Tater Tot Casserole

Tater Tot Casserole has been a staple in our meal rotation for as long as I can remember. It's easy enough that all of my kids can make it and filling enough to be a one-dish meal. It's absolutely a family favorite that I'm sure you're going to love!

Originally shared January 27, 2001. Updated January 25, 2022

This Tater Tot Casserole recipe is so easy, my 13-year-old son made it for us for dinner the other night. I also recently made a pan of it for my sister-in-law when she'd been sick and her kids ate every last bite!! There are never leftovers when we have it!

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• Ingredients:
• Tater Tot Casserole Recipe:
• Equipment
• Tips & Substitutions:
• More one-pot dishes for you:
• Recipe

Ingredients:

• Ground Beef (or ground turkey or ground deer)
• Onions (optional)
• Seasoned Salt
• Frozen Tater Tots
• Shredded Cheese
• Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Milk

The only other things you'll need for this classic recipe are a baking dish, a small mixing bowl, a whisk, and a silicone spatula.

After you try this recipe, it'll be one of those casserole recipes you'll come back to again and again. Sometimes we add a side dish of corn or green beans to round it out - other nights we eat this all by itself.

Tater Tot Casserole Recipe:

1. Brown the ground beef over medium heat in a skillet. If you want to add in diced onion, cook it along with the ground beef until the meat is done and the onions are clear. Drain.
2. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray then spread the cooked meat in the dish.
3. Sprinkle your favorite seasoned salt over the top of the meat. I use Lawry's but you could use garlic powder, black pepper, etc.
4. Cover the meat with a layer of frozen tater tots.
5. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup plus half a cup of milk. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
6. Pour the mixture over the tater tots and spread out evenly.
7. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top generously.
8. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until golden bubbly brown.

Equipment

Mixing Bowls

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Tips & Substitutions:

• We do a lot of deer hunting here, so we often use ground deer instead of ground beef and it works perfectly. You could also use ground turkey for your protein.
• In a pinch (because I didn't know we'd run out), I have substituted cream of chicken soup in place of the cream of mushroom. We much prefer the mushroom soup, but the chicken wasn't terrible.
• For the cheese, we usually use cheddar, but colby jack or a Mexican blend is also delicious.
• If you want crispy tater tots, you can mix pour the cream of mushroom mixture over the ground beef, then the tater tots on top with cheese. This will make them crispier.

You can even use pre-cooked ground beef from a freezer cooking day to speed up the recipe (just saute the onions in a little oil and add to the pre-cooked ground beef).

More one-pot dishes for you:

• Tater Tot Casserole
• The Best Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole
• Homemade Chinese Orange Pineapple Chicken
• Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
• Red Potato Soup with Cream Cheese [Video]

So, here's the recipe for this classic comfort food:

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