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Easy Jalapeno Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

Spice up your morning with one of the best casseroles around. This jalapeno tater tot casserole uses jalapeno peppers and crispy tater tots to make a wonderful casserole dish that'll be one of your new favorite meals. 

Jalapeno tater tot casserole

If you've had my jalapeno popper casserole, you might know that I love the spice that jalapeño peppers can provide. Many great recipes use these peppers to give heat and flavor to their dish. But you don't have to be a spice fanatic to enjoy what these peppers can do for your favorite casserole recipes; jalapenos can be a family favorite and even act as a secret ingredient to take your dish to the next level without stealing the show.

While jalapeno poppers are a favorite appetizer, sometimes I want to start the day off with a classic breakfast dish. Tater tot casseroles are a great standby, and jalapenos are just the thing to add a little excitement to the morning. 

This simple recipe comes together with 5-10 minutes of prep time—you don't have to be a professional chef to pull it off quickly and easily. 

Jalapeno tater tot casserole ingredients

Here's what you'll put into this jalapeno tater tot casserole:

  • 1 lb turkey sausage lean
  • 1.5 cup egg whites
  • 1.5 cup nonfat cottage cheese
  • 6 servings tater tots rounds
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 4 pieces bacon cooked & chopped
  • 2 jalapeños seeded & diced

Jalapeno tater tot casserole substitution ideas

As with all these recipes, you should feel free to substitute as you see fit, whether for dietary restrictions or just for personal preference. Here are a few things I can think of that you may want to play around with:

Meat: Instead of turkey sausage, use another kind of breakfast sausage or ground beef. If you're looking to skip meat entirely, you could make this with black beans or a meat substitute. 

Cheese: Use a Mexican cheese blend or another kind of your preference.

Potatoes: You could use an equal amount of hash browns instead of tater tots. 

How to make jalapeno tater tot casserole

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking grease and set aside.
  • Heat a large skillet (a nonstick or cast iron skillet will work) over medium-high heat. Brown turkey sausage and drain excess grease from skillet. Add diced jalapenos and let cook for 2 minutes. Set aside.
  • In a blender, add egg whites, cottage cheese, and seasonings. Blend until creamy.
  • Pour the egg mixture into the bottom of the greased casserole dish.
  • Add the cooked turkey sausage & jalapeños.
  • Evenly distribute the tater tots across the top of the casserole.
  • Add the chopped bacon across the top.
  • Sprinkle a layer of the shredded cheese.
  • Bake at 375 for 40 mins.

How long does Jalapeno tater tot casserole last in the fridge?

The trick to make this meal last in the fridge is to use an airtight container for storage. If you do that, you can enjoy this jalapeno tater tot casserole for up to 5 days. Additionally, you can freeze and keep for much longer. Another option for keeping is to put plastic wrap or aluminum foil over the whole casserole dish, but I wouldn't recommend doing this if you plan to keep for longer than a couple of days. 

How to reheat this recipe

Single servings of this jalapeno tater tot casserole reheat well in the microwave. If you stored the entire casserole dish, you can reheat it well in the oven. If you go this route, I recommend using a lower temperature (~300F) for around 10 minutes. 

What goes best with tater tot casserole?

As a breakfast item, this casserole can stand alone as a whole meal—maybe with a hot cup of coffee. I've eaten it at all meals of the day; if I'm having it later, I like to pair it with a green salad or some other veggies to supplement. 

Want more recipes?

If you like this recipe, you might consider checking out one of these other Jordo's World favorites:

This is a large white casserole dish filled with jalapeno tater tot casserole. There are lightly brown tater tots topped with melted shredded cheese and pieces of cooked bacon.
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Jalapeno Tater Tot Casserole

Spice up your morning with one of the best casseroles around. This jalapeno tater tot casserole uses jalapeno peppers and crispy tater tots to make a wonderful casserole dish that'll be one of your new favorite meals. 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: jalapeno tater tot casserole, tater tot breakfast casserole, tater tot casserole
Servings: 6
Calories: 382kcal
Author: Jordan Smith

Equipment

  • casserole dish
  • skillet
  • oven

Ingredients

  • 1 lb turkey sausage lean
  • 1.5 cup egg whites
  • 1.5 cup nonfat cottage cheese
  • 6 servings tater tots rounds
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 4 pieces bacon cooked & chopped
  • 2 jalapeños seeded & diced

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking grease and set aside.
  • Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown turkey sausage and drain excess grease from skillet. Add diced jalapenos and let cook for 2 minutes. Set aside.
  • In a blender, add egg whites, cottage cheese, and seasonings. Blend until creamy.
  • Pour the egg mixture into the bottom of the greased casserole dish.
  • Add the cooked turkey sausage & jalapeños.
  • Evenly distribute the tater tots across the top of the casserole.
  • Add the chopped bacon across the top.
  • Sprinkle a layer of the shredded cheese.
  • Bake at 375 for 40 mins.

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 9mg
Recipe Rating




laura

Sunday 28th of January 2024

mmm yes. This weeks meal prep sans jalapenos b/c Midwestern here doesn't do spice! XD

Chelsea Coretti

Tuesday 8th of August 2023

Jordo knocks it out of the park again! This one is beyond delicious. I used jarred jalapeños (cause it’s what I already had) and the spice is PERFECT. If you have littles, I would make it without the jalapeños, but this is also perfect to just be selfish and eat for yourself. Broiled at the end for 90 seconds to give it a nice crunch. Highly recommend.

Kara

Monday 7th of August 2023

Another excellent recipe we will add to our meal rotation. I had turkey sausage crumbles so I subbed that and it turned out perfect. Start to finish this was easy to throw together and delicious once enjoyed. 😀

Jordan Smith

Monday 7th of August 2023

Hi Kara, I'm so glad you loved this recipe! Using turkey sausage crumbles is definitely a way to speed up the cooking process. Enjoy this week!