This Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole combines my love for tater tots and make-ahead breakfast casseroles! It is filled with eggs, cheese, and ham for a hearty breakfast casserole that will feed a crowd!
To use up the leftover Cranberry Glazed Ham, I wanted to make a tater tot breakfast casserole that would be great for the holiday season. I have made an egg casserole with tater tots before, and I really loved how it turned out! It turns out the combination of eggs cheese and tater tots is a stellar one.
The great thing about this ham breakfast casserole is that it can be prepped the night before. This means the morning of, you simply have to put it in the oven and bake it - so simple for weekend brunch! The actual process of prepping it is also incredibly easy, which I'll talk about later!
Frozen tater tots - we are big fans of tater tots in our house, and they are so convenient and delicious in this tater tot breakfast casserole!
Diced ham - this is a great use for leftover ham, but you could also buy some boneless ham or deli ham meat, and dice it up for this breakfast casserole.
Cheddar cheese - shredded mild or sharp cheddar cheese adds creaminess and flavor to this breakfast dish.
Eggs, milk, sour cream - These ingredients are the main ingredients in the liquid mixture that is poured over the tater tots, ham, and cheese.
Spices - mustard powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper add great flavor to this casserole. The mustard powder pairs really well with the ham!
All of these ingredients are easy to find at the grocery store - especially if you're using up leftover ham! If not, you could definitely use ham deli meat or a ham steak and just chop it up. In addition, if you're not a fan of ham, you can definitely use bacon or breakfast sausage instead.
This ham tater tot breakfast casserole recipe truly is as easy as they come!
Prep. Start by greasing a 9x13" baking dish and grease it with cooking spray.
Add tater tots, ham and cheese. Spread out the frozen tater tots along the bottom of the casserole dish in an even layer. Next, sprinkle the tater tots with the diced ham and shredded cheese.
Make egg mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, spices, salt, and pepper. Then pour it over the dish and it's ready to go! At this point you can cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate it, or bake it immediately.
Bake. Once you are ready to bake it, preheat your oven and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. If you have refrigerated this dish overnight, let it warm a little on the countertop for 30 minutes and add 5-10 minutes to the baking time, as necessary.
Serve. This breakfast casserole can be topped with chopped parsley, green onions, or both! It's also delicious topped with hot sauce or salsa. This would be a great breakfast main dish to serve to a large crowd - especially during the holidays.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 3-4 days!
Meat Substitute - if you don't prefer ham, you can use bacon, turkey bacon, breakfast sausage, turkey sausage, Italian sausage, or chorizo instead.
Add veggies. You can add diced red bell pepper, white or yellow onion, chopped spinach, diced broccoli, or some chopped zucchini to this breakfast tater tot casserole. I would saute them first in some olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet before adding them to the baking dish on top of the tater tots.
Switch up the cheese. I typically use cheddar cheese in this recipe, but Colby jack, cheddar jack, and pepper jack cheese would also work.
Freezer Meal. This can definitely be prepped in advance and frozen prior to baking. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator up to 2 days in advance. I always find that when I thaw a freezer meal overnight, it is not completely thawed in the morning. I will either set it out on the counter for a couple of hours to thaw completely or add some time to the cooking time.
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Made this for a family brunch but forgot to leave a rating. This was DIVINE! Family loved it and now I'm back to make it again for a brunch the day after thanksgiving. Easy instructions and very good recipe. I added some chopped red and green peppers and onions (sauteed first) and it was delish! Thank you for the recipe and inspiration!
So glad you enjoyed it!