I do not eat fast food often. And when I do, a Big Mac is not something I ever order! But for whatever reason, I was working the other day and had a major craving for one! Weird, right? So even after daydreaming about one all day, I didn’t hit the drive-thru after work. Instead, this amazing creation was born! (I am sure I am not the first person to do this, but it was my first time coming up with the idea and putting a recipe together.) And oh boy, am I glad I did! This was simply incredible! It tasted like a Big Mac, but soooooo much better! And even though I know this is not a low calorie recipe, I did feel better about using ingredients from home. Oh and if you have spent any time on my social media channels, you know I love tater tots and tater tot casseroles! Here are a couple others you may like Tater Tot Casserole, Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole, Tater Tot Taco Cups, Cheesy Tater Tots with BBQ Smoked Sausage
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs ground beef (ground chicken or turkey or venison will work too!)
- 2 lb bag of frozen tater tots
- One yellow onion
- Thousand Island Dressing
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Velveeta Cheese
- Dill Relish
- Ketchup
- Garlic and Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper
Can this be frozen
Yes! Bake it as directed. Let it cool completely and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil or vacuum seal it. When you are ready to eat it, let it thaw in the fridge and reheat on a low setting in the oven, or microwave individual servings. *The tater tots will not be as crispy if you use this method.
How to Make it:
First off, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. I like to put the tots in the oven while I am preparing everything else. This reduces the cooking time needed after assembly and keeps them crispier.
Then, you will brown the ground beef with the onion, and when cooked through, drain the grease. (Unless you don’t want to, this is just a personal preference!)
Season it up. (The spices will be listed in the recipe card below.) Then add the dressing, ketchup and dill relish. Mix it up well.
Now you are going to add in the velveeta cheese. I know people have very strong feelings about velveeta. But if you eat Big Macs, you are eating processed cheese. And if you’re looking up this recipe, I am sure it doesn’t bother you. However! If you do not like it, simply leave it out or substitute with another flavor of cheese.
Mix it up until the cheese is completely melted. Take the tater tots out of the oven and remove from the baking dish. Spread the meat mixture in the bottom of it.
Cover with the tater tots and bake for 20 minutes. Take it out of the oven and cover with the cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly. And that’s it!
Just look at how scrumptious that looks!
I served it with some shredded lettuce and extra dressing on top and oh my word! This was so good! And it really is a meal all on its own, but if you wanted to add a side, maybe some green beans or even some dinner rolls would be a nice addition.
If you do make this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating as it helps so much! Thank you!!!!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Frozen Tater Tots
- 2 lbs ground beef Turkey, chicken or venison will also work
- 1 Yellow Onion, Diced
- 1 Cup Thousand Island Dressing
- 1/2 Cup Ketchup
- 1/2 Cup Dill Pickle Relish
- 4 oz Velveeta Cheese, cubed
- 8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
- Shredded lettuce for topping
Seasonings
- 1 tbs Garlic Powder
- 1 tbs Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbs Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tater tots in an 11×13 baking dish and put them in the oven.
- In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onion. Drain the grease if desired.
- Season with spices listed above. Add the dressing, ketchup and relish and mix well.
- Add the velveeta and mix until it is completely melted.
- Take the tots out of the oven and remove from the baking dish. Spread the meat mixture into the dish then place the tots on top.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with the sharp cheddar. Bake for 10-15 more minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
- Top with shredded lettuce and extra dressing and enjoy!
Lee Ann Ferguson
Only 4 stars because I haven’t actually made it yet! But I’ve made tator tot casseroles and they’re so yummmmy!
MoI just wanted to share a variation I decided to try. I made with taco seasoning!!!! Could add black olives,, black beans, dice towhatever you choose for on too
cwilken
Lee Ann,
I am a huge fan of tater tot casseroles as well! And I make a taco style version of one as well! I need to get that posted on here. Thanks for the reminder!