Tater Tot Stuffing
Tater tot stuffing has become a modern Thanksgiving classic and I am proud to have pioneered this recipe! So many people tell me they made it and their whole family loved it! Just think about it – your thanksgiving plate piled high with tasty food. The turkey and steaming gravy, the mashed potatoes, green beans, and everything you love! The stuffing looks a little different though, what is it? It’s a little crispy on the edges. That is the tater tots! Crispy, creamy, meaty, and so savory – everything a good stuffing should be!
Inspiration for this recipe
When I came up with this idea I was deep in my tater tot cookbook planning phase, so my brain was spinning with tot ideas! I was trying to think of fun stuffing mash-ups and suddenly I was like – DUH, TOTS! This idea was interesting to me because it also made a gluten free version of stuffing that everyone could enjoy. I was inspired by a meat stuffing that my Grandmother used to make that was loaded with potatoes as a base to build this recipe off. The tater tot stuffing came out way better than I had expected and would be a fun addition to any Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table!
First mix the aromatics
Cook the sausage first, then remove it from the pan. In the same pan, saute some celery, carrot, and onion. The beginnings of any good stuffing in my opinion! A little dried sage and rosemary goes in, then add everything to a large bowl along with some fresh parsley.
Add the tots and liquids
Tots! Also, 2 eggs and some chicken or veggie stock. There is also a little potato flake in there which is pretty much my secret weapon at this point. The potato flake is just dehydrated potatoes. You can buy them at the store as instant mashed potatoes, just make sure you get plain. You can also buy them here.
Baking the Tater Tot Stuffing
Pour everything into a big baking dish or pan. I cooked the tater tot stuffing at 350 for about 45 minutes. The top came out nice and crispy and the inside was just this big creamy flavorful mess of potato goodness.
All the textures in this dish are really what makes it a winner. But also sausage. This is going to be in my Thanksgiving rotation for many years to come.
Variations on Tater Tot Stuffing
A friend of mine makes vegan tater tot stuffing every year. You could do that with a vegan brand of sausage and veggie stock, or you could replace the meat with mushrooms. You could also do this with other tots like cauliflower or sweet potato!
Make ahead
If you want to make this early, mix everything EXCEPT the tots together. It will be mostly liquid. Just before baking, or just before leaving the house if you are bringing it to bake somewhere else, mix it all together in the pan. If you want to bake it fully ahead of time, that works fine too, just out it back into the oven for about a half hour before serving, and you might want to add some more stock to help it not be dried out.
Tater Tot Stuffing
Ingredients
- 28 ounces frozen tater tots
- 1 pound sausage
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 pinch dried sage
- 1 pinch dried rosemary
- 1 bunch parsley chopped
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup potato buds
Instructions
- In a frying pan, cook the sausage until fully cooked. Remove from pan and place into a large bowl. Keep the fat in the pan, but drain off some if there is a ton.
- Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pan and cook about 10 minutes to soften. Add in the garlic, rosemary, and sage and cook 2 minutes. Put the contents of the pan into the bowl with the sausage. Add the parsley to the bowl along with the frozen tots.
- In another bowl, whisk the stock, eggs, and potato buds together. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the tots and mix well. Pour it all into a baking dish and bake at 350 until hot throughout and crispy on top. About 45 minutes
I just emailed this recipe to all the cooks in my family. #happening
Awesome Molly! Let me know how it comes out!
looking to make this this weekend. Were the tots straight out of the freezer or did you defrost them first. my concern is people like their tots crispy and a nothing not on the outside might not be so
Hi Derek! The tots were in fact straight from the freezer. The top of the dish gets nice and crispy but the middle is creamy. It is actually a nice textural contrast.
I use tater tot crowns if I can find them, but not necessary. We like the stuffing crispy rather than soggy, so we pre-cook the tots/crowns a bit before mixing them in. Personal preference. I make this every year as my husband doesn’t like the ‘soggy bread’ stuffing. It is delicious!
Mmm … I have to try this! I’m a fan of anything with tater tots!
How would this do if I assembled everything, then cooked it later? Or would it be okay cooked and then reheated?
Hi Cindy! I think this would be fine putting it all together and then cooking it later. But to be safe you could instead combine everything except the tots and then just mix them in at the last minute.
You are a genius!!!! I do not particularly care for stuffing but that is because it’s mushy bread (texture issues) and I can not have wheat or gluten. My daughter (a picky eater) and I are willing to try this!!! Thanks!
I just slid mine in the oven. Excited to see how it turns out!
I had this dish at a Friendsgiving last weekend and decided to make it for my family Thanksgiving. It was delicious!!! I hope mine turns out as tasty as the one I had last week. I love that it is gluten-free. I’m always looking for something easy on my tummy. Thanks for this awesome recipe!!!
Can you stuff the bird
Please define “sausage.” Living here in the southern USA, that could mean breakfast sausage, Italian sausage outside of the casing, or even just ground pork. I know my chances of getting a reply from a 2015 article are slim, but I thought I’d give it a shot anyway.
I like for people to use their favorite! For this recipe – loose for sure, I sometimes use breakfast, and other times use spicy Italian.
I use a roll of Jimmy Dean sausage…either original or sage flavor. This stuffing is so good. I use the entire roll…we like it meaty. Be sure to drain off some of the fat before you sauté your veggies.
I use a 1 lb roll of Jimmy Dean sausage…either original or sage flavor. You could use hot if you like it hot.
How long do you cook it in the oven?
around 45 minutes to an hour.
Thanks I am going to veganize this recipe and use Beyond meat sausage – we have GF people and this WILL be a hit , I am pretty sure .
Would it be better to air fry the tots first or not??? thank you
I like the way it comes out when the tots are raw, but cooking them before hand will add a nice flavor as well! Let me know how it goes!
Have been making it every year since 2018, it is a huge HIT with a lb of Beyond meat Italian Sausage and I think I will do everything down until the dried sage then regrighete it – finish and bake it on show day – I might have done it another way and all were good – I just didn’t make enough notes!!
We are still enjoying the Vegan version of this great dish. I use Just eggs now instead of flax eggs. I made it and froze it right away – got it our day before – T-Day and baked as usual – semi thawed – worked great very crispy tater tots. It worked out great and now one more thing I can make ahead. Thanks
What’s a potato bud???
Dehydrated potato flakes, often sold as instant mashed potatoes.
LOL same questions
Can this be stuffed into a turkey?
Yes! but I personally don’t like the way turkey OR stuffing comes out when it is stuffed so that’s why I like stuffing to be made separately.
Thank you! Finally a gluten free recipe that looks delicious. Will be making this week.
Is it an option to cook the tots first? I prefer a dryer stuffing so I can add lots of gravy.
You could cook the tots first if you want I am sure it would add a nice toasted flavor, but the way I make it gets nice and browned on top and creamy in the center.
If I want to prepare this dish ahead of time: Do you think it would be better to make the whole thing and bake it a day or two early, then just heat it up to serve?
Yes, I think that would be the best way! OR you could make everything and mix it all together EXCEPT the frozen tots and put it into a zip lock bag, then mix that with the frozen tots day-of and toss it into the oven.
Oh yikes! Just remembered I forgot to buy the potato flakes. How important are they’d? Any substitutions? So glad to see this thread is still live!
How many people does this serve?
c’mon, man! as a first timer to this particular recipe, I can figure out what a pinch of something may be but is what the heck is “1 bunch (of parsley) of anything? ‘Cause I got “a bunch” of the stuff growing in my herb garden.
I maked your Tater Tot Dressing – made it Vegan for us. I replaced the two eggs with Flax egg replacements. ( 1T.Ground flax to 3T warm water for each egg)
This was delicious and will be our go to Thanksgiving dressing from now on!!! It also is Gluten Free – that was also important to a couple of our guests!!! Amazing Used Beyond Meat sausage either the Sweet or Hot is good. Saw a segment on the Sunday Morning Show last weekend on Tater Tot dressing and Googled it ASAP!! ha
above Sue – Now Suee33 as there looks to be two Sue – I MADE not maked!!
Taking on plane to another state..so should I bake tots first? or just let them defrost then combine all together..then freeze to take on plane..or not freeze? Don’t want to poison anyone!,
How the heck do you get a pan of stuffing through airport security?
Somebody raved about this stuffing and it peeked my interest. This recipe turned out better than I could have imagined. I used chicken Italien sausage and it turned out great. I do recommend this recipe. I added a little more herb seasoning than it called for and loved the flavors.
How do u think the Tater Tot dressing would do in a crock pot?
That’s how I do my regular stuffing.
I made this last year and it’s amazing! This year taking it to the family, how do you think it would turn out in a crock pot and how long on what temp?
I made tater tot stuffing for the first time last Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit with my family. I’m making again this year per family request for Christmas. My family loves this recipe. Thank u.
This is a fantastic recipe with a secret bonus of being gluten free. Was such a huge hit at Thanksgiving I was asked to bring it again for Christmas. Where my nephew literally told ever person that came in the door ‘you gotta try the tots’! This will be making an appearance at every holiday!
I have made this for years it is EXCELLENT, may I make it ahead and freeze it? Should I bake it first? Any tips would be appreciated!!
Thank you
FYI I make it totally vegan and it is a huge hit!!
Personally, I would keep the tots frozen, cook the sauce down, then mix and bake when ready! I think you came to the same conclusion in another comment!
I’m conflicted. Should put this in the oven for 1.5 hours or 45 min. The recipe says 45 min but under one picture it says an hour and a half.
I think the entire recipe takes approximately 1.5 hours. That includes prep time. So bake time is 45 minutes. It is so good!