This overnight tater tot casserole is packed with flavor and super easy to make. Make it the night before a holiday or busy morning and wake up to a cooked breakfast that's both hearty and filling.
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This casserole is a breakfast dish that delivers both taste and convenience. It's the perfect choice for those mornings when you want to treat your family to a hearty and satisfying breakfast without the morning rush.
What makes this Overnight Tater Tot Casserole special is the combination of tater tots, eggs, cheese, and flavorful breakfast sausage and bacon, all blended together and left to meld overnight. It's an Easy Comfort Food Casserole, that's perfect for adding to your list of Christmas Breakfast Ideas.
In the morning, simply pop the Overnight Tater Tot Casserole in the oven, and within an hour, you'll have a golden, bubbly, and satisfying meal. Whether you're serving a crowd or just want an easy morning meal, the overnight breakfast casserole is a fantastic choice.
For other convenient breakfast ideas make sure to check out my Cinnabon Clone Cinnamon Rolls, Sheet Pan French Toast Breakfast, and Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread.
Jump to:
- 💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🛒 Ingredients
- 🔀 Substitutions & Variations
- 💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
- 🥄 Instructions for Overnight Tater Tot Casserole
- 👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- ❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
- 🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
- ❓ Overnight Tater Tot Casserole FAQs
- 🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Buzz From Readers
"This was incredible! I love that it was so easy to make and didn't take long the next morning either. I used a mix of green and red bell peppers because it's what I had on hand and it totally gave me Christmas vibes… It's going to be so much fun waking up to a hot meal without prepping so early. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!"
- Kim
💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple, yet delicious. You're going to love this easy tater tot breakfast casserole because it's such a simple recipe for even those most hectic of mornings.
- Great for holidays. Perfect for any occasion, including holidays. Some of the biggest traffic boosts to this recipe happen around Christmas, which tells me that I'm not the only person who enjoys simple mornings, haha.
- Customizable. This egg bake with tater tots is always a nice idea, and it's even nicer when you realize that you can customize it to suit your own tastes. Change up the meats, veggies, cheeses, seasonings, etc. Take some inspiration from my Crustless Veggie Quiche, there are a lot of add-in ideas!
🛒 Ingredients
Bell Pepper- You can use any colored bell peppers you want, but for a festive touch, you can stick with red and green.
Cheeses- We use a blend of Monterey Jack Cheese and Cheddar Cheese.
Frozen Tater Tots- This is the base of the recipe, and these tots, once cooked, will feel more like hashbrowns, giving us a filling serving and one full of our breakfast favorites.
Green Onions- For added color and flavor, you can add some green onions to your breakfast casserole.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Tater Tots: You can use regular tater tots, tater tot coins, or hashbrown sticks interchangeably in this recipe. They will all cook up the same once thawed.
Homemade Frozen Hashbrowns: While not tested, Homemade Frozen Hashbrowns should work well in this recipe, similar to our Easy Hashbrown Casserole.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Use what veggies you have: Fresh or frozen peppers and onions both work and frozen is often cheaper out of season.
Stretch the bacon: Use less bacon or choose bacon bits or ends and pieces for the same smoky flavor.
Cheese strategy: Buy blocks and shred your own for lower cost and better melting.
Bulk freezer buys: Larger bags of tater tots are usually the best value and leftovers can be used for other meals. Like our Tater Tot Corn Casserole and Loaded Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos).
🥄 Instructions for Overnight Tater Tot Casserole
Step 1: Grease a 9x13 baking dish and then set it aside.
Step 2: Brown the sausage, onions, and bell pepper in a skillet on the stove (Image 1). Make sure to crumble the sausage into smaller pieces as you go.
Step 3: Set the mixture aside and return your pan to the stove. Cook your bacon and then chop it into small bits, draining grease as needed. Add to meat mixture.
Step 4: Add your eggs to a large mixing bowl (Image 2).
Step 5: Add in the milk, ½ cup of each cheese, and sour cream (Image 3).
Step 6: Whisk to combine. Add in seasonings.
Step 7: Add in the cooked meat and veggies once cooled and stir to combine (Image 4).
Step 8: At the bottom of your baking dish, arrange the frozen tater tots into an even layer on the bottom (Image 5).
Step 9: Pour your egg mixture over the top (Image 6).
Step 10: Sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top (Image 7). Cover the baking dish and place it into the fridge overnight. When ready to cook in the morning, let the pan sit on the counter as the oven preheats to 350℉.
Step 11: Sprinkle the green onions on if desired. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 30 minutes (Image 8).
Step 12: Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Top with salsa if desired.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Same-Day Prep: This Overnight Tater Tot Casserole can be made the same day instead of overnight with a few adjustments.
- Tater Tot Thawing: Speed things up by letting tots thaw in the baking dish while the oven preheats, or bake them briefly before assembling.
- Baking Time: Using frozen tots may increase baking time due to extra moisture. Make sure the center reaches 165°F before serving.
❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
Storage: Store leftover Overnight Tater Tot Casserole in the fridge, tightly covered, for 3-4 days.
Reheating: Reheat portions in the microwave 1-2 minutes or bake at 350°F until warmed through and crispy.
Make Ahead: Assemble the casserole, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. Add a few extra minutes of bake time if going in cold.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
This Overnight Tater Tot Casserole pairs well with fresh fruit or a simple fruit salad to balance the richness. A side of toast, biscuits, or muffins works nicely for a hearty breakfast spread. For brunch or dinner, serve it with a simple green salad or sliced tomatoes for something fresh and light.
- Strawberry Blueberry Fruit SaladRecipe $3.35 / Serving $0.84
- Iceberg SaladRecipe $5.00 / Serving $0.83
- Jalapeno Cheddar BiscuitsRecipe $3.78 / Serving $0.47
- Peaches and Cream Sourdough MuffinsRecipe $3.66 / Serving $0.31
❓ Overnight Tater Tot Casserole FAQs
Yes, if desired you can simply omit the meat in this casserole for a meatless variation. It will still taste great!
Yes, it can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Note that eggs seem to dry out or change texture slightly when they're frozen and reheated so it may not taste as great as when the casserole is served fresh.
You can reheat a single serving of casserole on a microwave safe plate for about 1.5-2 minutes in the microwave. Larger servings may take a little longer. For multiple servings, place the casserole in the oven and allow it to reheat for about 10 minutes at 350F.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
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🐝 If you tried this Overnight Tater Tot Casserole, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Overnight Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ground pork sausage - ($2.97)
- 1 cup onion, diced - ($0.90)
- 1 bell pepper, diced - ($0.86)
- 1 cup bacon, cooked and chopped - ($0.89)
- 1 cup milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream - ($0.20)
- ½ cup sour cream - ($0.50)
- 8 large eggs, lightly beaten - ($1.20)
- ½ teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - ($0.02)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.01)
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, divided - ($0.99)
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided - ($0.99)
- 6 cups frozen tater tots (about 24 ounces) - ($3.42)
- ¼ cup green onions, chopped, optional - ($0.22)
- salsa, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Prep. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
- Cook meats. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage with the onion and bell pepper, crumbling the sausage as it cooks. Transfer to a bowl. Cook the bacon until crisp, chop, and drain excess grease.
- Mix filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, eggs, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and half of each shredded cheese. Stir in the cooked sausage mixture and bacon.
- Assemble. Arrange the frozen tater tots in an even layer in the prepared baking dish. Pour the egg and meat mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Bake. Let the casserole rest at room temperature while the oven preheats to 350°F. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 30 minutes, until set and heated through.
- Finish. Sprinkle with green onions if using. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with salsa if desired.
Notes
- Baking tips. Internal temperature should reach 165°F. If tots were very frozen, additional bake time may be needed.
- Shortcut option. For same-day prep, thaw tots on a baking sheet while preparing the filling or bake tots per package directions, cool, then assemble.
- Potato swaps. Tater tot coins, hashbrown sticks, or similar frozen potatoes work well.
- Storage. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheat before serving.
Nutritional Information
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Kim B. says
This was incredible! I love that it was so easy to make and didn't take long the next morning either. I used a mix of green and red bell peppers because it's what I had on hand and it totally gave me Christmas vibes. I have to remember this for Christmas morning, it's going to be so much fun waking up to a hot meal without prepping so early in the morning. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I'm so glad I found it!