Sausage Cream Cheese Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole - great make-ahead recipe! Sausage, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, tater tots, eggs, milk, garlic, onion, and black pepper. Can refrigerate or freeze for later. Great for breakfast. lunch or dinner. Everyone loves this easy breakfast casserole!!
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat. Add cream cheese to skillet and mix with cooked sausage.
In a large bowl, toss together tater tots,sausage and cream cheese mixture, and shredded cheddar cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan.
Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and milk. Pour over tater tot mixture.
Bake uncovered for 60 - 70 minutes, or until eggs are set.
Notes:
I used Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage in this casserole. You can use any flavor you prefer - regular, hot, maple, sage, Italian.Can substitute turkey sausage for pork sausage.There is no need to thaw the tater tots before adding to the casserole.I used cheddar cheese in this casserole. Feel free to use any cheese you prefer - gouda, Colby, Mexican cheese blend. If you like it, use it!Feel free to add onion, bell peppers, or a can of Rotel tomatoes to the mixture.To reduce calories, you can substitute egg beaters for eggs. You will need 2 cups of egg beaters for this recipe.Can assemble casserole ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time if baking directly from the refrigerator.Can make the casserole in advance and freeze for later. I freeze the casserole unbaked. You can also freeze the baked casserole.To bake casserole after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed below.To reheat casserole after freezing, partially thaw. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350ºF for 30 to 45 minutes, until warm.