Prepare to make this heartwarming childhood recipe with all it's cheesy goodness, easy Tater Tot Casserole. This homestyle southern inspired meal gives you all the feels with this easy to follow recipe with basic ingredients. You don't want to miss this family friendly weeknight dinner.
Become Ree Drummond herself and make this easy, cheesy loaded meal for busy weeknight dinners. Made with green beans, ground beef, and cream of mushroom soup topped with your favorite tater tots and of course cheese.
When we make this, we personalize it based on which vegetables we have on hand. We've made it with bacon and I've even made it without meat.
Try our other quick and easy weeknight meals. We love making cheeseburger/hamburger style sloppy joes with this Big Mac Sloppy Joes Recipe. Or try this rattlesnake pasta and Turkey Tetrazzini. Or try this Chicken and Gravy recipe, another comfort dish.
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Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients needed for this recipe. Follow our tips on each ingredient for best results.
- Ground beef: Use ground beef for this recipe. Make sure to cook before adding to the casserole. We prefer to use a high quality ground beef so we don't have to drain off as much oil.
- Onion: A medium yellow or white onion pairs great with this recipe.
- Garlic: Minced garlic is preferred but in a pinch, garlic powder will work just as well.
- Cream of mushroom soup: While testing this recipe, we used a variety of cream of mushroom soups and found that Campbells brand has the best texture and taste.
- Canned green beans: For ease and convenience use canned green beans. You can also use frozen green beans.
- Worcestershire sauce: This is the signature flavor of traditional tater tot casserole.
- Tater tots: Use your favorite tater tot brand. Do not cook or thaw them before assembling the casserole. Use frozen.
- Cheese: Cheddar cheese pair great with this recipe. Shred before assembling.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Tater Tot Casserole
Follow these step by step instructions to make this quick and easy recipe. The images will help you get the right textures and look.
- In a medium bowl combine the cooked ground beef, onions, and seasoning.
2. Gently mix in the cream of mushroom soup and the green beans. Stir until well combined.
3. Place the ground beef mixture at the bottom of a pan. Top with frozen tater tots.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the mixture begins to bubble. Remove from the oven and top with cheese. Cook for an additional 5-8 minutes until it's melted and cheesy and gooey.
Substitutions and Variations
We love switching things up when we're in the kitchen. Try any of these variations for something a little different.
- Chicken- Instead of ground beef add shredded chicken. You can even substitute the cream of mushroom for cream of chicken when you do this.
- Taco- Make it Mexican style by seasoning the ground beef with a taco seasoning packet. Spice it up with chopped Jalapeños.
- Breakfast- Make this breakfast tater tot casserole by substituting the ground beef with breakfast Sausage, and adding scrambled eggs. The tator tots on top act as a hashbrown.
- With Corn- Make this loaded by adding in 1 cup frozen corn when you add the green beans.
- Without cream of mushroom soup: Use a cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom for a similar outcome, or use sour cream if you don't want to use cream soups.
- No meat: Make this vegetarian by not adding meat. Use a dairy free cream soup to make it vegan.
How to Serve
There are so many ways you can serve this easy dish. It can be a main meal, or it can be a side dish with hot dogs at a cook out. Or a side for chili. You could even keep it simple and serve it with a side salad and fruit for a well rounded meal.
You can make this in a slow cooker/crockpot. Add the ingredients together in the crockpot as directed and cook on low for 4 hours. The tater tots will not be as crisp as the get when in the oven but will still make a quick and easy meal.
Tips and Tricks
Make sure to wait and add the cheese until the very end of cooking. If you put the cheese on too soon it will get hard. We love crispy cheese, but we found while testing this recipe that if it's over cooked it will make serving the casserole difficult.
Get creative and mix it up! Add jalapeños for a little kick (at the same time as the onion), stir in frozen veggies when stirring in the cream of mushroom soup, add some curry or taco seasoning. This is fun recipe you can style to fit your family.
Storing Tater Tot Casserole
Store leftover cooked casserole in covered or in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Before you cook the casserole you can freeze the prepared casserole for a later date. You can also freeze the tater tot casserole once cooked in an air tight container and reheat when ready to serve and eat.
Top tip
Don't add the cheese until the last 5-8 minutes of cooking. This will give you a perfectly cheesy casserole.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Tater Tot Casserole:
Recipe
Tater Tot Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small-medium onion
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 10.5 ounce cream of mushroom soup
- 14 ounce canned green beans
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups frozen tater tots
- 2 cups cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Finely chop onion and set aside.
- Over medium heat, cook ground beef, until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain the extra grease. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Remove from heat and stir in the cream of mushroom soup, green beans, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Place in the baking dish and top with tater tots.
- Bake for 20 minutes, the mixture should be starting to bubble. Top with the cheese and bake an additional 5-8 minutes, until cheese reaches desired bubbliness. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- This serves 8-9 people as a main course, and 12-16 as a side dish.
- We love making this with jalapenos. Chop up 1-2 jalapenos and add them at the same time as the onion for a little bit of spice!
- This recipe is perfect for personalizing and making your own! Add frozen vegetables, bacon, curry or taco seasoning, the possibilities are endless.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- This freezes great! Just reaheat in the oven at 350 until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is heated through.
- Make ahead: Sometimes I'll make a double batch and freeze on pan for an easy meal when we're busy and I don't have time to make dinner.
Nutrition
FAQ
To create a delicious tater tot casserole, begin by browning ground meat of your choice along with onions and garlic. Combine the cooked meat mixture with cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup and your preferred vegetables, such as peas or carrots. Spread this mixture in a baking dish, top it with a layer of tater tots, and bake in the oven until the tots are crispy and the casserole is heated through. A final touch of melted cheese on top adds gooey perfection to this comforting dish.
To prepare Tater Tot Casserole, start by browning ground beef with onions and garlic until cooked through. Mix in a can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup and a layer of vegetables like corn or green beans. Spread the mixture in a baking dish, top with a layer of tater tots, and bake in the oven until the tots are golden and crispy. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the casserole in the last few minutes of baking for a gooey finish.
This recipe bakes in 20 minutes and then another 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Altogether it takes less than 30 minutes to bake this dish.
To complement tater tot casserole, consider serving a side of steamed vegetables for a touch of freshness and nutrition. The classic pairing of baked beans offers a sweet and savory contrast, while a crisp green salad with a zesty dressing provides a light and refreshing balance to the rich flavors of the casserole.
Tater tot casserole finds a delicious companion in an array of side dishes that complement its hearty flavors. From vibrant steamed vegetables and fresh green salads that provide a refreshing contrast, to the classic comfort of baked beans and macaroni and cheese. Pair with garlic bread or the sweet balance of corn on the cob, while coleslaw offers a cool crunch and dips like ketchup and ranch dressing enhance every bite.
Andrea says
My family loves this super simple and easy tater tot casserole. It's so cheesy and it remind me of the recipe my mom used to make growing up.