This Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole is the perfect family-friendly dish. It's easy, cheesy and full of all the flavours of a burger!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Extra-lean ground beef – ground pork, turkey or sausage would also work for this casserole.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also work.
- Green pepper – or any colour bell pepper of your choice.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Taco seasoning – use a store-bought blend or make your own using chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and oregano.
- Worcestershire sauce – a combination of soy sauce and ketchup will provide a similar flavour.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Frozen tater tots – you could try using frozen fries, but they may not cook the same.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – swap out for another cheese of your choice like mozzarella or Monterey Jack.
- Green onions – diced red onions would also be good.
- Tomato – top with salsa instead.
- Sour cream – plain Greek yogurt is a healthier option.
How to make tater tot casserole
Step 1: Sauté the beef and veggies.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Saute ground beef, onions, green peppers, garlic, taco seasoning, Worcestershire and salt & pepper.
Step 2: Cook until browned.
Saute in a large skillet over med-high heat for 5 minutes until beef is lightly browned.
Step 3: Add to a casserole dish.
Add beef mixture to a 9×13 baking dish.
Step 4: Top with tater tots.
Layer the frozen tater tots over top of the casserole.
Step 5: Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and top with cheese. Bake another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Garnish casserole with green onions and tomatoes, then serve with sour cream. Enjoy!
More casserole flavour ideas
There are tons of ways you can customize this tater tot casserole and make it your own.
Here are some delicious flavour ideas to try:
- Italian: Use ground pork or sausage, some shredded mozzarella, chopped jarred roasted red peppers, Italian seasoning and diced tomatoes.
- Mexican: Use any ground meat (beef, chicken, pork, turkey) along with some crushed red pepper, diced jalapeno pepper, frozen corn and pre-shredded Mexican blend cheese. Amp up the spices to your liking and swap out the Worcestershire for hot sauce.
- Greek: Use ground turkey or chicken, along with red onion, diced tomatoes, dried or fresh oregano, Kalamata olives and feta cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tater tot casserole contains a few main ingredients: frozen tater tots (of course!), meat, cheese, veggies and seasonings. For this casserole, I added in all the flavours of a cheeseburger with ground beef, taco seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and cheddar cheese.
This dish is awesome because it has both the burger and the fries in it already, making it pretty filling on its own. Feel free to add a green salad on the side, if you like! If you've prepped something like my Mix and Match Mason Jar Salads, you're set. I like either the balsamic or Greek dressing with this casserole.
If you find that your casserole is watery when you first take it out of the oven, don’t worry – let it cool for a bit so it can thicken.
Storing and reheating
This is the kind of dish that's fun to eat all week long as leftovers for lunch or dinner! Store the leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
When you’re ready to enjoy your casserole, reheat the leftovers in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 400 F. You could also reheat the casserole in the microwave for a couple of minutes, but the tots won’t get as crispy.
Freezing this recipe
This casserole freezes great. I like to freeze leftovers in individual portions in freezer-safe containers or double wrapped in aluminum foil. Then, I just pop it in the oven and bake as usual. It should keep for up to 3 months.
If you're into meal prepping, this dish can be assembled and then frozen before you bake it. Cook the beef with the peppers and spices and assemble the casserole, leaving off the cheese. Wrap the whole thing tightly in foil and freeze until it's time to bake.
Then, bake as directed, adding about 15 to 20 extra minutes to the total time, removing the foil and adding the cheese on at the end, as the recipe indicates.
If you'd like to cook up the ground beef and freeze that ahead of time, you can do that too. Just wrap it up and place it in a freezer safe container. When it's time to assemble the casserole, remove the ground beef, add it to the dish and follow the recipe as directed.
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Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this dish into leftovers.
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Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole {Easy Dinner}
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 (800g) bag frozen tater tots
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 tomato, diced
- Sour cream, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Saute ground beef, onions, green peppers, garlic, taco seasoning, Worcestershire and salt & pepper in a large skillet over med-high heat for 5 minutes until beef is lightly browned.
- Add beef mixture to a 9×13 baking dish, then top with tater tots. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and top with cheese. Bake another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Garnish casserole with green onions and tomatoes, then serve with sour cream. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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