Tater Tot Egg Bake with Hot Sour Cream Sauce

Saturday mornings in my house used to be donut mornings, but then Safer At Home orders quickly put a stop to our weekly donut runs. This led to a new Saturday morning trend – homemade brunch. Most of the time the breakfast foods we enjoy are pretty unhealthy, ranging from chocolate waffles, to pancakes, to pumpkin chocolate chips muffins. After a couple Saturdays like this I decided we needed a slightly more healthy weekend. This led me to looking at one of my mom’s favorite breakfast options and figuring out how to change it to make it healthier. The original version of this recipe contains a greater quantity of tater tot to egg ratio, and they are made in regular sized muffins tins. However, with some experimenting, I was able to figure out how to fix the egg to tater tot ratio and make mini muffins for better portion control, and a healthier recipe. This recipe is actually pretty quick and easy to whip together, which is always a bonus. I like to serve it with a spiced up sour cream sauce for a perfect combination of flavors. 

Ingredients

Egg Bake

14 – 16 Tater Tots

2 Slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled into small pieces

½ Cup Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese

4 Large Eggs 

¼ tsp Salt

Hot Sour Cream Sauce

¼ Cup Sour Cream

1 tsp Crystal’s Hot Sauce

Directions

1. When making this brunch, start by putting the egg bake together. Making the sauce is a super quick process which can be done while the muffins are baking. Before mixing ingredients together preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then begin making the muffin mix. 

2. Grab a medium to small sized bowl to make a batch of muffins. Crack all four eggs into the bowl and beat them with a whisk. Once they are beaten, add in the salt, bacon bits, and shredded pepper jack cheese into the bowl. Mix the ingredients together until they are well combined. Then set the bowl aside while prepping the mini muffin pan. 

Kitchen Tip 1: Like most of my recipes, I actually use hot pepper cheese for a little extra bite, but since pepper jack cheese is much easier to come by, it works equally well.

3. Most mini muffin tins are sold to make batches of 24, but only 14 -16 of the cups are needed for this recipe. Grease 14 – 16 of them with cooking spray. Once 14 – 16 of the cups are greased, place 1 tater tot in each one. 

Kitchen Tip 2: Whenever you are using a muffin tin and you know you won’t be making a full batch, you should always start in the center and work your way out. They will cook more evenly this way.

4. Next, distribute the egg mix equally throughout all 14- 16 cups. Be careful with this step! Make sure the raw egg mix stops at least ⅛ of an inch below the surface of the tin. Eggs rise a lot when baking, and it will become an overflowing mess if they are filled too full.

5. After the mix has been poured, put the tin in the oven and bake it for 16-17 minutes or until the eggs are yellowed with a light golden crisp on the top.

While the muffins are baking it is time to mix together the hot sour cream sauce. In my opinion, this sauce is what pulls the whole dish together. It’s tasty without it, but it’s delicious with it. The best part is it only takes two ingredients. 

6. Find a small bowl, but make sure to leave enough room to whisk the ingredients together. Put the sour cream and hot sauce into the bowl and use a small fork to combine the ingredients together. Put it into the fridge until the muffins are done and ready to serve. It’s best when the sauce is cold. 

Once the muffins are done cooking, you are ready for breakfast. Spoon a small dollop of sauce onto each one and enjoy!