Best Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe + VIDEO
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Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole is a delicious ground beef dinner full of veggies and cheesy tots. This recipe makes the best kid-friendly, comfort food! This is the perfect hearty casserole for busy weeknights!
This is a family favorite recipe! Not only does it have lots of cheese, but even picky eaters love the golden brown tots!
It’s an easy dish to make and is really a complete family meal. You can whip this up for busy weeknights, as a fun holiday meal, or have it as a delicious food to eat throughout the week.
With just a few minutes of prep, you’ll have the best tater tot casserole recipe that everyone will love.
Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole
Making meals with ground beef usually means they’re economical, and it always means they’re delicious.
This hamburger tater tot casserole is no exception! Kids love tater tots, and if you ask me, adults love them too.
Chicken more your thing? My Chicken Pot Pie Casserole is a comforting and delectable alternative!
The best part is that casseroles are simple to make, and they’re a great way to use leftovers!
Plus, if you like easy meal prep, you can make this cheesy tater tot casserole ahead of time. Then, freeze it and bake it whenever you’re craving easy comfort food.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Ground beef – I like to use lean ground sirloin to save the mess of draining off the grease. You can also use ground turkey for this easy casserole recipe.
It’s a way to cut out some of the fat from the ground beef mixture. - Worcestershire sauce – This gives the tater tot hamburger casserole some additional meaty flavor.
You can omit it if you don’t have any. I even use steak sauce in a pinch! - Cream of mushroom soup – You need to use condensed soup, not the ready to eat variety. If you don’t like using condensed soup, you can make it yourself!
I have a recipe for condensed cream of chicken soup that will work perfectly, or this condensed cream of mushroom soup recipe from Kevin is Cooking looks great. - Green beans and corn – Use canned to save time, and be sure to drain both well so your cheesy tater tot casserole isn’t soggy.
Frozen is also fine, or you can even use fresh if you steam them in the microwave for 2 minutes first. - Shredded cheddar cheese – You can substitute the cheddar with any shredded cheese your family enjoys!
This cheesy casserole tastes great with sharp cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, and more.
The melty cheese paired with the crispy tater tots creates the best delicious casserole and ultimate main dish!
Easy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe Tips
- Use frozen tater tots. Don’t be tempted to pull them out while you prep the other ingredients!
Keeping them in the freezer until right before you add them to the casserole guarantees they’ll stay nice and crispy in the oven. - Grease your casserole dish. This will make it much easier to serve the hamburger tater tot casserole easier — and easier to clean the pan later.
A light coating of non-stick cooking spray will do the trick. - Serve immediately. The reason that this meal is sometimes known as “tater tot hotdish” is because it tastes best right out of the oven.
After it sits for a while, it can get a little mushy.
Storing and Freezing Tater Tot Casserole with Corn
Refrigerate any leftovers and use them within 5 days. Or, make this easy tater tot casserole ahead of time and freeze it for baking later!
Assemble as directed, then wrap the casserole with a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil over the plastic.
It will keep well in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.
When you’re ready to serve it, remove the plastic wrap and recover with the foil. Pop it right into a preheated oven and add 20 to 25 minutes to the cooking time.
After the first 45 minutes, you should remove the foil. This will help the tater tots to become crispy and the cheese to turn bubbly and golden brown.
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
- 9×13-inch casserole dish – Some casserole dishes have the capacity stamped on the bottom of the dish. You want to use something that holds at least 2 quarts.
- 10-inch large skillet – I have had this pan since 2006. It is my go-to large skillet. It heats evenly and quickly. The stainless steel cleans up beautifully with a little baking soda so they still look brand new.
Serving Suggestions
This easy tater tot casserole includes meat, healthy veggies, a starch (potatoes), and dairy (cheese). As a result, you really don’t need to serve anything with it.
If you really want to add a side dish, a garden salad is a good choice. Kids might like some raw veggies with ranch dressing for dipping.
Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole FAQ
It’s normal for casseroles to be a bit liquidy right out of the oven since they thicken up as they cool. But, your tater tot hamburger casserole shouldn’t be watery or soupy!
To ensure this doesn’t happen, drain off any grease from the ground beef after you brown it.
And be sure to drain the canned vegetables before combing them with the other ingredients.
If you don’t want to make your tater tot casserole with corn or green beans, you can swap in different veggies!
Chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, or broccoli florets would be tasty — just be sure to cook them a bit first.
You can also kick things up a notch with cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or some slices jalapenos if you’d like!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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More Easy Casserole Recipes
Best Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe + VIDEO
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef, (I use 88% lean)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 10.75 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- 15 ounce can green beans, drained
- 15 ounce can kernel corn, drained
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 16 ounce package frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Warm a large (10”) skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, onion, garlic powder, and salt to skillet. Cook until the beef is cooked through, using a spatula to break up the ground beef as it cooks.
- Add mushroom soup, green beans, corn, and 1/2 cup cheese to the beef in the skillet. Stir to combine.
- Spread the beef mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Arrange tater tots in a single layer over the ground beef mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the tater tot casserole.
- Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until tots are golden brown and hot.
Video
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published March 2020, updated and republished March 2024
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Hi Donna! I love your cooking web site! My oven went out on my electric stove and I was wondering if this delicious looking Tater Tot Casserole could be assembled and cooked in a crock pot??
Can Broccoli be used instead of the corn and green beans?
I just put this in the oven! I didn't see when to add the Worcestershire in the instructions so I added it in with the garlic etc. 🙂
I love everything except the tater tots. I think I would serve this over mashed potatoes or rice.
I used a half a bag of hash browns much better. Also over mash potatoes was good
Just Made this last night for the family. Big hit. 2 kids (ages 1 and 10) loved it , so did husband. I will say that the tator tots weren’t enough for the 9×13. I had to use a 16 oz bag and a half.
Can you make meat mix a day or two before hand?
I didn’t know tater tot casserole even existed before I saw this. I’ve been missing out my whole life!! This was absolutely amazing.
Dish turned out just like the recipe said it would. Family loved it, easy to put together and make, supper in one dish.
Made this today, it was a hit! Needed more tater tots then the 16oz bag to cover the area of the 9X13 pan. Used ground turkey, forgot to purchase Worcestershire, improvised and added Italian Seasoning as a substitute. Used finely shredded cheese, I will add more to sprinkle over the top of the tater tots next time in order to have more cheese melted on top. This is a keeper recipe!