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Wooden spoon with tater tot casserole dish with ground beef, green beans, cheddar cheese and golden tater tots.
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5 from 7 votes

Easy Tater Tot Casserole

Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole is comfort food reminiscent of your childhood. Creamy beef topped with crisp tater tots and lots of cheese. It's a family dinner hit!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Tater Tot Casserole
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 362kcal
Author: Erica Walker

Ingredients

  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 1/2 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
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 (32 ounce) package frozen tater tots

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.
    Skillet with brown ground beef, mushrooms and onions.
  • Sprinkle flour over beef/mushroom mixture and stir until flour coats the beef.
    Skillet with ground beef and flour on top.
  • 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.
    Skillet with ground beef gravy mixture.
  • Season with beef bouillon and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in green beans (optional).
    Skillet with ground beef gravy mixture and green beans.
  • Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and pour beef mixture into the bottom of the dish, spreading evenly.
    Ground beef and green bean mixture in a casserole dish.
  • Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the beef mixture.
    Sprinkling cheddar cheese on top of ground beef casserole mixture.
  • Evenly layer tater tots over the cheese layer keeping them lengthwise down.
    Placing frozen tater tots on top of ground beef mixture casserole and cheddar cheese.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes or until tater tots become golden brown and crispy.
    Baked tater tot casserole in a dish.
  • Serve immediately while hot.
    Wooden spoon with tater tot casserole dish with ground beef, green beans, cheddar cheese and golden tater tots.

Video

Notes

  • Extra Flavor: Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, or a little ranch seasoning to the beef mixture if desired.
  • Cornstarch Option: If substituting cornstarch for flour, whisk it into cold milk before adding it to the skillet.
  • Make Ahead: Assemble, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking, or freeze tightly wrapped for up to 2 months. Keep the cheese beneath the tater tots as directed in the instructions.
  • Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat thoroughly to 165°F.

Nutrition

Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 529mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 465IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 214mg | Iron: 2mg