This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Smithfield®. The opinions and text are all mine.
When you're in need of an easy and delicious breakfast casserole perfect for serving and feeding a crowd throughout the holiday season, nothing beats this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Recipe! With less than 15 minutes of prep time and no pre-cooking required, it's a simple breakfast solution you can whip up no matter how hectic the morning kicks off.
This recipe features a combination of hearty, ready-made ingredients like frozen tater tots and Smithfield® Anytime Favorites™ Diced Ham -- an ingredient that pairs particularly well with life’s realest moments and mornings that just don't seem to comply. I purchase it at my local H-E-B. I love how they always have everything I need! The crunchy tater tots and bites of savory ham are suspended throughout a creamy, decadent egg custard and topped off with a generous serving of melty cheddar cheese. It's a crowd-pleasing, comfort food breakfast everyone will adore.
TATER TOT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE INGREDIENTS
EGGS
Almost all breakfast casseroles containing egg begin with a custard. A custard is a simple mix of eggs and dairy. In this case, eggs, half-and-half, and sour cream. The combination of half-and-half and sour cream make for a rich, full-bodied, extra flavorful egg custard. The sour cream, in particular, gives your custard base an extra silky texture and a little added tang.
HAM
For this recipe, use Smithfield Anytime Favorites Diced Ham. It's a flavorful protein solution for quick-fix breakfast casseroles. Unlike breakfast casseroles with bacon or ground sausage, with this ham, there's no pre-cooking required. It's an extremely versatile ingredient, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! No matter how derailed your day gets, a delicious, flavorful meal can be ready in a snap, anytime, anywhere, any moment. It’s where real food meets real life.
You can easily find Smithfield Anytime Favorites Diced Ham in the refrigerated meats section of your local H-E-B! Visit the H-E-B store locator to find a store near you!
TATER TOTS
Keeping in line with minimal prep and easy assembly, you'll also need a package of frozen tater tots for this breakfast casserole. The tater tots go right into the casserole frozen -- no thawing required.
CHEESE
Our choice of cheese for Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is freshly grated cheddar. It melts beautifully and you'll find the texture is creamier when you grate it fresh from the block. Freshly grated cheese is best, but if you're in need of a time-saver, feel free to purchase your favorite pre-shredded cheese.
You could also use Monterey Jack mixed with cheddar, on its own, or a store-bought Mexican blend if you'd like.
Lastly, green onions. As promised, this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is an easy, quick-fix, so rather than chopping and sautéing an onion, we'll use green onions instead. Due to their mild nature, green onions allow us to bypass any pre-cooking process and add them directly to the casserole.
If you do not care for oniony flavors in the slightest, feel free to omit the green onions altogether.
HOW TO MAKE TATER TOT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
- Make the Custard - To kick off your Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, you'll first want to whip up a smooth custard. This begins with adding the sour cream to a large mixing bowl and drizzling in the half-and-half, slowly, whisking all the while. Next, add all of the eggs and whisk until the egg yolks are broken up and the mixture is homogenous.
- Add Ham, Green Onions, and Cheese - Pat the Diced ham dry with paper towels and add to the egg mixture, along with the sliced green onions, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, and seasoning. Stir to combine and pour the mixture into the casserole dish.
- Top with Tater Tots - Scatter the frozen tater tots across the top and bake for 60 minutes, uncovered so the tater tots get nice and crispy.
- Bake - After the 60 minutes is up, add the remaining cheddar cheese and bake for 5 minutes more, just until it has melted. Remove the casserole from the oven, allow it to cool slightly, serve and enjoy!
CAN I MAKE TATER TOT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE AHEAD OF TIME?
Because this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole contains sour cream, we don't recommend making it in advance. Sour cream is an acidic ingredient, which is a bonus because it acts as a tenderizer, making this egg custard extra smooth and creamy. However, if left to work overnight the acid in the sour cream could potentially jumpstart a chemical cooking process, speeding up the coagulation of the eggs.
Seeing as how this Breakfast Casserole comes together with less than 15 minutes of prep work, you'll find making it ahead of time isn't really necessary after all.
CAN YOU FREEZE TATER TOT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE?
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole can be frozen and will stay good in the freezer for 2-3 months. If you’d like to freeze the casserole whole, allow it to cool to room temperature, cover the top of the dish with freezer-proof foil and wrap the whole dish in two layers of plastic wrap.
If you'd like to freeze pieces of leftover Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, cut the casserole into individual serving sizes and place in an airtight container, separated by sheets of wax paper. You could also wrap the individual servings in wax paper, transfer them to a freezer-safe gallon-sized zip-top bag and seal tightly.
HOW TO REHEAT FROZEN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
To reheat the casserole whole, place it in the refrigerator 24 hours before you intend to cook it in the oven. Once it has completely thawed, cook it according to recipe instructions. Check the center after the indicated amount of cook time. If it is not yet heated through, add 10-20 minutes to the cook time.
Reheating this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is easy: Place it on a microwave-safe plate and cook for 1 minute. Different sized portions will require different amounts of time for reheating, so at this point, assess whether or not you need to add an additional 30-seconds to a minute to warm through.
5 MORE SOUTHERN BREAKFAST RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Cheesy Grits Casserole features a layer of creamy, cheesy grits, savory sausage, breakfast potatoes and a perfect topping of baked eggs and melty cheese.
- Egg Strata is a make-ahead breakfast casserole loaded with eggs, French bread, sausage, and Gouda cheese.
- Breakfast Casserole with Bacon requires no heavy-lifting on your part as the oven does a vast majority of the work for you! You’ll find throwing this egg and bacon breakfast casserole together an absolute cinch.
- Baked Cinnamon Apples are perfect for big family breakfast events like Christmas morning and holiday brunches, but they’re especially amazing for weekday mornings.
- Biscuits and Gravy features authentic homemade biscuits and creamy sausage gravy. It's the ultimate Southern breakfast!
Also, make sure to try out the other Smithfield Anytime Favorites products as well! You can find Smithfield Anytime Favorites Diced Ham, Smithfield Anytime Favorites Smoked Chops, Smithfield Anytime Favorites Boneless Ham Slices, and Smithfield Anytime Favorites Ham Steaks at your local H-E-B. I love that they have such a wide selection of products.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 8 large eggs
- 1 pound package Smithfield® Anytime Favorites™ Diced Ham
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 2 ½ cups freshly grated cheddar cheese, separated
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Generous pinch of salt
- 1 (32 ounce) package of frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center and have ready a greased 9x13" casserole dish.
- Add the sour cream to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the half-and-half in slowly, whisking all the while. Next, add the eggs and whisk until all of the egg yolks are broken up and the mixture is homogenous. Set aside.
- Pat the diced ham dry with paper towels and add to the egg mixture, along with the sliced green onions, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine and pour the mixture into the casserole dish.
- Scatter the frozen tater tots across the top and bake for 60 minutes, uncovered.
- After the 60 minutes is up, add the remaining cheddar cheese and bake for 5 minutes more. Allow to cool slightly, serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
Claudia Lamascolo says
I am pretty sure if my kids and husband see this it would be on my must make list today. So I will just go out and get everything and surprise them!
Taylor says
We LOVE this dish! It's a fun brunch recipe and is SO comforting and delicious!
Karen says
This casserole is so delicious!!!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Karen!
Ellen says
Hello, Can you please tell me what "half and half" is? Or what I could use, as I live in France. Thanks!!
Kelly Anthony says
It is a dairy product that is thicker than milk, but thinner than heavy cream 🙂