Name: Tater Tot Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter; 2 pounds ground beef; 1 medium onion ((chopped)); 1 tablespoon minced garlic ((3 cloves)); 2 cups mixed frozen or canned vegetables; 2 (10-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; 24-32 ounces frozen Tater Tots ((enough to fill the top of the casserole))

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TATER TOT CASSEROLE. All caps because I thought it was absolutely crazy when I first heard about this dish. Tater tots in a casserole? What crazy witchcraft is this? Well, it's actually really fricken good. I made it for dinner this week and it was a huge hit with me and my wife. The entire recipe took about one hour.

close up of tater tot casserole after being baked.

Last week, I made broccoli casserole, and it was unbelievable. I do not make casseroles often so it was a surprise when it tasted so delicious. I decided to try my hands at another casserole this week, one that I saw on Tiktok a few months ago: a tater tot casserole! (also called a cowboy casserole).

This one is even easier to make because you only need one skillet and a casserole dish for the whole recipe. This was my first time eating tater tots in YEARS, but now I think I will be making this regularly in my house. I could see this being a huge hit in a holiday dinner spread.

Key Ingredients

required ingredients prepped in bowls; can of cream of mushroom soup.

Ground beef: I recommend lean ground beef, otherwise it could be too rich for many people. There is already a ton of richness from the cream of mushroom soup and cheddar cheese.

Condensed cream of mushroom soup: Traditionally, casserole dishes from the Midwest all use some sort of canned soup. This is because they became popular when convenience foods were on the rise in the States. For this recipe, I used condensed cream of mushroom soup.

Frozen vegetables: Personally, I prefer frozen veggies over canned veggies, but either will work for this recipe. I just think frozen veggies have a better texture than canned.

Cheddar cheese: I used medium-old cheddar. Another popular option I see is Velveeta. The choice is up to you!

Tater tots: Of course, we will need some Tater tots. In the recipe card, I specified you can use anywhere between 24-32 ounces of Tater tots. That's because most grocery stores will sell it in those sizes. The exact amount doesn't really matter too much. You just need enough to cover the entire casserole. I had a 32-ounce bag and plenty of leftovers.

How to make it

STEP 1: Cook the beef and onions until the beef is no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

STEP 2: Add the frozen vegetables (or canned, whatever you prefer) and cook until they are warmed up.

cream of mushroom soup added to beef mixture.

STEP 3: Add the mushroom soup and seasonings. Bring to a simmer then stir in half the cheddar cheese.

tater tots arranged on top of casserole.

STEP 4: Transfer to a casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese, followed by the tater tots. I also sprinkled some extra cheese in the empty spots so they would get browned and crispy.

STEP 5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the tater tots are crispy and the beef mixture is bubbling up the sides. Mine doesn't look too pretty, but I assure you it was delicious. Mine ended up bubbling a bit more up the sides because I added a bit of water to my sauce because I thought it was too thick. But in retrospect, I should not have added it. I removed the water in the recipe card, so when you make it, it should be fine.

Tater Tot Casserole

Key Ingredients

How to make it

📋 Recipe