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This sloppy joe casserole is such an easy twist on a childhood favorite! The whole family loves this one at my house! Check out my video below and see how easy this is to make, too!
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What is it about this time of year that makes me want to throw open my windows, decorate with pumpkins, and start baking all manner of casseroles and comfort foods?
Fall is my thang, man. I love it. Mostly because it means that I can bust out all of my favorite recipes that require cranking up the oven. Nobody likes a hot oven in summer. Nobody.
You’re probably going to want to bust out your elastic pants because this Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole is going to make your tummy very happy. We couldn’t get enough of this one.
What is a Sloppy Joe?
Okay, if you don’t already know what a sloppy joe, is I feel very sad that you’ve been missing out on them your whole life! Here goes: a sloppy joe is traditionally known as a sandwich made of ground beef that’s seasoned and tossed in a tomato sauce with onions and other spices.
The origin of the sloppy joe seems to date back to a restaurant in Sioux City, Iowa where a cook named Joe sold “loose meat sandwiches” which eventually were called sloppy joes.
Some people say the sloppy joe dated back before that, it just didn’t go by that particular name. The name really took off in the 1960s when Manwhich started selling a prepackaged sloppy joe sauce at stores. The rest is history, as the sloppy joe has become a household name, allowing me to bring this amazing sloppy joe tater tot casserole into your life.
How To Make A Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
Over medium-high heat, brown beef until cooked, drain any fat, remove and set aside. Then, in the same pan, saute onions and garlic until translucent. Next, you’ll add red bell pepper and corn and cook until soft. Add beef, Sloppy Joe sauce, cream cheese, paprika and salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
To keep things extra easy, this recipe uses canned sloppy joe sauce. Try it with my homemade sloppy joe recipe instead if you have a little extra time!
You’ll then simmer over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Once done simmering, pour the beef mixture in a 9×13 baking dish and spread evenly. Top it off with a layer of cheese, arrange the tater tots and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Lastly, bake until the tater tots are crispy and golden, dish and serve hot. Enjoy!
(Full recipe and instructions in the recipe card below)
What to Serve With A Tater Tot Casserole
Want to know the best thing about casseroles? You can pair them with almost anything, and serve them for almost any occasion. Whether, you’re making a weeknight dinner, or have a potluck to go to, this tater tot casserole has you covered.
It can be served up along with some classic dinner table sides, like baked asparagus and a salad with honey mustard dressing.
Or it can be served on the main dish table at a party, with more of your favorite party staples like Italian pasta salad and crockpot mac and cheese. The gist of it is, that you can serve this casserole with anything your heart desires.
You’ll Love The Ease of This Tater Tot Casserole
My entire family gobbles this up, which is saying something because my daughter and husband are two of the pickiest people I’ve ever met.
Depending on whose around to complain, I sometimes leave out the onions. My husband will flat out refuse his dinner if he sees a chunk of onion. It’s ridiculous. A good compromise is a hefty sprinkling of onion powder. A lot of times people don’t mind the flavor, as long as they don’t have the crunch. Weirdos, right?
This comes together quickly for those busy nights when you’re going every which direction and just want to get something hearty and delicious on the table! Check out my video above to see just how fast you can whip this up and get your family fed.
More Easy Dinner Ideas
I love dinner’s that can come together in a flash, and I’m sure you do too, because honestly, who doesn’t love easy dinners? Since I love making my life easier, and yours too, here are a few of my favorite quick and simple dinners the whole family will love.
Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl
Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 sweet onion diced
- 15 ounces canned corn drained
- 15 ounces sloppy joe sauce
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese grated
- 16 ounces tater tots
- Chives for sprinkling on top as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the peppers and onions until the meat is cooked through. Drain the fat and return to the heat. Stir in the corn, sloppy joe sauce, and cream cheese. Cook over low heat until the cream cheese is melted.
- Pour the sloppy joe mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with half of the grated cheese.
- Arrange the tater tots in a single layer over the top of the cheese. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped chives if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in August 2013 and has been updated in 2019 with new photos. Original photo above.
Kristin Flaherty says
Very tasty! This is a go-to for our family with 3 young kids. Thank you for creating and sharing the recipe!! Ignore all the haters out there 🙂 Great work!!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Kristin!
Julie says
Delicious! Even the picky eaters gobbled it right up!
Thank you!!
Karly Campbell says
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks, Julie!
Nicholle S. says
Made it tonight for my husband and me. It was great!
Carol says
I think the backstory is made up. Sioux Falls is in South Dakota. Sioux City is in Iowa. If you are going to the trouble of creating a backstory you could at least base it on something you know.
Karly says
HI Carol. No need to be rude. We didn’t go to the trouble of creating a backstory – we researched the origins and made a mistake when typing it out. It’s fixed now.
Christina says
Sioux Falls is in South Dakota. Sioux City is in Iowa
Laurie P says
Haven’t made yet, can you freeze this dish?
Karly says
I haven’t frozen it, but I think it would do well.
Steve C says
Made twice and my wife and I both found it inedible. Tried to doctor up the bowls we were eating with green pepper and hot sauce, but effecively terrible.
Karly says
I mean, it’s sloppy joes with tater tots on top. I’m not sure what you were hoping for or why you made it twice if that’s not something you like, but sorry to hear it wasn’t to your tastes.
Jerry says
I made this recipe today for about a dozen retired firefighter, retired police officers and military veterans which I do every Wednesday for the last 30 years. It was a tremendous success! Because I was using an 8-quart rectangular slow cooker for transport I assembled it in layers like a lasagna. (tots, sauce cheese, tots, sauce, cheese, sauce, double cheese! Amazing!
Karly says
So glad that the recipe was a hit! And how kind of you to feed our firefighters, police, and vets. That’s amazing!
Betty Jo Dearnaley says
I loved this so much. I’m not really wild about the taste of sloppy Joe mix, but after trying this , it was pretty good. Husband enjoyed it. Will make again and I love cheese, so I added more to the top. I even shared this with my children , so they can make it for their family as well.
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! If you don’t like the canned sloppy joe sauce, try using my homemade sauce next time and see what you think! It’s soooo good! https://www.bunsinmyoven.com/homemade-sloppy-joes/
Andrea says
I’ve made this before and it’s excellent!
I’m wondering if anyone has frozen it and if that turned out?
Betty Jo Dearnaley says
So, I am wondering if you froze it and if so, how did it turn out? I’m about to freeze some as well.
Olivia says
This recipe is so good! My 3 yr old devours it, which in my opinion makes any meal 5 ?? I did omit some ingredients to our personal tastes, but so good!
Karly says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Olivia!
Maggie P. says
I made this exactly as called for in the recipe. There was WAY too much corn for me. If I make it again I’ll cut the corn by at least half.
Shellie Jessup says
This turned out great! I doubled the recipe but next time a single batch is plenty because the ratio of tots to mixture was lacking.. flavor was super good, followed recipe exactly.
Amanda Curd says
SO GOOD-SO EASY! Definitely adding to our rotation!
Karly says
Thanks, Amanda!
Kara says
I made this last night and it was SOOOO good! We loved it and will be making it again soon. I did add a little black pepper while it was simmering and I used 4 oz. of cream cheese because I had it, but YUM YUM!