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This Tater Tot Casserole recipe is just like Grandma used to make. Total comfort food, full of veggies that the kids will actually eat, and it’s all topped off with crispy tater tots!
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Tater Tot Casserole brings all the cozy vibes!
Just Like Grandma’s Tater Tot Casserole!
I’m such a sucker for a casserole.
I think it’s partly because casseroles nearly always involve cheese and who doesn’t love cheese?
This tater tot casserole with veggies is a hit in my house…yes, even though there are things like peas, carrots, and green beans lurking inside.
I think tater tots just make every food kid-friendly. Haha!
The beef and veggies are in a delicious, savory sauce, the tots get nice and crispy on top, and the cheese just brings it all together. Grab your forks, you’re going to want to dig right in.
We love a good tater tot casserole, which is why you’ll also find recipes for our Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot
What We Love About This Recipe:
- Family Friendly: While there are veggies lurking about, they’re mixed in with cheesy beef under a layer of crispy tots. Kids don’t seem to mind them, but if your family is picky, use whatever canned vegetables you like.
- Affordability: Casseroles are great for a budget! You can make canned veggies and a pound of ground meat go a long way with this recipe.
- Ease: I love how simple a good casserole recipe is. Just toss everything in a dish and bake. So simple!
Ingredient Notes:
Ground Beef – I’m using lean ground beef in this recipe. You could also use other types of ground meat if you want to switch it up. Turkey, chicken, or even pork would work here.
Tater Tots – We buy these frozen from the grocery store. You could also try a bag of frozen cauliflower tots if you wanted to up the veggies even more!
Veggies – The ground beef will get cooked up with some minced garlic and diced sweet onion, and you’ll also add in a drained can of mixed vegetables.
Cream of Chicken Soup – You can use the canned kind or follow the link to see my homemade substitute recipe! It’s easy to make and goes perfectly with this casserole.
Sauce – A dash of hot sauce and a little Worcestershire sauce will add some flavor to that cream of chicken and make for a savory sauce that coats the meat and veggies.
Cheese – We’re using shredded cheddar here. You could swap it for colby jack, mozzarella, or monterey jack depending on what you have on hand.
Tater Tots Casserole Substitutions:
There are lots of great ways you can modify this tater tot casserole! Different veggies, cheese, soup, etc. I’ve got a few good options below:
- Soup: This recipe uses cream of chicken but I also love tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup! It also just so happens I have a cream of mushroom substitute recipe you can use instead of the canned stuff!
- Protein: Swap the ground beef for lean ground turkey or chicken. You could even chop up a rotisserie chicken and use that!
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar is my go to for this casserole. Even better if it’s freshly grated! But you can use any variety of cheese. Swiss, Colby Jack, mozzarella, or just about any blend of cheese should turn out well.
- Veggies: We a can of mixed veggies including green beans, peas, carrots, and corn. You could use more or less of each of these, or just substitute or swap them entirely with something else like bell pepper, mushroom, or onions! If you’re using fresh vegetables, it helps to saute them for a few minutes to soften them up first.
What Readers are Saying!
“This was a hit with the whole family! The way its layered keeps the tots crispy, and not mushy. We all loved it!” – Beks
How To Make Tater Tot Casserole:
Beef: Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic to a large skillet and cook, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the beef is cooked through.
Drain: Drain the fat and dump the mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Mix: Add the vegetables, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and cream of chicken soup to the bowl and stir.
Helpful Tip!
The hot sauce will not make this recipe spicy at all. It just adds some depth to the flavor. Your kids will still love it!
Prepare: Add this mixture to your oiled 9×13 pan and spread it all out evenly.
Cheese: Sprinkle the top of that with shredded cheese then add a layer of frozen tots on top of the cheese.
Bake: Now you can start baking for 45 minutes and it is ready to serve!
Crispy tots, seasoned beef, plenty of veggies, and melty cheese. What more could you want in a dinner?
How To Make Ahead:
If you’re trying to save time you can prepare this casserole ahead and then refrigerate it until it is ready to bake.
We recommend adding the tater tots just before baking for maximum crispy goodness.
If you’re storing this in the fridge, you can make this up to 24 hours in advance. If freezing, this will last for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs:
This tater tot casserole freezes beautifully. Prepare just up to baking and then cover tightly and pop it in the freezer. To bake, thaw in the fridge overnight and then bake as directed. It may take an extra 10 minutes or so to heat through.
This tater tot casserole is a meal by itself thanks to the protein, veggies, and potatoes! That said, something light goes well with this dish, like my mad dog salad.
Amp up the veggie goodness by serving with a side of cauliflower mac and cheese! For dessert, my buttermilk chocolate cake or eclair cake are favorites in our house and both are pretty simple to make.
You can keep leftover tater tot casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or the oven.
It’ll take about 45 minutes at 375 degrees for this casserole to bake in your oven.
More Casserole Recipes!
- Crack Chicken Casserole
- Chicken and Potato Casserole
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- Jiffy Corn Casserole
- Big Mac Casserole
Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ sweet onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 15 ounces canned mixed vegetables
- 10 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Dash of hot sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
- 16 ounces frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic to a large skillet and cook, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the beef is cooked through. Drain the fat and add the beef mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the mixed vegetables, cream of chicken soup, Worcestershire sauce, and hot 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.
Ginni says
This recipe looked intriguing and looked kind of good until I read the complete ingredients. As a matter of fact, my problem with every recipe in this post is that every SINGLE one of them has cheese.Yeah, I realize some of the suggestions ask for shredded cheese but if you hate cheese like I do (truth…NOT everyone loves cheese!!!), I’m looking for something quick and easy without a hint of cheese! I’m not trying any of these recipes, so thanks a lot…for nothing…
Karly Campbell says
Perhaps you should seek out dairy free recipes or do a search specifically for recipes without cheese. You can also adapt recipes to suit your own personal needs rather than getting angry at someone for sharing recipes that don’t suit you.
JFK2013 says
Ginni, you could just be an adult and move on without making nasty comments since there is so much you don’t like in these recipes.
For those of us that love cheese… these recipes are great! Thank you Karly!
Something to think about.
Bruce tettemer says
This is a good recipe. Easy to do and taste good
NORMAN RODNEY HAMILTON says
THIS WAS A GREAT CASSEROLE,FOR SURE
Pam S says
Easy and delish! I added yellow/red peppers and celery along with the onions when cooking the meat. I skipped the cheese and added a bag of frozen vegies. Quick to put together and yummy to eat.
Karly says
Sounds like delicious additions! 🙂
Cardil says
Can I use cream of potato soup?
Karly says
I think that would be tasty!
Janice W. says
Do you drain the canned Vegetables? Or put the Vegetables in untrained?
Karly says
We drain them.
PS2u2 says
Sneaky veggie ploy to get the kidos to eat. Can’t wait to try this recipe. It’s like Shepherd’s Pie with a twist. Love it. Who doesn’t love crispy taters? 🙂
Jamie Fredric says
Thank you for this recipe. It’s on my budget and it’s something different and really tasty.
Beks says
This was a hit with the whole family! The way its layered keeps the tots crispy, and not mushy. We all loved it!
Karly says
So glad it was a hit with the family!
Lori says
one of my all time fav. recipes! easy filling and cheap and amazingly good
Karly says
Oh, that’s awesome to hear! 🙂