This classic Tater Tot Casserole is a dish that I grew up on. There is nothing fancy about it but it just screams comfort food! I posted a video on TikTok recently and discovered that people who live in Minnesota are very passionate about this being called a “hot dish” and not a casserole! And while I am fine with people calling it anything they want, we will just refer to it here as a casserole since that is what I have always known it as. This is a dish that is perfect for large families. It can easily feed 6-8 people and the ingredients are relatively inexpensive. It is also a dish that can very easily be modified to suit your taste. You can sub the ground beef with any type of ground meat, and the cream soups that I used can easily be swapped out for any flavor of cream soup as well. You can leave out the onions if you want, and as many people on my TikTok video suggested, add the green beans or whatever vegetables you like in it! Make it the way you and your family like it!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put your tater tots in while preparing everything else.
Brown 1.5 lbs of ground beef with 1 diced onion and season with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
After the meat is done, drain it if necessary, then spread it on the bottom of the baking dish. (I skipped a step, but after the meat is done cooking, you will take the tots out of the oven and set them aside.
Add one can each cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup.
Stir it up well then add 2-4 cups grated sharp cheddar. We like a lot of cheese but you can certainly use less. Or you can split it up and use some on top during the last 15 minutes of cooking!
Add your tater tots on top and bake at 400 for about 25-30 minutes or until tater tots are desired crispiness!
Enjoy!
Classic Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Ground Beef or any type of ground meat you like
- 1 Yellow Onion, Diced
- 1 10.5 oz Can Each Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 4 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 32 oz Bag of frozen Tater Tots
- 1 tbs each Garlic Powder and Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add tots to a 9×13 baking dish and put them in the oven while you are preparing everything else.
- In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onion. When the meat is cooked, drain the grease if desired. Season with the spices listed above.
- Remove tater tots from the oven and the baking dish and set aside.
- Spread the ground beef in the bottom of the pan and mix in the soups. Add the cheese and stir well.
- Place the tater tots on top and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until tater tots are desired crispiness.