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This Taco Tater Tot Casserole recipe starts off with seasoned beef and a mixture of pinto beans, Mexican corn, chiles, and cheese. It all gets topped off with tater tots and then baked until the casserole is hot and melty and the tots are crispy.
Today is a good day for those of us who enjoy a nice casserole.
I’m bring y’all a Mexican tater tot casserole recipe that I just know is going to rock your socks off. It. is. good.
If you like tacos or Mexican food or tater tots or casseroles or any combination of those things, prepare for a super tasty dinner!
Bonus: Kids usually love all of these things, so it’s sure to be a kid favorite!
We like to serve this with a side of chips and restaurant style salsa or our homemade guacamole.
And if you love this, check out my classic tater tot casserole and breakfast tater tot casserole too!
????????Ingredient Notes:
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Tater Tots – Straight from the freezer section! Any brand you like works fine.
Ground Beef – We prefer lean beef, but ground turkey will also work well.
Veggies – You’ll be adding in diced sweet onion, canned Southwest corn, canned pinto beans, and canned green chiles. The Southwest corn is a mix of corn and peppers and might be called fiesta corn or Mexi-corn.
Taco Seasoning – You can use a packet of seasoning from the store or follow the link to check out an easy homemade taco seasoning recipe! I use it in all my taco dishes.
Taco Sauce – You can use either mild or spicy hot taco sauce in this recipe, and any brand will work!
Cream of Chicken Soup – This is going to add lots of creamy flavor to the taco tater tot casserole! You can use the canned kind or follow the link for an easy homemade substitute recipe!
Cheese – I like to add lots of shredded cheddar to make a cheesy taco casserole! You can swap it out for a different cheese if you want or add other cheeses to the mix.
What We Love About This MEXICAN TATER TOT CASSEROLE Recipe:
- Casserole recipes are so easy to make and so filling! It’s an easy weeknight dinner that makes enough for the whole family.
- You can adjust ingredients in this to suit your taste. Want it spicier? Add a spicier sauce, or more green chiles, or even some diced jalapeno!
- I’ve never seen a kid turn down tater tots or tacos. It’s always a win!
????How to Make Taco Tater Tot Casserole:
Ground Beef: Brown the beef and onion in a skillet and then stir in the taco seasoning.
Combine: Add the beef to a mixing bowl along with the pinto beans, Mexi-corn, diced green chiles, cream of chicken soup, and taco sauce. Stir to combine and spread into a 9×13 baking dish.
You could also use my pressure cooker pinto beans in this recipe!
Bake: Sprinkle cheddar over the taco casserole and then top with tater tots. Bake for about 45 minutes to get the tots nice and crispy.
Helpful Tip!
Ingredient Swaps
- Ground chicken or turkey work well in place of the beef.
- Swap black beans for the pinto beans.
- Use my cream of chicken soup substitute instead of the canned stuff.
Leftover Hack!
Heat up leftovers and spoon into a large tortilla shell, fold like a burrito, and enjoy! Or use the leftovers as filling for stuffed peppers. You’d also be able to turn this casserole into some pretty good nachos!
What To Serve With Taco Tater Tot Casserole:
You can make a meal out of this casserole or serve it up with some popular sides or toppings. For toppings you can use pretty much anything you’d put on a taco.
Sour cream, cilantro, salsa, Pico de Gallo, guacamole, diced tomatoes and lettuce are all great toppings for this taco casserole.
For sides I think you’d enjoy this Mexican rice recipe, and some homemade sweet corn bread is another option. I also have a jalapeno cheddar cornbread recipe that’d go well here!
A salad topped with our chipotle ranch dressing is always a great option too.
❔ FAQs:
This taco tater tot casserole should last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge if you keep it in an airtight container. I have not tried freezing this one, but it should freeze well.
You do not need to drain the canned green chiles, but you will need to drain the canned corn and pinto beans!
The green chiles add a little heat but we don’t think they are spicy at all. To add more heat, use canned diced jalapenos instead.
Add the tater tots to the top of the casserole straight from the freezer. Do not thaw them first.
MORE TEX MEX RECIPES!
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Queso Dip
- Air Fryer Street Corn
- Keto Guacamole
- 7 Layer Dip
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
- Refried Bean Dip
Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ sweet onion diced
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 16 ounces canned pinto beans drained
- 15 ounces canned Southwest corn see note
- 4 ounces canned diced green chiles
- 10 ounces cream of chicken soup
- ¼ cup taco sauce mild or spicy
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
- 30 ounces frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Add the ground beef and onion to a large skillet and cook, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the beef is cooked through. Drain the fat, and stir in the taco seasoning to coat. Add the beef mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the beans, corn, green chiles, cream of chicken soup, and taco sauce to the bowl and stir well to combine.
- Spread the beef mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheddar.
- Arrange the tater tots in an even layer over the cheese.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy.
Jennifer says
Just to clarify- the corn and chilies do NOT need to be drained?
Karly says
I drain off the corn, but not the chiles.
Kris says
I think my grand kids will love this! I always love to pull something from the oven when they arrive. Last visit I made pepperoni rolls. Next visit THIS. Thank you Karly for your creativity and all your recipe testing you do to get it just right for us. 🙂
Karly says
Hope the grandkids love it, Kris! 🙂
Patttt says
stolen recipe from another source -made by me many times with a different name
Karly says
I always cite my source when I’m using a recipe from someone else. This was not stolen or copied from anyone else – it’s my creation based off of my traditional tater tot casserole with taco seasonings, beans, and corn added.
Christine says
Don’t accuse people of stealing a recipe. That is very nasty. This type of recipe has a thousand versions. The ingredients and versions are pretty typical. A very unnecessary slam!
Mary Williamson says
Haven’t tried i will soon.
Karly says
Hope you love it!