That bag of frozen tater tots you’ve got stashed in the freezer is the secret ingredient to make the tastiest and easiest breakfast casserole. Tots are quickly baked and lightly smashed, then loaded with eggs, veggies, ham, and cheese, and baked again. The result is a delicious quiche-like dish with a crispy potato crust – that’s ready in just 45 minutes. Serve this “cracked out” breakfast ham tater tot casserole for a relaxing weekend morning with the family or as an easy brunch all-in-one meal that everyone will love.
Crowd-Pleasing Breakfast Casserole with Tater Tots And Ham
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it isn’t always the easiest to prepare – especially if you are trying to feed several people! This is why I have forever been a big fan of casseroles. They are typically easy to make in one dish, low-cost, and great to serve at gatherings.
Get ready to win breakfast with this one pan breakfast tater tot casserole! Unlike other tater tot casserole breakfast recipes that leave the tots whole, this one lightly smashes them to create a delicious crispy potato crust as the base. On top are a tender and fluffy casserole with eggs, cheddar cheese, bell peppers and onions, and cooked ham. The texture and flavor combos create an amazing breakfast casserole that everyone will love to eat.
And, this recipe is ideal for using up any leftover ham from Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or your family dinner. So it’s a great day-after-holiday brunch dish!
Cracked out tater tot breakfast casserole is ready to enjoy in under an hour, with or without other sides. Indeed it is a whole meal in each serving. However you serve, this baked casserole is sure to make your breakfast the most cheered meal of the day!
Looking for a non-breakfast dish that turns frozen tots into something amazing? You’ve got to try this Loaded Tater Tots Appetizer recipe!
Or serve up a main meal with Chicken Tater Tot Casserole, Turkey Tater Tot Casserole, or Easy Tater Tot Casserole with Green Beans. You will love these casserole recipes.
9 Ingredients You Need
- Frozen tater tots
- Eggs
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Whole milk
- All-purpose seasoning
- Precooked ham
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Green onion
However, there are lots of tweaks you can make to this list of ingredients!
How to make this easy cracked out tater tot breakfast casserole
Add tater tots to the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Prepare the egg mixture while they are baking.
Then, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, bell pepper, diced onions, and seasoning. Set aside.
After they are have baked, remove the casserole dish from the oven. Use a flat bottomed glass, or a metal or rubber spatula to flatten the tater tots to form a crust.
Return the baking dish to the oven for 10 more minutes, until the crust is golden and slightly crisp. Remove from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 400ºF.
Pour the egg mixture over the tater tots crust. Add diced ham. Then top with the last 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the eggs are set in the middle of the casserole and the top is golden and bubbly. Top with green onions before serving.
Store leftovers in an air-tight container and refrigerate overnight or for up to 5 days.
How to Reheat Tater Tot casserole
Reheat any leftovers in an oven-safe container and cover them with aluminum foil. Bake the tater tot casserole in a preheated oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Add a kick of heat to the casserole by swapping half of the shredded cheddar cheese with shredded pepper Jack.
- You can make this recipe with low fat milk, if you prefer. But I recommend against fat-free (or skim) milk.
- We love the sweet and smoky flavor of ham, but the casserole is also delish with other cooked proteins! Add crumbled and cooked bacon or breakfast sausage, or chopped cooked chicken or turkey.
- Or skip the meat altogether to make this a vegetarian breakfast casserole.
- Feel free to omit the onion and/or bell pepper, if you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baking tater tots at 450º make for nice and crispy tater tots. In this breakfast casserole recipe, the tater tots are baked and then flattened to form a potato crust. Then, they are baked again to make them nice and crispy.
Ore-Ida Tater Tots are naturally gluten-free, and their bags are labeled as. Their site also states that they are produced in a wheat-free facility.
Yes, reheat any leftovers by placing them in an oven-safe container, covering them with aluminum foil, and baking at 350ºF for 15 minutes.
Gluten-Free Ham tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
- 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- Flat bottom glass, spatula, or small rolling pin
Ingredients
- 1 bag (32 ounces) Tater tots
- 8 large eggs
- 8 ounces (2 cups) cheddar cheese, shredded, divided (I recommend sharp cheddar cheese)
- 1/2 cup milk or half and half
- 1 tsp all purpose seasoning
- 16 ounces (about 2 cups) precooked ham, diced
- 1/2 cup onion
- 1 bell pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 cup green onion, green part chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF. Spray baking dish with cooking spray or grease with butter or cooking oil.
- Add tater tots to the bottom of the baking dish. Bake tater tots for 10 minutes. Prepare the egg mixture while the tater tots are baking.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together eggs, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, milk, bell pepper, diced onions, and seasoning. Set aside.
- After tater tots have baked, remove the casserole dish from the oven. Use a flat bottomed glass, or a metal or rubber spatula to flatten the tater tots to form a crust. Return the baking dish to the oven for 10 more minutes, until the tater tot crust is golden and slightly crisp. Remove the baking dish from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 400º.
- Pour the egg mixture over the tater tots crust. Add diced ham. Then top with the last 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the eggs are set in the middle of the casserole and the top is golden and bubbly. Top with green onions before serving.