Tater Tot Casserole
Table of Contents
Tater Tot Casserole
Tater Tot Casserole is one of the most hearty comfort food dishes that I can think of. Casseroles scream childhood for many of us, and that is part of the joy. My favorite part is the fact it can be made with ingredients I already keep in my pantry and freezer.
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The only thing I had to pick up today was tater tots. Casseroles are never aesthetically pleasing, instead being very rustic. That is part of the appeal. There is no pretense to create the prettiest plate in the world.
Casseroles are always reminiscent of childhood. There is a rustic charm based on that alone. They are usually pretty simple to make, just by putting everything in a baking dish to heat up and marry all the flavors together.
Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound sausage, mild Italian
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Milk
½ of a small onion, chopped
3 mushrooms, chopped, or 1 small can
1 can green beans
½ teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning make your own here
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon herbs de provence
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
32 ounce bag tater tots
Cheddar Cheese, shredded, amount optional
2 cups French fried onions (Nathan always calls these French fried eyeballs, and that always makes me laugh)
Tater Tot Casserole Directions
Divide the ground beef and sausage. Then chop up the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Add the seasonings into the pan. I toss everything into the pan separately and then mix it all together there. This saves me dirtying up a mixing bowl.
Skip adding any oil!
Brown the meat. There will be plenty of grease coming out of the sausage. Because of that, there is no need to add any oil to the pan.
Drain the grease from the pan after the meat is browned. Add in the 2 cans of mushroom soup. Then add in one can of milk. I go with the two to one ratio of soup to milk on this. Drain the green beans and then add them in. Warm this up to combine everything.
Assembling Tater Tot Casserole
Put about half the bag of tater tots in the baking dish. Enough to cover the bottom, without overlapping. Sprinkle cheese over the tater tots. Add the meat and sauce mixture on top. Once that is done, add the remaining tater tots on top.
After adding the last of the tater tots on top, sprinkle with a little more cheese and it is ready for the oven! I baked this at 400 degrees for half an hour. At the 30 minute point, I add the french fried onions on top, and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
If you prefer to bake at 350 degrees, go for it. Leave it in for 45 minutes and then add the crispy onions in and bake for another 15 minutes. The goal is to make sure everything is heated all the way through, and the crispy onions are golden brown on top.
Once it is out of the oven, let it sit for 15 minutes and rest. Otherwise it will fall apart and make a huge hot mess. It will still fall apart, to some extent. By letting it rest, it won’t happen as much.
Tater Tot Casserole Notes
One of my favorite things about this recipe is it is simple to make, requiring few ingredients to make it amazing. These are all ingredients that I keep in the pantry and freezer.
Hearty and Comforting!
It is a perfect hearty winter casserole, on those long cold nights where nobody wants to go to the store. It is filling and a family favorite. Who doesn’t like tater tots and cheese? Lol. If you had kids, this is a perfect meal for them. Plus sneaking in the green beans into it. A great way to cut some of the richness of this dish is with a nice fresh salad. That is the perfect addition, in my opinion.
Nathan, my husband, enjoys this one and always gets excited when I suggest it. He calls it “creamy yummy goodness.”
Discussion
What is your favorite casserole to make? Have you tried this tater tot casserole recipe? Tell me about it in the comments! I am always interested in learning about your favorites. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! If you’ve tried it, please feel free to leave me your feedback. I enjoy hearing about what others think of my recipes. Check out my other beef recipes!
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34 Comments
Heather
I totally geeked out when I saw Tillamook cheese! Reminds me of home back out west!!! I’m gonna save this to my DIY Pinterest!
The Prepping Wife
Tillamook cheese is all we buy in my house! That reminds me I need to take a trip there to the cheese factory again soon. I try to do that every couple of years because it is just so much fun. Lol.
Lindsay Brown
I make a hash brown casserole which is similar to this recipe but I’m not going to lie, yours looks much tastier! I’m going to make this for the kiddos and I think they will love it!!!
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Nyxie
My partner made something like this last year when we first moved into our home. It was a bit of an Irish mix up with potatoes skinned, covered in egg and gluten free breadcrumbs and then baked, all then thrown together with cheese and vegetables.
Similar look!
He’s the cook in our house so he’ll get a kick out of reading this (and possibly trying it!)
Thank you for sharing. Wonderful to read your stuff as always lovely.
– Nyxie
Jessica
Tatertot casserole is one of my favs!! In fact, I think I might cook that tonight since I haven’t made it forever !! 😜 happy Monday girl!
Rosalie
OOooooOOOoooOOo, I love this! I’m definitely going to try it out. Thank you for sharing!!
Scott J DeNicola
Once again another great recipe! I absolutely love tater tots but would have never thought to include them in a casserole. That’s why I look forward to posts like this so I can expand my horizons in the kitchen. All your recipes are very straightforward and simple to make which I like. Thank you as always.
Snehal
I have never made or eaten Casseroles. It looks so delicious in the pics 😍😋 yum I will be making some soon! 🙂
Trish Veltman
Casseroles are such a lovely winter-warming meal. don’t think we can get Tater tots here but I’m sure there’ll be something I can substitute to make this recipe work.
Nicole Anderson | Camping for Women
Never thought of tater tots in a casserole before but after reading this through, I can see how this would work. Great comfort food, especially in the winter. I’m sure kids would love this as well.
Helen G
Ooh looks good – love food that reminds me of home! Yum!
Ashley | One Journey Away
Ooohh yummy I love tater tots! I never would’ve thought of including them in a casserole but it looks so delicious.
Luna S
This looks pretty good, I like foods that have a bit of a crunch to them and my son loves those crispy onions so I think this would be a big hit in our house.
Subhashish Roy
We have these lovely dishes very rarely because mostly we consume Indian food which has so many varieties. But this dish looks so nice and enticing. Taste is what matters and not the looks. Thank you for sharing.
Melody
I love tater tot casserole. It’s been awhile since I’ve made it and my mouth is watering now. I’ve never used hamburger and sausage together, though. I may have to try this soon. Another favorite casserole is my corn casserole. It is a side rather than a main but my family and friends request it often.
Nahashon Kyalo
Thanks for the straightforward and easy to understand recipe. this meal is a must try this weekend.
Joyce Osiango
This is a whole new lesson to me. At least I have something to look forward to trying this weekend.
Joanna K.
In my culture, we do a lot of casseroles. We even use rice and spring vegetables. When I read your recipe, I was reminded of Sunday lunch with the extended family. Well, enjoy your meal!
Elizabeth | Tiredmom Supermom
This looks delicious! My kids would devour a dish like this. Pinning for later this week..yumm
Sarah
This looks amazing! Unfortunately my husband hates cream of mushroom. Definitely bookmarking it though!
Tessa
This looks absolutely delicious! I love your one-pot meals that make it easy to get a range of yummy foods with one scoop. Thanks for sharing this easy recipe.
Blairvillanueva
Wow I am literally feeling hungry just for reading your blog! I want this for breakfast now 🙂
Tracy C
This looks so quick and easy. It would be perfect for busy nights. You could even brown the hamburger ahead of time.
Elease
Er. Mar. Gawd. You’re killing me!
Mary
Ohhhh this brings back so many memories. Church dinners and family reunions. Can’t wait to try it out!
Mashibaby
This looks so delicious!
Despite Pain
Nothing can beat a casserole on a cold winter’s night. (like tonight). This recipe looks so tasty and very moreish. We don’t have tater tots in the UK, but I think they look just like potato rissoles. I’m sure I could even make something similar. I’ll be saving this one.
Lyosha
I love such dishes. simple delicious, filling and perfect for cold day. it is not a common food here but I do like it
Luna S
I love those crispy onions they are such a great addition to meals! This looks delicious.
Melanie williams
Ooo this is so lovely for a family meal. My other half will love this for sure. Comfort food for the colder evenings x
The Prepping Wife
I am all about the comfort food in the fall and winter too!
Sonia Seivwright
This has got my favourite ingredient in it. Looks Lovely.
Stella
This looks like an awesome, tasty meal I wish someone would make for me. We don’t usually eat casserole in my family, but I know what you mean when you say. they are reminiscent of your childhood.
Kelly Martin
Looks great Erica. I haven’t had a casserole in ages. Casseroles are so nice when the weather is cool and you can heat up the leftovers for days.