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This Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole is a classic comfort food reminiscent of your childhood. Creamy beef topped with crisp tater tots and lots of cheese. It’s an easy dinner recipe your whole family will love!
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients in Tater Tot Casserole
- Kick Up the Flavor
- Variations and Additions
- Is Tater Tot Casserole Gluten Free?
- Make Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole Ahead of Time
- How to Store and Reheat Tater Tot Casserole
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Quick Casseroles
- How to Make Tater Tot Casserole
- Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
Anytime Tater Tot Casserole comes up in conversation (and believe me, it actually comes up more than you’d think) it sparks childhood memories. My friend told me every time her mom was out of town, her dad would make a big batch and they’d eat on it all week. Another friend remembers forgoing any sort of vegetables in their recipe and piling her plate high with cheese, beef and that kid-friendly favorite: tater tots! But if this one-dish wonder never graced your childhood dinner table, it’s time to introduce your family to the best easy tater tot casserole recipe. Serve with a side salad or some fresh fruit for a complete meal!
Ingredients in Tater Tot Casserole
The most wonderful thing about casseroles are their versatility. Many of the ingredients in this casserole recipe are interchangeable, except of course for those tender taters it’s named for. Traditionally, this recipe calls for the following:
- Ground beef – You can also use ground turkey or ground pork in place of hamburger meat.
- Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup – Use canned or make your own condensed cream of mushroom soup. Homemade creamed soups are so good and easy to make! Cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup an also be used.
- Vegetables – Green beans, corn, frozen mixed veggies or peas are favorites around here.
- Tater tots – Piles of delicious crispy tater tots.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – Lots and lots of gooey cheese. Try it with sharp cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese.
- Sour cream – optional, but you can top a serving of casserole with a dollop of sour cream.
Kick Up the Flavor
If you are looking to add more flavor to this casserole dish, you can always include more flavor-enhancing ingredients to the ground beef mixture.
- Add minced garlic or garlic powder
- Use a tablespoon or so of Worcestershire sauce
- Sprinkle on onion powder and/or dry ranch dressing mix powder
- Replace Ground beef with spicy ground sausage.
- Add diced bacon along with the ground beef
Variations and Additions
This delicious family dinner staple can be dressed up a million different ways. Your kids will beg for all the casserole all the time! Try these favorite variations on the traditional Tater Tot Casserole:
- Chili Tot Casserole– Add chili, corn, and olives to the base and top with tater tots and cheese
- Mexican Style– Use taco seasoning in the ground beef, then add green chiles, corn, diced tomatoes, black beans and pepper jack cheese to give this recipe a spicy kick.
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole– Who says dinnertime is the only time for tater tots? Layer those gorgeous potato nuggets with eggs, crumbled breakfast sausage and cheese.
Is Tater Tot Casserole Gluten Free?
YES! But here’s the catch. It’s gluten free if, and only if, you use cornstarch as the thickener for the sauce instead of flour AND you make sure you’re using a gluten free bouillon powder. It’s available next to regular bouillon at most grocery stores. Just be sure to check those labels! When using cornstarch as the thickener you can use half the amount– so about 3 tablespoons should be all you will need to make your sauce.
Make Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole Ahead of Time
- Assemble the casserole with everything except the cheese. Then, bake as instructed and let it cool. Refrigerate until completely cold and then pop it into the freezer (in a freezer safe container).
- Or you can assemble the casserole, again leaving off the cheese, but don’t bake it. Freeze instead until you’re ready to bake. Either option should keep in the freezer for a couple of months.
How to Store and Reheat Tater Tot Casserole
- Store leftovers is an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheating this tater tot hotdish is simple and it tastes delicious! Take the frozen dish out of the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Then bake as directed.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day (or several days, as my friend can attest from her childhood). This recipe reheats in the microwave beautifully. You could also pop it under the broiler to crisp up your tots again.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to serve a nice helping of this easy casserole recipe with a simple green salad, fresh fruit, coleslaw, macaroni salad or some simple biscuits.
If you want extra crispy tots on top, turn the broiler to your oven on for the last few minutes of baking. That should help get those tots golden and crispy.
Yes! Cover leftovers with aluminum foil and keep in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat by microwaving individual servings. Or you can reheat the entire casserole dish in the oven.
If your tater tot casserole is runny it could be because it still needs to cool a little bit. It could also be from using frozen vegetables.
Read More: 33+Easy Dinner Ideas
More Quick Casseroles
You can never have too many casserole recipes on hand for those busy weeknights. Here are some delicious comfort classics:
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- California Breakfast Casserole
- Easy Chicken Casserole
- Cheesy Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole
- Spaghetti Casserole
How to Make Tater Tot Casserole
Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 cup mushrooms coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup flour (or 3 tablespoons cornstarch)
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons beef bouillon
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 (12-14 ounce) can cut green beans drained, optional
- 1 (12-16 ounce) package frozen tater tots
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375-degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onion and ground beef until beef JUST browned. Add mushrooms and cook until beef is cooked through and onion is translucent. Drain excess grease.
- Sprinkle flour over beef/mushroom mixture and stir until flour coats the beef.
- Slowly stir in the milk, stirring constantly until you reach your desired thickness (you want the sauce to have the consistency of a thick gravy). You may or may not need all the milk.
- Season with beef bouillon and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in green beans (optional).
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and pour beef mixture into the bottom of the dish, spreading evenly.
- Evenly layer tater tots over the beef mixture.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until tater tots become golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from oven, top with cheese, and bake an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- No cream of mushroom? No problem! Try our homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup.
- Store leftovers is an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheating Tater Tot Casserole is simple and it tastes delicious! Take the frozen dish out of the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Then bake as directed.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day (or several days, as my friend can attest from her childhood). Tater Tot Casserole reheats in the microwave beautifully. You could also pop it under the broiler to crisp up your tots again.
This is such a childhood favorite. I love your version. It was delicious.
Such a family favorite! So easy to put together and so tasty too!
We love tater tot casserole! We eat it for breakfast or dinner! We like adding a little chopped bacon on top.