This no-fuss, flavorful Tater tot casserole recipe is an easy winner for dinner, lunch, or breakfast that brings out a rich, hearty ground beef casserole, topped by decadently cheesy, crispy, golden brown, tater tot goodness!
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
Tater tots are a bite-size marvel! There's something about them that is just irresistible. They're crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and they go great with just about anything.
Whether you're dipping them in ketchup, covering them in extra cheese, or eating them plain, tater tots have been on the household dinner rotation for generations!
Frozen tater tots are common in most supermarket frozen food isles, and with an oven or air-fryer, they turn into a hot snack in next to no time! This great recipe for tater tot casserole is all about creating a comforting casserole like my hashbrown casserole that is sure to be the next family-loved weeknight dinner!
This tot casserole recipe calls for some star ingredients for the savory ground beef mixture with mushrooms, green beans, green peppers, onions, garlic, and sour cream. The top layer is a combination of tater tots and melted, sharp cheddar cheese that makes this the best tater tot casserole recipe!
This variation of the traditional tater tot casserole is a breeze to get started with minimal prep time. You can even prepare the casserole ahead of time, then add the shredded cheese and tater tots just before putting it in the oven to have a delicious and easy casserole!
🍽 Key Ingredients
Tater tot casserole is always a family favorite recipe with home cooks because it is easy to make, uses pantry staple ingredients, and uses basic kitchen equipment.
Olive oil - Go for a light version if you don't want too much of the olive flavor in your casserole.
Onion - Combined with garlic, onion adds an aromatic foundation to this savory dish.
Garlic - Minced garlic is the onion's partner in flavor and is always added at the start alongside the meat.
Green pepper - Provides a subtle, slightly sweet edge to any dish when added to it.
Mushrooms - You need to have mushrooms in this tot casserole. The excellent flavor is earthy and savory and gives an umami-rich boost.
Ground beef - Choose ground beef with a good ratio of meat and fat 80/20 to add flavor. You might get excess fat, but it won't dry out as easily in the baking dish as ground beef with 90/10 ratios tends to.
Worcestershire sauce - Similar to a barbecue sauce but much lighter, Worcestershire sauce adds a little smoky sweetness to help cook beef.
Butter- To be used with the flour and milk in making a roux, a time-old thickening agent and flavor builder in many delicious recipes.
Flour - Use an all-purpose flour in this tater tot hotdish recipe.
Milk - Full cream milk works best in this yummy recipe.
Sour cream - It has a tangy, slightly sweet flavor and a creamy, thick consistency. Use it to add some more acidity to the delicious casserole.
Canned Green beans - Gives a bit of color and texture to the recipe.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese - Go for a sharper, aged cheddar cheese like Pepper Jack to make an even layer of excellent flavor!
Tater tots - These come in a range of sizes, and you will need around 2 pounds (900 grams) to create a good tater tot layer in this recipe.
Substitutions
Ground beef
You can change the meat in this casserole to ground turkey, ground pork, or shredded chicken.
Roux
You can swap out the flour, butter, and milk roux as the casserole binder and go for a canned soup like cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup instead.
Garlic and Onion
If you don't have fresh garlic and onion handy, use ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each garlic clove and 1 tablespoon of onion powder in place of 1 small onion.
Sour Cream
You can also swap sour cream for condensed cream if you are not a big fan of the tangy flavor in this recipe for the tot casserole.
Green beans
Change over the green beans for some frozen mixed vegetables or chopped broccoli. Simply defrost the frozen mixed vegetables before adding them to the recipe.
🔪 How to make the best tater tot casserole
You'll love this tater tot casserole recipe. It's so delicious, and the cooking instructions are easy to follow with my step-by-step guide and helpful cooking tips.
Preparations
- Dice the onions and garlic cloves into smaller cubes and then set them aside.
- Cut the green pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs from the inside of the pepper. Cut the pepper into thin strips and then set it aside.
- Drain the can of green beans.
- Shred the cheese using a hand grater and divide the amount into two parts. You will be using some for under the tots and the extra cheese on top.
Cooking instructions
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 centimeter) casserole dish.
Step 2
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and brown the ground beef.
Step 3
Remove the browned beef, and then, in the same skillet, add the diced onions and green peppers, and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 3 - 5 more minutes, or until the mushrooms have begun to release their liquid.
Step 4
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it is completely melted, whisk in the flour and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk, whisking the entire time until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken, then remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream.
Step 5
In a large bowl, mix the creamy mixture over the ground beef, add the green beans and stir to incorporate.
Step 6
Pour the beef mixture into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and flatten with the back of a spoon. Add half of the shredded cheese on top, then layer the tater tots on the cheese.
Step 7
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the tater tots are browned, then remove and sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese on top. Put back in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Step 8
Allow the casserole to cool before serving.
💭 Cooking tips
Using a cheese mixture
Even though it adds a little to the prep time, grating your own cheese mixes gives your casserole recipes that flavorsome edge by creating your own unique cheese blend.
📖 Tater tots recipe variations
If you're looking for more tater tot casserole variations, try these variations next time.
Tater Tot Casserole with bacon and egg
Sprinkle half a cup of fried bacon and 2 cracked eggs directly onto the top layer of the casserole, then add the cheese, and bake for another 10 minutes!
Use frozen vegetables
To make the tater tot casserole more filling, add 2 cups of frozen veggies to the ground beef. The good thing with using frozen veg is they're handy to have on hand and saves time on prep.
Tater tot casserole with breadcrumb topping
Mix the shredded cheese with 1 cup of breadcrumbs for sprinkling over the top before baking to give it a lovely golden brown color and crispy topping.
🥗 What to serve with
Try these easy recipes to go with this classic American tater tot casserole recipe.
Tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad
Try making this Italian-style tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad using fragrant basil leaves, a choice of colorful cherry tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella to compliment the goodness of the tot casserole.
Perfectly Simple Pumpkin Soup
What goes better with a tater tot casserole on those colder days than a perfectly simple pumpkin soup? The bacon and pumpkin flavors of the soup make this a winning combination of recipes.
Roasted potatoes
Roasted potatoes are a simple side dish to make in the oven that is flavored with garlic and rosemary. They take under an hour to bake and compliment the tater tot casserole.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
Can a tater tot casserole be made ahead of time?
Absolutely, the ground beef mixture of the Tater tot casserole can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator a couple of days beforehand. Uncooked tater tots can get a little mushy if stored in the refrigerator. It is a simple process of adding the cheese and tater tots at the end when it is time to bake the casserole.
How do you get tater tots to stick together?
The tater tots stick together during the baking process. If you have crammed them into the casserole dish without any gaps, they will become soft and stick together before going crispy.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ reheating
Leftover tater tot casserole can easily be stored in the fridge or freezer and reheated for enjoying another day.
Fridge - For easy food safety, store any leftovers in an airtight container or smaller baking dish covered with cling wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.
Freezer - You can also freeze the leftovers by wrapping them in aluminum foil and putting it straight into the freezer for about 2 months.
Reheating - To reheat, simply use an oven to reheat the leftovers at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 10 mins so that the tater tots get nice and crispy.
🍳 Related breakfast recipes
If you love my tater tot casserole recipe. Try one of these fantastic breakfast casserole recipes including my corned beef hash for your next meal.
Looking for a delicious and easy side dish casserole? Try my 30 minutes green bean casserole with homemade crispy onions.
👪 Serving size
This recipe makes enough tater tot casserole to serve 6-8 people, and it can easily be scaled to cater to more guests. I usually double the recipe and make 2 casseroles and give one to friends or freeze one for a quick midweek dinner.
This recipe is classic comfort food at its best and will definitely delight anyone's taste buds after the first bite! It's easy to make for home cooks, and kids love it.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Try one of my comfort dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion - chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - chopped
- 1 green pepper - diced
- 2 cups mushrooms - chopped
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 16 oz bag green beans - frozen
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 cups cheddar cheese - shredded
- 2 lb tater tots - frozen
Instructions
Preparations
- Dice the onions and garlic cloves into smaller cubes and then set them aside.
- Cut the green pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs from the inside of the pepper. Cut the pepper into thin strips and then set it aside.
- Drain the can of green beans.
- Shred the cheese using a hand grater and divide the amount into two parts. You will be using some for under the tots and the extra cheese on top.
Cooking instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 centimeter) casserole dish.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and brown the ground beef.
- Remove the browned beef, and then, in the same skillet, add the diced onions and green peppers, and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 3 - 5 more minutes, or until the mushrooms have begun to release their liquid.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it is completely melted, whisk in the flour and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk, whisking the entire time until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken, then remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream.
- In a large bowl, mix the creamy mixture over the ground beef, add the green beans, salt and black pepper and stir to incorporate.
- Pour the beef mixture into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and flatten with the back of a spoon. Add half of the shredded cheese on top, then layer the tater tots on the cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the tater tots are browned, then remove and sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese on top. Put back in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Allow the casserole to cool before serving.
Comments
No Comments