I had my first experience cooking with red curry paste last week (not in this recipe – now there’s a mash up!) and needless to say I am the proud new owner of three jars because if I ever run out of this stuff, well, I’ll probably just go buy more. That is to say, it’s incredible! I used it to make this Red Thai Curry Gnocchi dish and it was so good I ate the whole thing by myself in under 24 hours. Op.
I was sure the curry dish would be hard to make but it was nearly as easy as the recipe I’m sharing today for Sausage Gravy Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole. Five ingredients (plus salt and pepper,) one skillet, and killllllling it in the delicious department!
This idea popped into my head around 2pm one afternoon a few weeks ago and sounded so good that I abandoned my existing dinner plans to make it. Bonus: I already had everything I needed on hand. The dish turned out exactly how I pictured it would in my head. Love when that happens!
Sausage Gravy Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole is a cross between biscuits and gravy and tater tot casserole involving only the VIPS from each team, ie sausage gravy and, well, tater tots. I think I’ll be 99 years old and still in love with tater tots. #sorrynotsorry
Anyway, a creamy, homemade, black pepper-packed sausage gravy is topped with frozen tater tots then baked until golden brown and bubbly. Comforting to the max, and a cinch to throw together. Gluten free and easily made dairy free too (which is how I make it.) Serve for breakfast, brunch, or my personal favorite – breakfast for dinner. All five of us LOVE this easy dish!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by browning 1lb gluten free breakfast sausage (I like Butcher Box or Jimmy Dean,) with 1 cup riced cauliflower in an oven safe skillet. I add riced cauliflower or minced mushrooms to almost every dish that’s centered around ground meat to add nutrients and heft, and you absolutely. cannot. taste it. Especially in this dish. That said, if you have everything else on hand but the cauliflower (I always have a bag in my freezer,) you can skip it.
Sprinkle in 3 Tablespoons gluten free flour (or all-purpose flour if you don’t need to eat gluten free) then cook for 1 minute. I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour.
Next add 2-1/2 cups milk (see below for a slightly shocking revelation!) one big glug at a time until a smooth sauce has formed then add a pinch of homemade seasoned salt and tons of cracked black pepper. Once the milk has come to a bubble, turn the heat down and simmer until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes. You don’t want a soupy consistency, but make sure it’s saucy enough that the liquid won’t over-reduce while baking which would result in a dry dish.
Now, believe or not, I use unsweetened almond milk to make this dish! It’s totally creamy and you would never ever guess it’s not high fat cow’s milk or cream. If you want to go the cow’s milk route, I recommend using 2% milk fat or higher.
Last step is to arrange frozen tater tots from a 2lb bag (Ore Ida is gluten free) in a circular pattern on top then bake according to the time and temp indicated on the bag. It’s ok if some of the tater tots sink in the milk – they’ll be fine!
Let the dish cool for a few minutes then dish up and devour! I love to add a big sprinkling of chopped green onions on top, but truly you can just go to town. Add fresh fruit salad on the side then enjoy!
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Sausage Gravy Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole
Description
Sausage Gravy Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole calls for just 5 ingredients (plus salt and pepper) and is made in just one skillet. This gluten free dish is fun, easy, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1lb gluten free breakfast sausage
- 1 cup riced cauliflower (optional)
- seasoned salt and pepper
- 3 Tablespoons gluten free flour (see notes)
- 2-1/2 cups milk (see notes)
- 2lb bag tater tots
Directions
- Preheat oven to temperature indicated on the bag of tater tots.
- Meanwhile, heat a large, oven-safe skillet (11-3/4" minimum) over medium-high heat then add breakfast sausage and cauliflower and saute until cooked through. Turn heat down to medium then sprinkle in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add milk, one big glug at a time while stirring, until a smooth sauce has formed then turn heat up to medium-high to bring milk to a bubble. Season with a pinch of seasoned salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Once bubbling, turn heat down to medium then simmer until milk has thickened slightly, 3-4 minutes. It shouldn't be soupy but the milk will continue to thicken and condense while baking so you want to make sure there's enough liquid so the final dish comes out creamy.
- Remove skillet from heat then arrange tater tots in a circular pattern. Some will sink down farther than others and that's fine! Bake for amount of time indicated on the tater tot bag, or until tater tots are golden brown, then let dish sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Click here for my homemade seasoned salt recipe >
- I use unsweetened almond milk to make this recipe and recommend using 2% milk fat or higher if using cow's milk.
- I use Bob's Red Milk Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour for this recipe.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I used some instant rice that I dumped in hot water instead. It was genius, eliminated the heaviness of the gravy, let the tots stay on top. I added some cayenne pepper, added a nice heat. Backed off on the heat for a bit, was afraid the gravy would scald in the oven, but it was fine. Next time I may start with baking the tots first to get crunch and the final bake done faster.
This was so good! I am now wondering if I could modify this to make a dairy/gluten free version of tater tot hotdish (casserole)…
This recipe is so easy and delicious! It is great with a smoothie by its side. The whole family loves it and it was super easy to whip up in the morning!
Comfort food at its best! Have made a full recipe when our home is party central and 1/2 recipe when it’s just the two of us. Used a mix of hot and mild breakfast sausage with Annalise Roberts’ gluten free flour blend (finely ground brown rice, potato starch, tapioca flour). It is quite addictive…hard to stop eating, but the promise of leftovers helps!
Thank you from the bottom of my Celiac stomach, Kristin. Your recipes are truly outstanding.
I was coming back to your website to get the link to share this amazingly delicious recipe on Facebook. It’s definitely a keeper. My son and I didn’t want to stop eating it even though we were full. lol We added a sprinkling of cheese when we dished it out. ;) Thank you for sharing! Yum!!
I’m interested in making this an all-in-one dish. If you were to add eggs, at what step would you do so?
I made this for my GF and DF family Thanksgiving morning. It was a real hit. And so easy, too.
I made this for the first time this morning. It was way better than I thought. This will be my go-to when I am craving biscuits and gravy and don’t want to spend time to make homemade gluten-free biscuits.
Oh I’m so glad to hear it, Connie! Thanks for your feedback and recipe review!
I made this over the weekend. Excellent! Have added this to repeat recipe bin!
We made it this morning and I think the cauli rice made it taste a bit sweet. Next time we will skip it but my picky middle child LOVED the dish
Love this idea! It looks like your cooking this in cast iron…how do you clean it afterward? I tend to avoid using mine for dishes with sauce/gravy because it gets all gummy and isn’t easily wiped clean. Thanks!
Hi Sara! I let it soak with a squirt of dish soap for awhile then scrap off the goop with a spatula and scrub as normal.
I made this last night and it turned out great! Thanks for a easy and delicious recipe!
I’m so glad to hear it, Jill! Thanks so much for the note! :)
What cauliflower do you use? I tend to buy Trader Joe’s cauliflower rice, but if there’s a bigger bag I can buy, I would rather do that.
Hi Amber! I’ve used Cascadian Farms, Trader Joe’s, Dole, and HyVee brand cauliflower rice in the past and they’ve all been that same small sized bag. Do you have a food processor with a grating attachment? That’s a great way to make a giant batch of cauliflower rice to freeze.
Made this tonight. Ohmygoodness. SO good! We paired it with some roasted veggies that cooked at the same temp – an amazing meal!
Ahh, I’m so thrilled you made it already, Molly!!! Thanks so much for your recipe rating and feedback!!
um….yes!! We love biscuits and gravy for Sunday morning, but may have to give this a try soon. Served with an egg and tada! Great idea!
I hope you love it, Sara!!
Thank you for this recipe! I have missed biscuits and gravy. We will be making this thanksgiving weekend!
Same! I bought a package of frozen GF biscuits and gravy (couldn’t help myself,) and the biscuits were so, so gummy. Inedible, really. :( This dish satisfies the craving!
My 7 year old was just asking for tater tot casserole as an option for Thanksgiving day…maybe I can make this instead for breakfast! YUM!
Oh perfect!! Yes, it’d be a great way to start the holiday morning! :)
I always love the ‘idea’ of biscuits and gravy, but the biscuit gets gummed up and heavy, and I end up not eating it. But THIS!! Yay, what a great idea! Simple, delicious and …TOTS!! :)
YES – exactly! I made GF biscuits and gravy a month or so ago and the biscuits were so gummy and gross. I much prefer crispy tots! I hope you get a chance to try the recipe, Cindy!
Oh my goodness you almost lost me on the red curry paste bc I do not care for curry flavor at all … but then I thought, “that can’t be in this dish!” so I read on :) Thank you – it looks delish! I’ll be adding this to our holiday weekend breakfasts as my husband is with you on the undying love for tots.
Ack, didn’t even think about that, Bonnie! I added a little disclaimer at the beginning. ;)
I use skim milk every time I make gravy and you can never tell and it thickens up great. My southern family has never noticed and always ask for it.
That is good to know, Emily!
Made this and loved it but there wasn’t enough for any leftovers! Do you think I could double recipe for stove top stuff and then pour in a 9×13 pan and top with tater tots and bake as indicated? Anything you’d suggest changing to make it a bigger recipe? Thanks!
Hi Katrina! Absolutely – you can double then pour into a 9×13 baking dish and top with tots >> bake. So glad you love this recipe!