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Breakfast Casserole
My Little Man is such a picky eater. I honestly do not get it. Sometimes he will eat a whole bowl of sliced peaches and other times he throws it on the floor in disgust. I’m sure all parents out there have been through this endearing phase however, even though I know I am not alone, it is still a tough mountain to climb. When you never know if the foods you choose will be welcomed or trashed, planning meals can be stressful!
The one and only thing he will always eat is potatoes. Mashed potatoes. Baked potatoes. Sweet potatoes. Cheesy potatoes. Hash browns. Tater tots. If there is a potato on the table, he is right there ready to eat it. I’ll consider myself lucky that I have at least one food I can count on!
So, naturally breakfast casserole has become a weekly staple in our household. Actually, not a weekly staple, more like a daily staple! Most breakfast casseroles consist of potatoes (yay!), cheese, some eggs and maybe a veggie or two mixed in. Wanna get fancy, toss in some meat and you have a complete meal!
Since breakfast casseroles have those magical potatoes inside that my son will always eat, i can also get away with all the more nutritious additions(eggs for protein, veggies, etc) without him noticing too much. Yes, breakfast casseroles are my current favorite food to make and serve for sure!
One Pan Breakfast Bake
What is especially great about breakfast casseroles and breakfast bakes is that they are essentially made from start to finish in one pan. That means only one dish to get out and only one dish to clean. One pan recipes are my favorite!
So while mornings are getting more and more hectic these days, I know that I can take out my one casserole dish, reach for a few simple ingredients (potatoes of course) and have a meal ready in no time that everyone will actually eat. It’s like magic!
Breakfast Casserole With Ham
So as I said before, we make breakfast casseroles frequently. Like every day frequently. Can you blame me? When you know that a meal will be eaten and not wasted, it has to be a household staple.
I have my recipe down to a science and I could probably make it with my eyes closed. My kids come down for breakfast and they already know there will be a casserole on the table. (They don’t know how luck they are…) Luckily, they are excited about it too- hopefully this casserole phase will last because I am getting so good at it!
However, the other day I had a casserole catastrophe. With all of the hustle and bustle during the holidays, super mom here forgot to buy hash browns. That’s right- we were out of the one food that saves my mornings and there was no time to go to the store before the kids needed to be out the door.
Ripping apart the freezer I was thankful we had leftover ham from Christmas. Perfect, ham in a breakfast casserole is perfect! Then I found a half bag of tater tots in the freezer- perfect again! Tater tots are totally potatoes! I mean, they are just hash browns in smaller, rounder form right?
Hillbilly Breakfast Bake Recipe
While this wasn’t up to par with my normal breakfast casseroles, full of veggies, coordinating meats and ‘real’ shredded potatoes, I didn’t think it was looking half bad. Then, with tater tots and chopped ham sitting on our kitchen counter, my husband walked by and said “what are you making a hillbilly breakfast?”.
I guess I can’t blame him for this comment as my casserole was looking a little rough around the edges compared to the masterpieces that I had been creating lately (like I said, I am a casserole pro at this point!). However, my kids sat down at the table, saw the cheesy tater tots and they all thought they were in heaven.
Everyone took great big scoops and devoured the casserole, telling me it was one of the best they ever had. I was shocked. Happy, elated, but surprised. This easy dish that took me a matter of seconds to make was their favorite casserole yet? Even my super picky son was reaching for more. I was thrilled.
And that was that. The Hillbilly Breakfast Casserole was born. Sure, it isn’t fancy and it’s made primarily of left overs but it tastes delicious, it’s fast and, let me reiterate here, my picky eater loves it! A 100% win. Oh, and since the fateful day when the Hillbilly Casserole was born, I have made it for many breakfasts but also for dinner too. I mean, ham, cheese and potatoes all sound like a delicious dinner too! Then you can even have the leftovers for breakfast the next day…genius!
Tater tot casserole, ham breakfast bake, one pan breakfast bake….Call it whatever you like but this is a delicious Hillbilly Breakfast Casserole indeed.
Interested in Copycat Recipes? Click here to read our review of our favorite copycat recipe cookbook
Hillbilly Hamburger Casserole Recipe Requirements
Hamburger Casserole Recipe Ingredients
- Frozen Tater Tots
- Ground Beef (Chicken or Turkey also works)
- Yellow Onion
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Ranch Seasoning
- Salt
- Pepper
More Simple Casserole Recipes
- Sausage Egg Hashbrown Casserole
- Slow Cooker Mexican Hashbrown Casserole
- Spicy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
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*This recipe was previously published on Simple Green Moms. We’ve updated and expanded the post on 11/20/18 to make it even better for our readers!
PrintHillbilly Hamburger Casserole
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Gluten Free
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: French
Description
All you need to make this delicious recipe is 5 ingredients, one skillet, one casserole dish and that’s it!
Ingredients
- 1 bag of frozen tater tots
- 1 1/2 lb. ground beef (chicken or turkey works!)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450(F) degrees and prepare 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Brown meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the meat is fully cooked, add in seasonings and chopped onion.
- Place half of the tater tots, meat and cheese in prepared dish. Season with salt and pepper then add the remaining tater tots, meat and cheese.
- Season with more salt and pepper if desired, then place uncovered in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tater tots are golden brown
Notes
- You can fully bake this casserole the day before. Reheat in the morning in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes and then serve.
- This casserole will keep in the fridge, tightly wrapped, for up to 5 days.
- Hillybilly casserole does not freeze well (the freezer tends to dry it out a little) so make it fresh and eat it up- this won’t be a problem!
- If you have no tater tots, packaged hash browns will work fine as well.
- Replace the ham with 1 ½ cups cooked chopped bacon for a crunchier casserole addition
- Feel free to add any cooked or raw veggies you’d like to the mix. Chopped peppers, broccoli, zucchini and tomatoes all work well.
- If the cheese on the casserole begins to get too brown before the cooking time is complete, cover the casserole with foil for the remaining cooking time to prevent the oven heat from directly reaching the cheese.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
Keywords: hamburger casserole, casserole, meat
Megan Porta says
I think this is dinner tonight! Yum!
Kelly says
you are going to LOVE it! =)
Alethea Thompson says
A very good meal. Family loved it.
SimpleGreenMoms says
I’m glad they liked it!
Adam says
Are the tater tots still frozen when you put them in the casserole? Or should they be thawed first?
SimpleGreenMoms says
You can do it either way. If you thaw first, they will come up crisper.
Robbie says
My mouth is watering! This looks incredible, I cant wait to try this this weekend
★★★
Sarah says
Great recipe and easy to make!
★★★★★
Deb says
Not real fond of Tots, do you think hash browns would work?
SimpleGreenMoms says
They work well too!
Stefanie says
It was simple to make and a huge hit with the family. We had it twice one week at my kids request! 🙂
★★★★★
Sandy P says
I was a little confused about the size of pan to use. Can you clear that up for me?
SimpleGreenMoms says
Hello Sandy,
If you’d like to make a larger batch, use a 13X9 dish. For a smaller batch, you can go with the 11X7. Enjoy!
GR says
Is this one AND one-half lb. of hamburger meat or one 1/2 lb.?
SimpleGreenMoms says
It’s one AND one-half lb. Thank you.
Lisa says
Only has fiesta ranch so I used that an added green chili’s- everyone loved it!
★★★★★
SimpleGreenMoms says
That’s so great to hear, Lisa!!
Kristina says
Does the hotdish get dry? I thought about adding a can of soup. Maybe cheddar cheese soup? Please advise.
Thanks!
SimpleGreenMoms says
The hotdish doesnt get too dry. I can’t attest to how it would turn out using a can of soup. It could get mushy. If you want to test and experiment, let us know how it turns out! Thank you.
Megan Pearson says
Do you layer the meat and then tator tots and then meat and tator tots again on top of the first layer?
SimpleGreenMoms says
You layer the meat, then cheese and then tater tots and then do the same for the second layer. Hope that helps!
Nikki C says
The recipe does not call for eggs but in the “tip” section it says it doesn’t freeze well due to the egg mixture. Am I missing something?
SimpleGreenMoms says
Hi Nikki,
Good catch! There are no eggs in the recipe. That was an error under the “tips”section. I’ll be removing that. Thank you!
sandy says
WOULD LIKE TO GET ON YOUR RECIPE EMAIL LIST. PLEASE HELP. GOD BLESS.
SimpleGreenMoms says
Hi Sandy, we don’t have one right now. I’ll keep your name on file if we create one in the future. Thank you!