Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole
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This cowboy tater tot casserole, also called a tater tot hot dish, is the ultimate in comfort food. Get ready for the perfect combination of crispy tater tots, ground beef, melty cheese and crunchy onions all baked together.Â
Ground beef and tater tot casserole is a total family favorite in our house. Easy to put together and full of flavor, you just can’t find a better recipe for feeding the family on a busy night.
This casserole blends so many great flavors together but is so simple to make! I usually let the kids get involved because, once the beef is all cooked, it is as simple as layering in the ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Tater Tot Hotdish Recipe
- So easy! This recipe is so easy to make that I often put it on the menu when the kids are doing the cooking.
- Family favorite! Everyone loves the flavors of this ground beef and tater tot casserole. I mean who can resist crunchy potatoes and cheese!
- Versatile! You can easily stir in some extra vegetables, change the ground meat, make it meatless, or even change the cheese to customize this recipe.
- Easy to feed a crowd! This recipe makes a decent amount making it easy to feed a larger family.
This casserole is so versatile too and you can easily add in additional spices and flavors as you see fit. My friend Jessica makes a yummy sloppy joe version which is incredible.
Ingredients for Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole
- Tater Tots: I like the extra crispy version but the regular ones work great too.
- Ground Beef
- Neutral Oil
- Onion: Use a yellow or white onion.
- Garlic: You can substitute garlic powder here, if preferred. I would go with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder if you make the substitution.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup: You can use canned or homemade.
- Cheddar Cheese
- Fried Onions
Variations for Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole
- Switch the cheddar cheese with a Swiss or gouda
- Try it with sweet potato tots
- Use cream of celery or cheddar cheese soup in place of the cream of mushroom
- Lighten it up with ground turkey
- Top it with panko crumbs or more tater tots
- Stir in vegetables like canned corn or green beans
Whatever way you decide to make this casserole, I guarantee your entire family will be asking for seconds because it is THAT good.
How to Make Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole
Making this cheeseburger tater tot casserole is all about layers. Start with the tater tots. Then, add a ground beef, onion, and garlic mixture. Follow that with the soup mixture. Then, top it with cheese and bake. Add on the fried onions towards the end of baking so they don’t burn.
Casserole recipes are always ones I like to include in my weekly meal plan because they are easy to throw together and just heat when we are ready to eat. Or, as I do with this one a lot, I make it and bake it. Then, my family can reheat it when they are ready to eat.
More Family Friendly Casserole Recipes
If you love this recipe for ground beef and tater tot casserole, be sure to try these other yummy casserole recipes:
- Pasta Casserole
- Greek Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Sloppy Joe Biscuit Bake
- Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti
Ground Beef and Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 32 ounce package tater tots
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 10 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup French’s fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 9×13 cooking dish lightly with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the dish with tator tots and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce overn temperature to 350 degrees.32 ounce package tater tots
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain. Set aside.1 pound lean ground beef, 2 teaspoons oil
- Heat remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in pan and sauté onion and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and stir to combine. Layer on top of tater tots.1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic
- In a medium bowl, mix condensed cream of mushroom soup and water. Stir well. Stir in 1 cup of cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of friend onions.10 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1 3/4 cup water, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup French’s fried onions
- Pour soup mixture over tater tots and spread evenly. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
- Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is fully melted. Add remaining fried onions and bake for 5-10 minutes until onions are browned.
Notes
- You can substitute ground chicken or turkey for the ground beef.
- One teaspoon of garlic powder can be used in place of the fresh garlic cloves.
- You can store leftover casserole in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
Oh, let me know how you like it! It is a favorite in our house for sure.
I love the idea of a “Tasty Treat Thursday.” 🙂 I’m currently working from home, but when I’m back in an office environment, I’m totally going to do that! This recipe look so similar to the “tater tot hot dish” that so many people make in my home state of Minnesota. You’re making me nostalgic. 🙂
Tasty Treat Thursday is so fun. I definitely get to try a lot of delicious things that way without always having to make them myself.
Look delicious! Sadly, I think they don’t sell tarter tots here in Spain. The idea of bringing food to work to share, is great!
Oh, no tater tots…that sucks. Well, you could always substitute shredded or cubed potatoes and just adjust the cooking times.
I so starving right now-yum!! I will make this soon!
Isn’t it so hard reading posts when you are hungry?! I always want everything I see.
That looks good! Especially with the french fried onions on top…yum!
Thanks! THe fried onions are definitely my favorite part.
I could never make this because a bag of tatertots never makes it past the door in my house, home from the store and in the oven they go. I’ll pass it on to my husband and have him make it for me instead
Haha…tater tots disappear fast in our house too. So funny.
My family loves tater tots! I bet they would love this – thanks for the idea!
I think tater tots were invented for kids because mine definitely love them too. Hope they like this meal.
Wow, I haven’t had tater tots in years! This casserole sounds delicious, so I may need to add it to my meal plan.
Haha…my kids just love tater tots so they are always around in our house.
this looks like a great recipe to bring to a neighbor that just had a baby. perfect and kid friendly.
This would be perfect. You could even make it in a foil pan so she had not dishes to wash and return.
I LOVE making this dish! I make it often for my family and they just devour it!
Oh so glad your family enjoys it.
My kids would definitely enjoy this. Tater Tots are one of their favorite treats.
Tater tots are a huge favorite in our house too which is why I think this is such a hit. Hope it goes over well in your home too.
OMG.. this looks amazing and made me hungry, I soo need to try it, has all my favorite ingredients… YUM.. thanks for sharing, loved your pictures
Thanks! I definitely love making new {or new to me} recipes and sharing them.
I love tater tot casserole but I never thought to make it with french fried onions. YUM!
The fried onions are definitely my favorite part. I can’t imagine it without them.
oh i just got some sweet potato tater tots, i wonder if i could use them with it? my family devours tater tots.
Oh, sweet potato tots would be delicious in this too! Great idea.
I love this I would just change in a tiny bit with taking out the mushroom soup and adding eggs instead.. that makes me want it now.. lol. I have recently discovered that I can change almost any recipe with substituting stuff I don’t like with stuff I do.. we will see how it turns out for me…
Oh, I would love to hear how it turns out with the eggs. I definitely like to experiment by substituting for things I don’t like. Hope you give this a try.
This would be a great dish to bring to a potluck since it is definitely kid-friendly. Thanks for the recipe!
This would be a great potluck dish. It is so easy to make and definitely a crowd pleaser.
I think I saw this on 19 Kids and Counting, but I never found the recipe. Going to have to cut the cheese though because I can’t have dairy. Otherwise it looks so good!
Could you substitute rice cheese or similar? I am not sure it will have the same flavor without at least a hint of cheese.
This sounds so yummy! Lots of great textures and flavors that I’m looking forward to combining soon. Thanks so much for sharing!
I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this! It was definitely delicious.
Featuring you today! Thanks for linking up to {wow me} wednesday. 🙂
Ginger @ gingersnapcrafts.com
Thanks Ginger! I will definitely stop by to check it out.
Yeah! Finally another recipe for the fried onions I always have left after Thanksgiving’s green bean casserole. This looks yummy, thanks for sharing.
I wish we had tater tots in the UK, they always look amazing! I might have to use hash browns instead 🙂
This does sound good. Other similar recipes use a 32oz bag of tater tots. Is that what you use? I think they come in different sizes.
Hi – Yes, you would use a 32 oz bag. I will update the instructions to reflect this since you are right, they do come in difference sizes.
Awesome recipe. My whole family loves it! Never any left for leftovers. But instead of water I use milk makes it creamy.
Milk is a great idea!
This is perfect cheesy crunchy comfort food. So good!
I made this for dinner last night and OMG I think this will be my family’s new favorite comfort food! Thanks so much for sharing!