This delicious Tater Tot Casserole is cheesy, comforting, and packed with yummy ground meat, green beans, corn, and topped with crispy tater tots! An easy and delicious weeknight dinner that can be made two ways – from scratch or with condensed soup.
The Best Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
This easy tater tot casserole (or tater tot hotdish if you’re from Minnesota) is one of my very favorite casserole recipes! It’s hearty, easily customizable, and perfect leftover – everything a casserole should be!
You’ll see that you can make this recipe either with canned cream of mushroom and cream of cheddar soup or entirely from scratch.
With or without condensed soup – which is better?
- Homemade Sauce: Made entirely from scratch (aside from the frozen tater tots), this option also includes caramelized onions for extra awesome flavor. Overall, you’ll find that making this tater tot casserole from scratch is quite easy, but more time-consuming.
- Canned Soup: This is your classic tater tot casserole. Definitely more of what you may expect from a casserole dish. It’s fast and easy to make – perfect for busy weeknights.
Both options are delicious, so you can’t really go wrong either way.
How to Make Tater Tot Casserole
Below are the instructions for tater tot casserole with homemade sauce. Scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the recipe that is made with condensed soup.
1. Brown the Ground Meat:
Brown the ground meat over medium-high heat and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to season. Once cooked, transfer to a clean plate and set aside.
Ground beef is the most popular choice for casserole recipes, but ground pork, lamb, chicken, or ground turkey may also be used. If you can’t pick one (like me) use a mix of two (or even three!)
2. Caramelize the onions (optional):
Caramelizing the onions will give some amazing bonus flavors, but it’s not required if you’re short on time. If you’ve never caramelized onions, this article tells you how to do it. You’ll also find the instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
If you choose not to caramelize the onions, simply sauté until softened before browning the meat.
3. Make the sauce:
To make cream of mushroom soup from scratch you’ll need 4 main ingredients – butter, mushrooms, all-purpose flour, and milk. For added flavor, I also added dried Italian seasoning, garlic, hot sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Greek yogurt.
To make your sauce, add the remaining butter and chopped mushrooms to the cooking onions. Cook until the mushrooms have softened and released their water. Add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and fresh garlic. If the mixture appears dry, add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of butter with the onions and mushrooms.
Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle the vegetables with the flour. Mix well until no dry patches of flour remain. Add the soy sauce, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce then slowly add the milk. Stir until fully combined and heated through – but not boiling. Finally, whisk in the Greek yogurt.
4. Assemble and Bake:
Once you’ve reached the assembly stage, your casserole is practically finished!
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a large 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Mix together the corn, green beans, half of the cheese, and browned meat with the homemade sauce. Transfer to your prepared baking dish.
Top with a single layer of frozen tater tots and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Transfer to the oven to bake for 30 minutes, or until tater tots are golden brown and crispy.
Tip
Traditional tater tot hotdish is usually assembled in layers with the meat on the bottom followed by the cream of mushroom soup, vegetables, cheese, and frozen tater tots.
FAQ
You will usually find corn and green beans in almost all tater tot casseroles. Of course, feel free to include other veggies like peas, cauliflower, or frozen mixed vegetables.
It will take approximately 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. At 375 degrees Fahrenheit, plan on your tater tot casserole taking about 30-40 minutes to fully cook. This does not include prep time or assembly.
I used 2% cow milk. For a richer sauce, feel free to use whole milk. While I have not tried this recipe with dairy alternatives, I imagine it would taste great with most plant-based alternatives as long as it is plain and unsweetened. I do not recommend making this with fat-free milk or almond milk.
Yes. Sour cream makes a great alternative.
You can easily blend it using a regular blender or hand blender (this is what I did). Blend it all, or just half.
Storing and Freezing
Get leftovers? Simply store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze before baking: Top with frozen tater tots and cheese. Cover with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil, and transfer to freezer. Best if enjoyed within 3 months.
- To freeze after baking: Allow your casserole to cool completely. Cover it with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil, and transfer to the freezer. Best if enjoyed within 3 months.
How to Serve
You have everything you could want or need all wrapped up in this amazing dish. With that known, I like to serve my tater tot casserole with a side salad like this tomato salad or arugula salad for some extra veggies.
Have you tried making this Tater Tot Casserole Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
RECIPE CARD
Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
Recipe 1 – Tater Tot Casserole with Homemade Sauce
- 2 tablespoon olive oil - divided
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 4 tablespoon butter - divided
- 2 large yellow onion
- 2 cups crimini mushrooms - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2-3 tablespoon hot sauce - such as Frank's RedHot
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups milk - (I used 2%)
- ½ cup Greek yogurt - or sour cream
- 16 ounces green beans - trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (see notes)
- 2 (15.25 ounce) cans corn - drained
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese - shredded
- 2 (32 ounce) bags frozen tater tots
Recipe 2 – Tater Tot Casserole with Canned Soup
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion - minced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 4 tablespoon hot sauce - such as Frank's RedHot
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 (10 ounce) cans canned cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (10 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 16 ounces green beans - frozen or fresh (see instructions for blanching in notes)
- 2 (15.25 ounce) cans corn - drained
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese - shredded
- 2 (32 ounce) bags frozen tater tots
Instructions
Recipe 1 – Tater Tot Casserole with Homemade Sauce
- Brown the Ground Meat – Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or saucepot set over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to season. Once cooked, transfer beef to a clean plate and set aside.
- Caramelize the Onions (optional) – Set a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter and heat until shimmering and hot. Add the onions, mixing well to coat in oil. Allow your onions to cook, stirring occasionally. If your onions start to brown, reduce heat to medium-low (remember: we're cooking these onions low and slow). After approximately 10 minutes, sprinkle with salt (approximately 1/2 teaspoon) and stir to combine. By now, your onions should be softening and lightly golden. If your onions start to dry out and brown/burn prematurely, as a result, (assuming your heat is set to medium-low), add a few teaspoons of water to the pan.
- Continue to cook your onions for an additional 30 minutes or so, stirring every 2-3 minutes to prevent burning. You don't want to stir continuously, but just often enough that the onions have enough time to cook and stick to the bottom of your skillet, browning just slightly – but not burning.
- After the first 30 minutes, your onions should be a nice and deep golden color. You may stop now, or continue. If you continue, every minute or so, use a metal spatula to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of your skillet. Continue to cook, stir, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan until your onions are a rich golden brown color.
- Remove onions from the pot and transfer to a clean cutting board. Roughly chop into smaller pieces using a sharp knife.
- Prepare Sauce – Return the Dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, caramelized onions, and chopped mushrooms to the pot. Stir well to combine. Cook, stirring often, for 5-8 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened.
- Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and fresh garlic. Continue to cook, stirring often, for an additional minute. IF your mixture appears dry, mix an additional 1-2 tablespoons of butter with the onions and mushrooms.
- Reduce heat to medium, sprinkle with the all-purpose flour, and immediately mix to combine. Continue mixing for 1 minute, taking extra care not to let the flour burn.
- Add the soy sauce, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce with the onions and mushrooms. Combine. Stirring continuously, slowly add the milk (I used 2%). Stir until fully combined and heated through – but not boiling. Finally, whisk in the Greek yogurt.
- Optional – If you prefer a less chunky sauce or you have little kids who you're worried may not like the bits of onion or mushroom (this would be my kid), simply blend part, or all of, your sauce. I blended HALF with great results.
- Assemble – Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a large 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Add the corn, green beans, and browned ground meat to the sauce. Mix well to combine. Remove from heat and stir in half of the cheese. Transfer the sauce and vegetable mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with tater tots and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until tater tots are golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately or enjoy leftovers for up to 5 days when stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe 2 – Tater Tot Casserole with Canned Soup
- Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a large 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Add the oil to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until soft and starting to brown -approximately 10-15 minutes. Add the ground beef and ground turkey and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to season. Cook, scraping up any brown bit stuck to the bottom of the pan until meat is cooked. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and mix in the fresh minced garlic. Mix well to combine.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, canned cream of mushroom soup, and condensed cheddar cheese soup. Mix well. Add the green beans and corn and mix again.
- Transfer the beef and onion mixture to the prepared 9×13 inch baking dish. Layer the top with freshly shredded cheddar cheese and top with frozen tater tots.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until tater tots are golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately or enjoy leftovers for up to 5 days when stored in the refrigerator.
Jessica’s Notes
- Feel free to use your favorite ground meat to make this recipe. Ground beef, ground pork, lamb, chicken, and ground turkey are all great options. If you can’t pick one (like me) use a mix of two (or even three!).
- Save time (approximately 10 minutes) by cooking the ground beef and caramelized onions at the same time, but in separate pans. Otherwise, cook the ground meat first, clean out the pan, and reuse it to cook the onions.
- You do not have to caramelize your onions. If you’re short on time, simply cook your onions for as much time as you can (but at least 5 minutes), stirring often to prevent burning. With that said, caramelized onions offer SO MUCH extra flavor, so if you have the time, I highly recommend it.
- Read all about how to caramelize onions in this post.
- I used 2% cow milk. For a richer sauce, feel free to use whole milk. While I have not tried this recipe with dairy alternatives, I imagine it would taste great with any plant-based alternative that is somewhat creamier (plain, unsweetened walnut milk, oat milk, or soy milk, for example).
- Green Beans – I used fresh green beans to make this recipe (personal preference). Should you choose to use fresh green beans, you will want to blanch them before adding them to the sauce. To do this, simply bring a pot of water to a boil. Add your trimmed and chopped green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes maximum. Drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop them from cooking then drain again. If you prefer not to do this step, simply substitute with frozen green beans.
- The cheese – Sprinkle the cheese on top of the beef mixture (and under the tater tots) to prevent it from crisping. Add more cheese for an extra cheesy recipe!
- To store: Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze before baking, top with frozen tater tots and cheese. Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and transfer to freezer. Best if enjoyed within 3 months.
- To freeze after baking, allow casserole to cool completely before covering with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and transfer to the freezer. Best if enjoyed within 3 months.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Yummy American heartland casserole. Reminds me of shepherds pie. I made this with turkey and everyone enjoyed it. Thank for the recipe.
I made this casserole today and like the flexibility it has.
I added some peppers I had left over from a previous meal and I pureed everything so that I wouldn’t have any vegetable issues. did add cheese on top cuz we are cheese lovers.
I made the from scratch recipe and everyone loved it thank you for all the chips that you included
Thanks for the kind feedback Donna, as I also like cooking with flexibly 🙂
I think you mean HOW long. 😊
“What Long to Cook Tater Tot Casserole?”
haha, yes, thanks for catching that Ingrid 😊