Easy Vegetarian Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

• servings: 9 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

32 ounces frozen tater tots (I like organic, frozen)

1 cup whole milk (using lesser % may make your casserole more runny)

½ cup heavy cream (or half and half, note this could make your casserole a little more runny)

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)

1 medium onion (diced)

1 cup mushrooms (finely chopped, I used baby bellas)

1 red bell pepper (finely chopped)

1 medium zucchini (finley chopped)

1 cup Pepper Jack cheese (grated or Monterey Jack cheese)

1 cup Cheddar cheese (cheddar, I used white sharp cheddar)

Garnish with fresh chopped basil or Italian parsley

Directions

Preheat oven.

NOTE: This casserole may be assembled the night before and baked in the morning or baked immediately. If baking immediately, preheat the oven to 350°F (175° C).

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish. Line the tater tots in an even layer in the bottom of the dish.

Saute onions, peppers, zucchini and mushrooms.

In a large skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, saute the onions*, peppers, and zucchini for about 5-7 minutes, then toss in the sliced mushrooms, and continue to saute for 3-4 more minutes until the mushrooms are softened and browned. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Make egg, cheese and veggie miture.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until smooth, adding salt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper (if using), black pepper to taste, milk and cream, and whisk until smooth. Then add the veggie mixture a little at a time to temper the eggs. Stir in the cheese, reserving one cup to sprinkle on top if desired.

Pour over tater tots

Pour over the top of the tater tots, top with remaining cheese.

Overnight Directions

Overnight instructions

Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight, when ready to bake, remove the casserole from the fridge while the oven is preheating.

Bake covered in foil, then remove foil and continue baking.

Bake covered, for 25-30 minutes, remove the foil and bake additional 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown and casserole is cooked through.

Day of Baking Instructions

Baking instructions.

Bake covered with foil sprayed with oil for 25-30 minutes; remove the foil and bake additional 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the casserole is cooked through. If browning too quickly cover with foil loosely towards the end, remove when there is just a tiny jiggle in the middle, allow to cool 10-15 minutes garnish and serve.

Nutrition

• Calories: 484 kcal
• Total Fat: 33 g
• Saturated Fat: 15 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
• Trans Fat: 0.1 g
• Cholesterol: 185 mg
• Sodium: 1037 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 32 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 17 g