add half a diced onion or bell pepper with the sausage, cooked until soft and dry first.
- Use pepper jack or a Mexican cheese blend instead of cheddar.
- Assemble the sausage, custard, and first cheese the night before; add the frozen tots only when it goes into the oven.
1 How to make it
1
Heat the oven and brown the sausage
Heat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9x13 baking dish. Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles, for 7 to 9 minutes, until browned with no pink left. Drain off the fat and spread the sausage across the bottom of the dish. Draining matters here because the tots on top will render their own fat as they crisp.
2
Whisk the custard and pour it in
Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and onion powder until completely smooth and uniformly yellow with no streaks of white. Pour it over the sausage, then scatter 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar across the surface, holding the rest back.
3
Line the tots up on top, still frozen
Take the tots straight from the freezer and arrange them in rows across the whole surface, sitting on top of the custard rather than pressed into it. Do not thaw them and do not stir them in. A frozen tot has a dry outside that crisps in the oven; a thawed one has a wet outside that steams instead, and one stirred into the custard turns to paste. Cover the surface completely so the finished crust is even.
4
Bake uncovered until the middle sets
Bake uncovered for 50 minutes. Uncovered is not optional. A lid or foil traps steam and you will get pale, soft tots no matter how long you bake. At 50 minutes the tots should be turning golden and the custard should be mostly firm.
5
Add the last cheese and finish crisping
Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar over the tots and bake 8 to 12 minutes more, until the tots are deep golden and crisp at the edges, the cheese has melted and browned in spots, and a knife slid into the middle comes out clean with no liquid egg. If the tots are browning faster than the centre sets, drop the oven to 325 F rather than covering it.
6
Rest before cutting
Let it stand 10 minutes. The custard finishes setting off the heat, and resting is what lets you lift out square portions with the tot crust still attached instead of sliding off.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Bacon or ham instead of sausage. Use 8 oz of chopped cooked bacon or 2 cups of diced ham. Ham needs no draining and is the cheapest of the three; bacon makes the casserole saltier, so cut the added salt to 1/2 tsp.
- Add vegetables. Half a diced onion or bell pepper can go in with the sausage while it browns. Cook them until soft and dry first, because raw vegetables release water into the custard and soften the crust from below.
- Pepper jack or a cheese blend. Swaps in one for one. Pepper jack gives a mild heat that suits the sausage; a Mexican blend melts a little softer and browns faster, so watch the last ten minutes.
- Make it ahead. Assemble the sausage, custard, and first cheese, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Add the frozen tots only when it goes into the oven, and give it 5 to 10 extra minutes. Tots added the night before will be soggy by morning.
3 Budget tips
- A 32 oz bag of tots covers a 9x13 with some to spare and costs less than fresh potatoes once you count the peeling and the waste.
- Ten servings for $10.00 is a dollar a plate for a breakfast with meat, eggs, and cheese in it, which is what makes this a good pan for a holiday morning or a full house.
- Buy cheddar as a block and grate it. It costs less than pre-shredded and melts better because there is no anti-caking starch on it.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 4 days. The tot crust softens in the fridge, which is normal, and it crisps back up under dry heat.
Freezer
Freeze cooled squares wrapped individually, then bagged, for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the oven rather than the microwave if you want any of the crust back.
Reheating
Reheat in a 375 F oven or an air fryer for 10 to 15 minutes to bring the tots back. The microwave heats it through in about 90 seconds but leaves the crust soft, which is the trade you make for speed.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
430
Protein
21g
Fat
29g
Carbs
22g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Values shift with the sausage and cheese you use. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Do you put tater tots on top or on the bottom of a breakfast casserole?
On top, if you want them crisp. Tots on the bottom sit in egg custard as it bakes and come out soft and starchy. On top and left uncovered, they dry out and brown into a crust while the custard sets underneath, which gives you two textures in one dish rather than one.
Do you thaw tater tots for breakfast casserole?
No. Use them straight from the freezer. A frozen tot has a dry, ice-glazed surface that crisps as it heats. A thawed one is damp, so it steams instead of browning, and it also slumps into the custard rather than sitting on top of it.
Why did my tater tot casserole turn out soggy?
Three usual causes. It was covered with foil, which traps steam. The sausage was not drained, so fat pooled up into the tots. Or the tots were thawed or stirred into the egg mixture. Bake it uncovered, drain the meat, and keep the tots frozen and on top.
Can you make tater tot breakfast casserole ahead?
Partly. Assemble the sausage, custard, and cheese the night before and refrigerate it covered, then add the frozen tots just before it goes in the oven and add 5 to 10 minutes to the bake. Tots that sit on the custard overnight go soft and will not crisp.
How is the price per plate figured?
About $10.00 for the tots, sausage, eggs, milk, cheddar, and seasonings, divided across ten servings, which is exactly $1.00 each. The sausage is the biggest line at $3.30 and the tots are next at $2.60.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 9x13 baking dish. A 9x13 dish is the standard size for casseroles and baked pasta, so one dish feeds the whole table. Best for casseroles, baked pasta, stuffed peppers, and baked oatmeal.
- Mixing bowls set. A set of nesting bowls handles prep, mixing, and marinades without dirtying every dish in the house. Best for mixing meatball and patty mixtures, tossing ingredients, and holding prepped components.
- Measuring cups and spoons set. A basic set of measuring cups and spoons keeps amounts consistent, which keeps budget recipes reliable. Best for rice, liquids, and any recipe where the ratio matters.
- Instant-read meat thermometer. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of doneness, so lean or cheap cuts stay juicy instead of overcooking. Best for chicken, pork, and meatloaf, where a few degrees decides juicy or dry.
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