Step 1: Cook the turkey bacon

Start by cooking the turkey bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it’s crispy. Once it’s done, chop it into bite-sized pieces. I like to cook it just shy of being too crispy because it’ll bake further in the casserole.

Step 2: Mix the tater tots, turkey bacon, and cheese

In a large mixing bowl, combine the tater tots, chopped turkey bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese. Toss everything together until it’s evenly mixed, then pour the mixture into your greased baking dish. This part is super easy, but here’s a tip: I sometimes add a bit of extra cheese on top because, well, there’s no such thing as too much cheese, right?

Step 3: Whisk the eggs, milk, and ranch mix

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and ranch dressing mix. You want this mixture to be smooth and well-combined. If the ranch mix clumps up a bit, just keep whisking until it dissolves. Then, pour this egg mixture evenly over the tater tot mix in the baking dish.

Step 4: Bake to golden perfection

Pop the dish into your preheated oven at 350ºF and bake for 50-60 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the eggs are set and the top is golden brown. If you’re worried about the tater tots getting too brown, you can cover the dish with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes, then uncover it to finish baking.