Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole

Tater Tot Casserole is a must-have, kid-friendly recipe in my kitchen. This easy dinner recipe is simply the best because it is jam-packed with ground beef, corn, cheese, and crispy tater tots. When I lived in Minnesota, all the locals referred to this meal as a tater tot hotdish but whatever you call it, don’t you dare skip out on the last ingredient because it makes all the difference….

What I Love About This Easy Recipe

In the spirit of being totally open and honest with you, I present to you the first recipe in all the years of my blog history, that uses a condensed cream soup: Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole. While I am not a huge fan of these prepared products, I do appreciate that here in 2024, it allows for some simplicity and consistency for those who are just learning to cook, like my children. My kids like to use these soups in some of their favorite recipes because it makes dinner fairly simple for them, particularly in the preparation process.

Yes, my kids cook…and often. They make dinner a few nights a week. If I allowed them to, they would make this Tater Tot Casserole recipe every week. No doubt that this recipe is definitely kid-friendly! In fact, they love it so much, I created a Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole that is filled with eggs, sausage, bacon and vegetables!

Although, since we are Minnesotans, I should really re-title this as a Tater Tot Hotdish recipe. Not sure why, but you don’t call these “casseroles” up north and I still find that weird. It took me years of living in the land of 10,000 lakes to figure out what the heck a hotdish was!

What Ingredients are in Tater Tot Casserole?

Like most recipes, a tater tot casserole is made using an endless variety of ingredients. However, the following foods are most often found inside this Midwest classic recipe. They are listed in the order they are layered, beginning at the bottom of the 9×13″ casserole dish and working up:

• Ground Beef – seasoned and browned hamburger is the standard protein choice for the base of a tater tot casserole recipe. 
• Canned Corn or Green Beans – the choice of which canned vegetable to use in the recipe is solely a personal preference. The original Minnesota recipe was made with green beans.
• Cream of Mushroom Soup – condensed soup is added to the casserole right out of the can. It adds creaminess to the finished dish, as well as the addition of a bit of mushroom flavor to the sauce.
• Sour Cream – while not all tater tot casserole recipes include sour cream, they should. This addition helps add depth of flavor to the sauce so the condensed soup doesn’t struggle on its own. 
• Shredded Cheese – use the cheese as the gooey layer between the tater tots and the ingredients on the bottom. It’s that special touch other recipes don’t have.
• Frozen Tater Tots – the tater tots stay frozen until right before the dish goes in the oven. Keeping them frozen helps the tots from falling apart inside the casserole as it bakes.

How to Make the Best Tater Tot Casserole

Recipe FAQs

Can I freeze tater tot casserole?

Yes, you can successfully freeze hamburger tater tot casserole! In fact, this recipe is the freezer meal of all freezer meals! The go-to recipe most home cooks use when they first explore the world of freezer cooking. Unlike other recipes, a tater tot casserole retains both its texture and flavor once frozen.

And, good news. No need to alter the recipe for a frozen version. Simply follow the recipe as written, then wait to bake the finished casserole until it is time to serve. Tightly cover the pan first with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Doing this keeps the tater tot casserole fresh for 4-5 months in the freezer.

To keep your favorite 9×13 baking dish free from the freezer, be sure to grab some quality aluminum pans with lids to use instead. Don’t go for the cheap ones or you’ll end up with tater tot casserole all over the floor.

When it is time to bake the casserole, remove the plastic and foil from the pan and bake at 375 degrees for 60-75 minutes. Or, thaw it for a few days in the refrigerator before baking for 50 minutes, adding about 10 extra minutes to compensate for the cold temperature of the ingredients. I recommend baking straight from frozen, instead of thawing, to save space in your fridge and I think the casserole turns out better this way and closer to the original fresh version.

How to make tater tot casserole ahead of time

Go head and make this cheesy casserole 3-4 days before you need it. The finished dish won’t lose any quality from the longer stay in the fridge. Follow the directions listed in the recipe, stopping before baking. Cover the 9×13 baking dish tightly with foil to keep it from drying out. You’ll need to add about 5 -10 minutes to the bake time to compensate for the casserole starting off cold when it goes into the oven. You can also make the entire casserole and leave off the tater tots and then simply add them right before baking. This little trick makes the tater tots extra crispy and helps them retain the shape.

Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef?

Technically, any ground protein would work in this cheesy casserole, but it is difficult to achieve the same level of flavor from ground turkey, chicken, or pork sausage as you do from beef. If you make this substitution, be sure to use a higher fat version of the ground turkey. That extra fat will equal flavor inside the finished dish. 

Another great modification is to use two or more types of ground meat. I often use 1 pound of ground turkey and 1/2 pound of ground beef. This way, I get the flavor of the beef, but it is a little healthier because I have some turkey. Once I started combining ground meats in this recipe it changed everything. I no longer had to worry about having the exact amount of ground beef or turkey. One time only had 1 pound of ground beef but had some bacon and pork sausages left over from breakfast and decided to cut them up and add them with the ground beef. The casserole came out great and had a really rich flavor from the sausage and bacon.

Can I make tater tot casserole with green beans instead of corn?

Absolutely! In fact, the original tater tot casserole recipe, that came out of Minnesota in 1956,  included green beans. So really, replacing the corn in the casserole with green beans is a way to honor the founding midwest recipe. Just remember, to truly honor the Norweigan heritage of the Minnesota recipe, it is no longer a “casserole.” It has transformed into a tater tot “hotdish” with green beans. 

Can I use frozen corn or green beans instead of canned?

This substitution is just fine, as long as you reduce the amount of milk from the amount written in the recipe. Use 2 tablespoons less because the frozen vegetables will release more water than their canned counterparts when baked. And, no one wants watery tater tot casserole.

If you are using frozen vegetables you can also consider using frozen broccoli florets, frozen peas or a combination of peas and carrots. Almost any frozen vegetable will work great in this recipe. The question comes down to which ones your kids will eat.

Can I make Tater Tot Casserole without Cream of Mushroom Soup?

Yes! I know Cream of Mushroom soup is not for everyone. Although this recipe calls for canned cream of mushroom soup, you can switch this out for another canned cream soup. Some that work great are Cream of Chicken, Cream of Celery, Cream of Broccoli, and Broccoli Cheddar. The soup will change the flavor a little bit so keep that in mind. If you want something very simple that goes great with corn and ground turkey, use the Cream of Chicken. This will make a lighter tasting casserole.

If you want to remove the canned cream soup altogether you can. Simple use 1/2 cup of whole milk and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. I also add an extra pinch of salt and pepper since the condensed soups are seasoned.

Other Tater Tot Casserole Recipe Substitutions

I listed a few key substations above like using ground turkey instead of beef, frozen corn instead of canned corn or switching out the cream of mushroom soup. There are a few other recipe changes you can make depending on what you have in your pantry. I always like to think of ways to keep recipes flexible as we have all had that time when we open the fridge or pantry and realize we are missing one of the ingredients for dinner. Hopefully these two recommendations below will keep you from having to make a last minute trip to the grocery store.

• Cheese – the recipe calls for shredded cheddar and I think a sharp cheddar is best. However, you can also use a Swiss or Gruyere cheese if you want to change the taste. Because Swiss and Gruyere have a nice strong flavor they will work really well in this dish. Just remember the 90’s commercial that used to say, “You’ve got cheese. You’ve got choice.”
• Sour Cream – this is always a big one and I typically do not have sour cream in my fridge. Thankfully I always have yogurt and mayonnaise. You can substitute either of them 1:1 but I like doing 1/2 cup yogurt and a 1/4 cup mayo if I do not have sour cream.

Three recipe variations you have to try

I know I have given you several substitution options, but there are also some really great flavor and seasoning variations you can make that will dramatically change the taste of the casserole. They are pretty easy so I recommend you give them a try!

Taco Tater Tot Casserole

This taco variation is so easy and always comes out great. Simply use 1 packet of taco seasoning instead of the garlic and onion powder when cooking the ground beef. Then substitute the can of cream of mushroom soup for 1.5 cups of jarred salsa or red enchilada sauce and the 3/4 cups of skim milk with a 1/4 up of extra sour cream. I recommend using the canned corn instead of green beans. Other than those three substitutions you can follow the recipe as normal. Once it is finished baking you can then top the casserole with your favorite taco toppings like shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

This is another really easy variation. I follow the recipe exactly as is but only change two ingredients. I use ground turkey instead of ground beef (ground chicken is really hard to find) and I use canned cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom. The cream of chicken soup will give all that nice chicken flavor that you do not get from ground turkey by itself.

Tater Tot Casserole Without Meat (Vegetarian Version)

I also think of this version as a vegetarian Mexican tater tot casserole because I use enchilada sauce, canned black beans, and pinto beans. For this variation have broken it out as there are a few more steps and changes than the two super simple versions above.

• Switch out the ground beef with 3 cans of drained, and rinsed beans. You can use pinto, black beans or a combination.
• Switch the can of cream of mushroom soup and 3/4 cup of milk for 1.5 cups of salsa or enchilada sauce.
• Use a full 1 cup of shredded cheddar as this casserole is best when it is extra cheesy.
• Follow cooking instructions and instructions as normal and use canned corn, not green beans.
• Pro Tip: once the casserole is done baking drizzle the top with an extra 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce and tip with another 1/2 cup of cheese and broil quickly to melt the cheese.
• Serve with your favorite enchilada toppings and condiments such as sour cream, guacamole, Mexican Crema or this delicious cilantro lime crema sauce from our friends over at the Weary Chef.

The Best Tater Tot Casserole

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5 from 8 reviews

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Cheesy tater tot casserole is always an easy dinner recipe idea and super kid friendly with those crispy potatoes all over the top!

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 can corn or green beans, drained
• 3/4 C low fat sour cream
• 1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup
• 3/4 C skim milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 lb bag tater tots

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray.
2. Heat a large skillet on high and add your ground beef or turkey. Season with the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Cook on high, breaking it up into pieces as you go until the meat is completely cooked.
3. Add the sour cream, soup, milk and corn or green beans. Mix until combined.
4. Pour mixture into the 9×13 pan. Top with the shredded cheese.
5. Add the tater tots to the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the tater tots when you take the casserole out of the oven.

Notes

**For a freezer meal, prepare as instructed but do not bake. Freeze, well wrapped. To cook it, bake at 350 for 60 minutes if frozen, or as instructed if thawed.

• Author: Carole Jones
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/8 th
• Calories: 461
• Sugar: 5 g
• Sodium: 1273 mg
• Fat: 25 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 34 g
• Fiber: 3 g
• Protein: 25 g
• Cholesterol: 80 mg

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