Yummy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

Tater Tot Casserole is the perfect comfort food recipe! Crispy tots, ground beef, and gooey cheese! This kid-friendly tater tot recipe satisfies the entire family and is on the table in just over 30 minutes! An easy weeknight dinner.

Who doesn’t love tater tots?? They remind us of childhood, so we could basically eat them anytime and be perfectly content. Now our kids devour them, so making the best tater tot casserole with beef was a no-brainer for us!

You can also make Tater Tot Casserole in the Crockpot! It’s so good!

Did you know Americans consume approximately 70 million pounds of tater tots per year? Guess we’re not the only ones who love them.

This is also called a Hot Dish Casserole in some parts of the country. 

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Ingredients 

We like this ground beef Tater Tot Casserole with Worcestershire Sauce because it enhances the overall flavor. 

• Ground Beef – or you can use ground turkey.
• Onion – chopped to give the meat mixture a good flavor. 
• Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup – we like to use Campbells. 
• Milk – low-fat or whatever you have on hand.
• Worcestershire Sauce – gives the dish enhanced flavor.
• Cheddar Cheese – grated. Milk or sharp cheese will work. 
• Frozen Tater Tots – the star of the recipe! 
• Salt and Pepper – to taste.

Optional Ingredients include green beans, corn, peas, or other mixed vegetables. 

How to Make – Step by Step Instructions

This is a pretty simple recipe. Here are the steps. 

Before you get started, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).

Step 1 – Brown Hamburger Meat

First, you need to brown your meat and onions in a large skillet over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Make sure to break the beef up and drain the fat once it is cooked. 

Step 2 – Make the Sauce

Now, mix in the cream of mushroom soup, milk, Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and pepper to taste, 1 cup of shredded cheese, and give it a good stir.

Step 3 – Put it all Together and Bake.

Next, place the beef mixture in your baking dish and top with the frozen tater tots and remaining cheddar cheese. Place it in the oven and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until tater tots are crisp and the cheese is golden brown. 

A good sturdy pan (in a cute Agave blue color) to make your casserole is this 13×9 pan by Rachel Ray.

If you’re wondering, yes, the tater tots stay crisp and delicious! Our family rates this recipe very high for ease and deliciousness!

If you’re looking for a Crock-Pot Tater Tot Casserole recipe, we have one of those, too!

What to Serve with Your Tater Tot Casserole

We like to keep it simple, so a green salad or roasted vegetables as a side dish works really well. 

Optional Add-Ins and Swaps

There are a few things you can do to customize your casserole to your liking: 

• Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder to the meat mixture.
• Swap milk for sour cream.
• Add frozen vegetables like green beans, peas, or corn.
• Add crumbled bacon.

Can you Freeze Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole?

Yes, you can freeze the tater tot casserole either before you bake it or after. This Tater Tot Casserole Freezer Meal article includes all the details on how to do it easily and how to reheat it.

You may also be wondering how to prevent freezer burn when you store recipes in the freezer. 

Tips & Tricks

• We always look for ways to make dinner a little healthier, so we often use ground turkey instead of ground beef, and we throw in some frozen peas, broccoli, or green beans. The kids roll their eyes about it, but they know we care 🙂
• Fortunately, using cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup, whatever you have in your pantry, also works well in this recipe.

Other Tasty Dinner Casseroles

• One-pot Macaroni and Cheese with Veggies
• Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Beef Enchilada Casserole
• Roasted Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

The kids would eat this or our Crockpot Pizza Casserole anytime! And on game day, we always make Tater Tot Nachos!

Meatless Tater Tot Casserole

You could also make this tater tot casserole meatless, which is also delicious, just by omitting the meat. You can also add extra veggies. 

Tater Tot Baked Casserole Variations

Fortunately, you can change up this delicious family dinner in a million different ways.

Your family will love any one of these Tater Tot Casserole variations! Try one today!

• Taco Tater Tot Casserole (Mexican)– Green chiles or jalapeños, corn, diced tomatoes, and pepper jack cheese gives this recipe a spicy flavor
• Chili Tater Tot Casserole – Add chili, corn, and olives to the base and top with tater tots and cheese
• Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole – Layer those gorgeous, crispy tots with eggs, crumbled sausage, and cheese. You will not be disappointed!
• Green Bean Tater Tot Casserole – to make your tater tot casserole with veggies, just add a 15-ounce can or about 2 cups frozen green beans. 
• And, of course, you can make a Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole!

Tater tots aren’t just for lunchrooms and cafeterias. You can enjoy them anytime. You can easily double this recipe to eat throughout the week, which is a huge time saver for us busy moms!

FAQs

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The recipe was originally published on April 4th, 2016. We updated it with enhanced instructions and video on May 20, 2020. 

Here are some other family-friendly Crockpot Recipes to try!