Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole – with cheesy eggs, crisp tater tots, and gravy, this recipe might tempt you to have breakfast for dinner!
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole – with cheesy eggs, crisp tater tots, and comforting gravy, this recipe might tempt you to have breakfast for dinner! This post is sponsored by Pioneer Brand.
This Christmas season, we started what I believe is a newly minted family tradition. My daughter scheduled a Christmas Classic Movie Countdown — we kicked it off with Elf, and each Saturday, we watch our holiday favorites to take us into Christmas. To accompany the movies, she and my husband suggested we eat breakfast for dinner, and who am I to argue? I’m happy to have an excuse to have fluffy pancakes and waffles for breakfast!
As much as I love breakfast for dinner, I find that everyone is still hungry afterward, or at least craving something savory. A breakfast casserole is the perfect remedy. You find yourself satisfied with all the savory goodness, with the breakfast-for-dinner-vibe that makes it feel automatically festive.
This Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole may be perfect for dinner, but I think it’s the perfect holiday breakfast in general! It’s the kind of casserole that can easily be prepped the night before, and then baked in the early morning hours, say while the kids are opening presents under the tree, or after a late New Year’s Eve!
Holiday Meal Time Saving Tips
To make this breakfast casserole simpler, I turned to the time-saving pros at Pioneer. Their gravy packets are extremely convenient to have on hand in the pantry, ready to add a pop of flavor and creaminess to any dish, from casseroles and sauces to soups and stuffing. During the holidays, I’ll take all the extra time I can get, and with just a few ingredients, I can whip up their gravies in just a couple of minutes.
I used the Pioneer Biscuit Gravy Mix to add body and flavor to this casserole. Where I would normally make a roux and create a sauce using chicken stock, the gravy mix saves me time and is the perfect binding agent to make this breakfast casserole extra rich with hardly any effort!
Pioneer’s Head Research & Development Chef, Brian Mannett, also recommends using the gravy mixes to add creaminess to soups and stews – again, it’s a time-saver for any dish that requires a roux! And if you’re planning to make stuffing or dressing for your holiday meal, the gravy mixes are a perfect substitute for stock!
Our friends at Pioneer also offer these holiday time-saving tips:
- Plan and Prep! Take a tip from professional restaurant chefs and prep all your ingredients before cooking. Having your ingredients chopped and ready (aka mise en place) streamlines the cooking process.
- Partial Cooking. Many dishes can be prepped or even cooked partially and finished at a later time. In some cases, you can even cook dishes that can simply be reheated. By partially cooking, it breaks up the cooking process into much more manageable chunks.
- Embrace Shortcuts. We don’t have to do everything. It’s ok to take shortcuts — be strategic! When I’m planning our holiday dinner, I choose a few things where I can save time and no one would be the wiser. Maybe it’s making Pioneer Gravy. Maybe it’s buying dessert at the bakery. Maybe it’s not whipping my own whipped cream. Find some way to save a little time…and sanity!
How to Make Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
This breakfast casserole is full of everything I want in a hearty breakfast: eggs, salty ham, cheese, spinach (we need some greens!), and golden tater tots! To bind it all together, a creamy gravy!
I save time with Pioneer Biscuit gravy, which comes together in just minutes. Then it’s time for the filling – sauté onions and mushrooms seasoned with just a touch of soy sauce for extra umami. Then stir in the spinach, ham, eggs, and gravy.
Transfer the filling to a casserole dish, top with cheese, and the tater tots, and it’s off to the oven to bake! Once it’s ready, serve it immediately with extra gravy on the side!
Tip: If you’re prepping to serve this in advance, you could assemble and refrigerate it overnight so that all you have to do is pop it into the oven.
More Breakfast Recipes
Baked Oatmeal Stuffed Acorn Squash
Italian Sausage and Kale Frittata
Maple Cinnamon Breakfast Farro
Savory Sourdough Bread Pudding
Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with Pioneer Brand. Thank you for supporting brands that matter to me; sponsored posts such as this help behind the scenes at Kitchen Confidante. All opinions in this post are, as always, my own.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 cups chopped mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 cups gravy prepared, divided
- 3 large eggs whisked
- 1 cup chopped ham
- 3 cups baby spinach
- Kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 20 oz tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Set rack in the center of the oven.
- In a heavy skillet, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt over medium-low heat until translucent. Increase the heat, add the mushrooms and sauté for about two minutes. Add soy sauce and continue to sauté until the mushroom liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat.
- Stir in the 3/4 cup gravy, eggs, ham and kale. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spread a layer of tater tots in a baking dish. Transfer the filling mixture into the baking dish and top with shredded cheese.
- Arrange more tater tots on top, lightly cover with foil, and place in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil, lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the tater tots are golden brown.
- Serve immediately with remaining gravy, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Comments
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Breakfaat Casserole
Hi Carol! I believe you probably meant to share/email this recipe, but it looks like you left a comment instead! Next time, there is an email button under the “Share This” part under the recipe card that should help. Hope you enjoy the recipe!