This tater tot casserole is a family favorite that comes together quickly. It’s made with seasoned beef, veggies, a creamy sauce, and lots of cheese under a crispy tater tot topping.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Creamy, cheesy, and comforting with crispy golden tots on top.
- Skill Level: It’s a family favorite that uses easy ingredients in one cozy casserole.
- Prep Note: Assemble a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Swaps: Use ground chicken or turkey instead of beef, and replace the cream of mushroom soup for any ‘cream of’ soup in the pantry!
Ingredient Tips
- Tater Tots: Use any brand of frozen tater tots or frozen potato puffs; any shape will work.
- Beef: I prefer to use lean ground beef but you can replace it with ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Soup: Condensed cream of mushroom soup is the base of the sauce for this recipe and makes prep super fast. Replace it with any condensed cream soup, like cream of celery or chicken. You can also replace it with homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup.
- Vegetables: Use a frozen vegetable medley or replace it with cooked leftover veggies.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar delivers the best flavor, but shredded mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican blend work, too.
How to Make Tater Tot Casserole
- Cook ground beef and onion, drain any fat.
- Mix the vegetables, soup, milk, seasonings, beef, and some cheese (full recipe below).
- Spread the mixture in a casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- Arrange tater tots on top and bake.
Storing and Reheating
Leftover tater tot casserole tastes even better the next day. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat portions in the microwave. Wrap up leftovers in a tortilla for a hearty (and portable!) school or workday lunch.
More Creative Casseroles
Did you enjoy this Tater Tot Casserole Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Ingredients
- 1 (28 to 30 ounce) bag frozen tater tots
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables thawed, or fresh diced vegetables
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and onion until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- In a medium bowl, mix the thawed vegetables, soup, milk, seasonings, beef mixture, and ½ cup shredded cheese.
- Spread the beef mixture into a 3qt or 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Top with tater tots and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the tots are golden brown.
Notes
- Frozen vegetables should be thawed first. Any variation or mixture of vegetables can be added.
- Canned mushroom soup can be substituted with other “cream of” soups, gravy, or even a can of gravy or tomato soup.
- Any size casserole dish can be used for this recipe. A deeper dish may need a little bit of extra cooking time.
- This casserole can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated. If chilled from the fridge, it will require extra baking time.
- Leftovers will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator and 4 months in the freezer.
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.
this was awesome! My mom used to make tater tot casserole back in the day 50 years ago, but this seems to be an upgrade.
I’ve never tried it until tonight. Awesome, I will make it again. I did add the 1/2 cup sour cream. Again, it was…Awesome!!
It would be helpful if you would give the serving size of this along with the nutrition values. It looks a little sodium heavy for my restricted salt diet. Darn it!!!
A serving is going to be ⅙th of the recipe. To reduce the sodium you could try making your own condensed mushroom soup so you can control the salt!
I recall this recipe having sour cream in it as well as dry mustard. can you advise on the amounts? that recipe was 5 stars. have not tried this version.
This recipe has not changed from the originally published version although your additions sound wonderful! I would suggest about ½ cup of sour cream and 1 teaspoon of ground mustard.
I agree that this recipe totally changed, I’m super bummed because it was my favorite!
The photos were updated but the recipe has not changed since I first created it (2021-02-05). I do have other tater tot casseroles on the site:
Slow Cooker Tater Tot Casserole (this one does have dry mustard)
Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Hi Linda, I did some additional digging and I found the recipe you are referencing to. There used to be a recipe called “Tate Tot Hotdish” that was effectively the same as this recipe with a couple of minor tweaks (addition of sour cream and slight changes to the seasonings). Here is the recipe for your reference:
1 bag Tater Tots (approx 32 oz)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion diced
2 cups mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen)
10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup (1 can)
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9×13″ casserole dish.
Brown ground beef and onion over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
In a bowl mix together soup, sour cream, milk, garlic powder, dry mustard, ½ cup of cheese, and salt and pepper.
Mix together beef, soup mixture, and mixed vegetables in the casserole dish. Layer tater tots on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook an additional 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
I hope this helps!
Loved it! Super easy meal that is just comforting and delicious. Reheated well also!
Very good recipe. I added Worcestershire sauce to the meat for a deeper flavor. My hubbys favorite comfort food ! Thanks for the recipe reminder.
This recipe is easy and delicious!
Thanks Carrie!
I made this last night and it was excellent. I like cheese so I added an extra cup. It was so delicious!!!
Just ok not very flavorful.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Natalie!
This recipe has totally changed. It had sour cream before (more than one person remembers) and was our favorite—I made it multiple times. Change it back and create a new post for this revamped nonsense. Guess I have to go find a new recipe.
Hi Ashtyn, it took some digging but I found the recipe you are referencing to. There used to be a recipe called “Tate Tot Hotdish” that was effectively the same as this recipe with a couple of minor tweaks (addition of sour cream and slight changes to the seasonings). Here is the recipe for your reference:
1 bag Tater Tots (approx 32 oz)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion diced
2 cups mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen)
10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup (1 can)
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9×13″ casserole dish.
Brown ground beef and onion over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
In a bowl mix together soup, sour cream, milk, garlic powder, dry mustard, ½ cup of cheese, and salt and pepper.
Mix together beef, soup mixture, and mixed vegetables in the casserole dish. Layer tater tots on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook an additional 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
I hope this helps!
I made this tonight for the first time. It was OUTSTANDING! *I used defrosted frozen corn for vegetable. I will have this casserole in regular rotation now. Thank you for sharing it.
This is my go to recipe.I love it!
Family loved it!
Picky 5 and 2 year old loved it!!
Hi, if I need to half this recipe do you thin a 8×8 or 9×9 dish would be best?
Thanks Holly!
An 8×8 pan should work well for this half this recipe. I would love to hear how it turns out for you, Joyce!
Good
Dearest Holly, Thanks for all the easy and delicious recipes! My husband loved the tater tot casserole! Thanks again!
do left overs freeze well?
We have frozen the leftovers with great results!
My sister nudged me onto this site for recipes that were easy and delicious..
I am super excited she did !
Thank you for offering easy but homemade meals that are no fuss !
This was so good and so easy to make and a huge hit in our house. Thank you so very much for this quick and easy recipe.
You are so welcome, Lisa! So glad your family loved it!
Wow! How good and easy! This is a keeper. I will be trying this with chicken or turkey next time. Just added a little garlic powder. Thank you so much!
Great! I hadn’t made a Tater Tot Casserole for decades and is perfect for Football Sunday! I used mushroom broth instead of milk and added peppers and bacon bit for flavor. Yummy!