This family-friendly tater tot casserole recipe is easy, cheesy, and a hearty way to feed a crowd!
A hearty layer of ground beef and veggies is smothered in a shortcut sauce is topped with cheese and tater tots and then baked to golden perfection.
A fuss-free and oh-so-satisfying meal, it’s a hit with everyone at the table!
An Easy Family Favorite
Tater Tot Casserole, aka Tater Tot Hotdish, is a beloved Midwest classic that has found its way into the kitchens (and hearts) of people all over.
- This classic comfort food has simple ingredients that you likely have on hand.
- This casserole is inexpensive to prepare and extra veggies can stretch the meal further.
- This meal only needs 15 minutes of prep and can be prepared ahead of time.
- It’s great as a meal on its own or serve with a quick side salad.
Ingredients in Tater Tot Casserole
- Ground Beef: Lean ground beef is the base of this recipe but use any type of ground meat, like ground turkey.
- Sauce: Cream of mushroom soup makes an easy sauce for this casserole recipe. Any “cream of” soup will work just fine, cream of chicken soup is a great alternative.
- Vegetables: I most often use fresh veggies (and frozen corn or peas) but frozen mixed vegetables are a great quick option. Add in your favorites from mushrooms to green beans.
- For extra flavor, stir any of the following into the ground beef mixture: garlic powder, onion powder, or Worcestershire sauce.
Variations
- As a tater tot breakfast casserole, use ground breakfast sausage in place of beef.
- Canned soups can be replaced with leftover gravy (or canned gravy) or even condensed tomato soup.
- Homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup can be used in this casserole.
How to Make Tater Tot Casserole
This one of those easy dinners that’ every in my family loves’ll become a regular in your rotation.
- Brown ground beef & onion in a large skillet.
- Mix veggies, soup, milk, seasonings, & beef in a baking dish. Top with frozen tater tots & cover with cheese.
- Bake per the recipe below until the cheese is bubbly & tater tots are browned on top.
Tater tot casserole can be made in the crock pot as well!
Storing Leftovers
- Keep tater tot casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave and serve for a quick school or workday lunch (or in the oven if you’d like crispy tater tots).
- Freeze individual portions in freezer-safe containers for up to 6 weeks.
- Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
More Favorite Casserole Recipes
Did you make this Tater Tot Casserole? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Classic Tater Tot Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 bag tater tots
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables* thawed, or fresh diced fresh vegetables
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Brown ground beef and onion over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- In a bowl mix the thawed vegetables, soup, milk, seasonings, beef mixture, and ½ cup shredded cheese. Spread into a 3qt (or 9×13-inch) casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Top with tater tots and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the tots are golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner, Entree
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Can I use hashbrowns instead of tater tots? It’s not avalaible in my country…
While I haven’t tried it, I can’t see any reason it wouldn’t work!
I added mushrooms and next time would also throw in some garlic. Broiled the last couple of minutes to crisp up the tots. A bit shallow in a 9×13 pan, might try it in a 9×9 dish next time for some density.
So good! I made this for supper tonight, it was quick easy and so delicious. We are just two people so I put it into two 8×8 Pyrex. I have to take a lunch every day, so I can’t wait to heat up leftovers and put them into my thermos for lunch.
So good! My husband told me 3 times already today how much he loved this casserole! Every recipe I have made from this site has turned out amazing! I get so many compliments when I make these recipe’s! Thanks Holly!
This turned out so well! I split the recipe in half in 8×8 foil pans so I could give half to my mom. I skipped the veggies in mine because I’m not a fan of mixed vegetables and didn’t have time to substitute. Anyway, it was declicious.
This sounds very good. Making it tomorrow
Decadently delicious, and super easy to put together. My grocery store has fresh chopped veggies which made it even more convenient. Yum! A winner of a pure comfort meal!
That’s a great shortcut tip Julie! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
This recipe is a favorite in our house! We added some shredded cheese ontop towards the end of baking because you can never go wrong with more cheese. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
That sounds delicious Samantha! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
More recipes please! Thank you, so good!
So glad you’ve loved the recipes Anna! You can sign up for our newsletter here or or scroll down to the bottom of any post and you will see a signup box.
Delicious – the best tater tot casserole recipe that I have found!
Thank you!
So glad to hear you loved it, Connie!
I just made your Tater tots casserole and my 3 yr Great Granddaughter loved it! And she is a very picky eater as her mom only fixes her junk food, frozen pizzas and such! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! Plan to try several more too
So happy to hear she enjoyed it, Carolyn!
Excellent recipe. Very tasty!
Thanks, Jim! Glad you enjoyed it.
I always add a couple of cans of mushroom stems and pieces
Sounds delicious Jim, thanks for sharing!
We use cream of chicken soup, corn and French green beans. We add the cheese before the tots. We like them crispy.
Yum, thanks for sharing Kathy!
It specifies “one bag tater tots”. Bags of tater tots come in a variety of sizes. Is it one pound, two pounds, five pounds?
I look forward to making this!
We used a 16 oz bag for this recipe, hope this helped!
Single layer. My OCD has me line them up