Breakfast Casserole (Vegan)
Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or any potluck gathering, this vegan sausage, pepper, and JUST Egg casserole is sure to please. Eggless and dairy free, taste-tested and omni-approved, everyone is just going to love it! The best part: it freezes and reheats tremendously well, so it’s perfect for meal prep too. Oh, and did I mention the tater tot crust?
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When B first approached me about making a breakfast casserole, I was so on board and ready and quickly announced my idea for a vegan egg and sausage breakfast casserole filled with delicious sautéed vegetables. Then we quickly realized we had two very unique visions of how we saw breakfast casseroles. And thus the great vegan breakfast casserole duel of 2023 began.
This is my vegan breakfast casserole recipe – a vegan sausage, pepper, and cheese JUST Egg casserole with a tater tot crust. And a slice of this is a little slice of heaven.
Red bell pepper and red onion are sauteed with spinach and vegan ground sausage, laid over a bed of mashed tater tots, topped with vegan cheese and drowned in a seasoned vegan egg and cream mixture. Then bake the whole thing to a golden brown eggs-quisite perfection. You, my friend, are in for quite a treat here.
While B’s and my casseroles may be quite different, they are both extremely delicious. They even go great side by side! Whichever casserole you choose, you can’t go wrong. But if you really want a breakfast or weekend brunch treat, make them both and try them together. Everyone’s a winner!
Why is this the best vegan breakfast Casserole?
- The recipe is surprisingly easy to make with little time actually cooking.
- It is absolutely delicious – even the omnivores loved it!
- It freezes so well. It’s great for meal prep!
- You’ve got sausage, eggs, and cheese and still not one iota of cholesterol
Savory Breakfast Casserole Ingredient List
You’ll need a few basic ingredients to make this tasty, eggless breakfast casserole recipe.
- Frozen tater tots – Most store-bought tater tots are accidentally vegan. We used the store brand from ShopRite. Just read the ingredients label!
- Vegan sausage patties – We used the vegan breakfast sausage patties from MorningStar farms. We also like Beyond Meat and Gardein!
- Roma tomatoes – I like to use firm tomatoes with little water content so they don’t mess with the texture of the casserole. Romas fit that bill.
- Red bell pepper – I like red bell peppers because I find their sweetness the perfect offset of flavor to the sausage and spinach.
- Red onion
- Fresh spinach
- Vegan shredded cheddar cheese – We used Violife for this one but also like Vevan and Daiya.
- JUST Egg – We like to use the liquid JUST Egg because it’s the closest to “real eggs”.
- Unsweetened vegan heavy cream – Make sure you’re using a non-dairy heavy cream that is both plain and unsweetened. We like the versions from Silk and Elmhurst.
- Tofu Scramble Seasoning – We used our homemade tofu scramble seasoning, but there are store-bought options as well!
- Olive oil
Substitution Options for Egg-Free + Dairy-Free Breakfast Casserole
If you don’t have or can’t tolerate one of the above ingredients, here are our best substitution tips. Remember: Substituting any of the ingredients may lead to a difference in the final product that is not always a positive one. Let us know in the comments if you try any subs and how they work out for you!
For the tater tots: You can use sweet potato tots. You can also use shredded hash browns or potatoes for the base of the casserole. If you are shredding your own potatoes, make sure you squeeze out excess liquid before placing them in the baking dish.
For the vegan sausage: You can use vegan ground sausage like Impossible or Beyond. Or cut up some sausage links to replace the minced sausage patties. You can even replace it with vegan bacon.
For the vegan shredded cheddar cheese: Again, the only limit here is your imagination. Or what dairy-free cheese is available at your local store. I like the simplicity of flavor the vegan cheddar adds, but if you want to use a vegan Monterey jack or Swiss or Mozzarella, you do you.
For the vegan heavy cream: I like the texture the thicker vegan heavy cream gives. You might be able to use a thinner plant milk or vegan half and half if you don’t have access to vegan cream. Just make sure it is plain and unsweetened so you don’t get some weird overly sweet or vanilla taste in the casserole.
For the tofu scramble spice mix: Our scramble seasoning is a spice blend made of nutritional yeast, kala namak (aka black salt), turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. You can use a blend of these to achieve the same flavor as the spice mix. But honestly, it’s probably just the same effort for either. And you’ve got the spices out…
For the olive oil: You can use alternative oils like avocado or sunflower, or just skip it altogether.
For the JUST Egg:
This isn’t really an ingredient you can skip as it is the main ingredient. But there are competing brands of a vegan egg substitute for chicken eggs on the market. One that comes to mind is Simply Eggless.
Check your local grocery stores for product availability. We haven’t tried using chickpea flour or any of the powder egg replacements, so I can’t recommend those one way or the other.
Veggie Options
Feel free to really express your veggie self here. You can use almost any tomato, even halved grape tomatoes. Just be mindful that some varieties of tomato have higher water content or are not as firm. You can use green pepper or any color bell pepper you want, and maybe even add some hot pepper for an extra little zip.
You can use kale or collards or some earthy beet greens or peppery mustard greens. Any greens you like, really. And if you don’t like greens, but there are so many kinds to try, you can simply skip them. You can use green onions or shallots to sub for the red onion. Just pick some of your favorite vegetables and go for it.
How to Make This Eggless Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Though there seems to be quite a few ingredients, you won’t believe how easily this casserole comes together. Also, I like to thaw my tots and sausage before using them in this recipe, but if you forget to take them out early, there are quick-thaw directions in the first step.
Step 1: Prepare the JUST egg breakfast casserole ingredients.
Start by preheating the oven to 375°F.
If they haven’t thawed yet, place your frozen tots and sausage patties in a 9×13 casserole dish to thaw in the oven as it preheats. About 12-15 minutes until both are thawed and just soft through.
While those are thawing in the oven, chop and slice your vegetables.
Step 2: Saute the vegetables
If you have been thawing the tots and sausage, take the pan from the oven and let the oven continue to preheat. Then, mince the sausage patties so they are almost a ground sausage consistency.
Next, add the olive oil to a large skillet or saute pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, cook the peppers and onion on medium high heat for 5 minutes.
Then you’ll add the minced sausage and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
Finally, you’ll add the spinach to the rest of the ingredients in the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes so the spinach is wilted nicely.
Step 3: Assemble this easy vegan breakfast casserole
Add the tater tots to the bottom of the baking dish and smash them with a potato masher or similar utensil to form the base of the casserole. Make sure any gaps in the crust are filled in.
Then, layer (in order): the vegan sausage and veggie mixture, vegan cheese, and tomatoes over the tater tot crust in the casserole dish.
Step 4: Whisk the JUST Egg mixture
In a large bowl, whisk the JUST Egg, tofu scramble spice mix, and vegan cream together in a bowl and pour this vegan egg mixture over the rest of the ingredients.
Step 5: Bake the plant-based breakfast casserole
Finally, you’ll bake this vegan egg casserole uncovered at 375°F for 45-50 minutes.
How to Serve Meatless Breakfast Casserole
After baking, you’ll want to let the casserole rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
We love to serve this casserole alongside B’s breakfast casserole (available in our vegan eggs e-cookbook!) or some vegan english muffins (they turn into magical breakfast sandwiches) and topped with a generous amount of hot sauce. Yes, I suppose you could use ketchup.
A dollop of vegan sour cream might even be nice on this if that’s your thing. It also goes quite well with a nice green salad or bowl of fresh fruit.
This recipe makes the perfect dish for a big family brunch or just a quick meal prep breakfast all on its own!
How to Store Leftover Vegan Breakfast Casserole (tater tots)
This casserole recipe makes 8-12 servings depending how you slice it and how large you want those slices to be. Honestly, you can even get 16 servings, but those would obviously be smaller sized portions. And leftovers store beautifully!
Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 5-7 days in the fridge or 8 weeks in the freezer.
I like to slice the cooled casserole into individual servings before freezing for easy portioning.
How to reheat non dairy breakfast casserole:
From the fridge: You can reheat this breakfast casserole in a preheated 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. Or you can pop it in the microwave for 1.5-2 minutes on high.
From frozen: Defrost overnight or in the microwave for 4 minutes at 50%. Then heat it on high for another 1-2 minutes until warmed through. Alternatively, you can place it in the oven, turn the temp to 350°, and allow it to defrost and eventually cook in the oven for about 45 minutes.
More Delicious JUST Egg Recipes:
I hope you find this recipe as easy and delicious as we do and that it makes feeding your whole family easier. It has quickly become a favorite in our house, and we already have friends asking us to make it again!
If you give it a try, we’d just love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a comment and star rating in the section below the recipe card. This helps more people find our vegan recipes!
Happy breakfasting!
Vegan Egg Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 32-oz bag frozen tater tots
- 2 cups minced vegan sausage patties 6 patties
- 1.5 cup diced roma tomatoes
- 1.5 cup red bell pepper cut to thin short strips
- 1 cup thin-sliced red onion
- 2 cups stemmed fresh spinach
- 1 cup vegan shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 12-oz bottles JUST Egg
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vegan heavy cream
- 1/2 tbsp tofu scramble seasoning
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Prep: Turn the oven to 375°F. Place your frozen tots and sausage in a 9×13 casserole dish to thaw in the oven as it preheats. About 12-15 minutes until both are thawed and just soft through. While those are thawing in the oven, chop and slice your vegetables.
- Saute: Take the pan from the oven and let the oven continue to preheat. Mince the sausage patties to almost a ground sausage texture. Add the olive oil to a large saute pan. When the oil is hot, cook the peppers and onion on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Then, add the sausage and cook for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the spinach and cook for another 2-3 minutes
- Assemble: Add the tater tots to your casserole dish and use a potato masher to smash the tots against the bottom and sides of the dish to form the base of the casserole. Make sure any gaps in the crust are filled in. Then, layer (in order): the sausage mixture, cheese, and finally the tomatoes over the tater tot crust in the casserole dish.
- Bake: Bake uncovered at 375°F for 45-50 minutes.
- Serve: Let rest 15-20 minutes before slicing. Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 5-7 days in the fridge or 8 weeks in the freezer. Enjoy!
