Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

This Easy Tater Tot Casserole is the perfect easy dinner!  It's is prepped and done cooking in in under 40 minutes - most of the time being spent in the oven.

When I need a quick and easy dinner the whole family is sure to enjoy this tater tot casserole is one of my go to recipes.

Easy Tater Tot Casserole

Yield

Time

Method

Ingredients

– Ground beef – Onion, diced – Garlic powder – Salt – Pepper – Worcestershire sauce – Cream of mushroom soup – Frozen green beans – Shredded cheddar cheese – Frozen tater tots

Brown your ground beef and onion in a medium skillet, season the meat with garlic, salt, and pepper.  Drain off any excess grease from the meat. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.

Pour the meat mixture into a 9×13 baking pan. Spread the soup over the meat mixture. Top that with the green beans.  Top it off with the cheese.

Layer as many tater tots as you can over the cheese lining them up one next to the other. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy

Ready to  Make This?

More Tasty Recipes

All you need is 5 ingredients to make this easy beef tater tot casserole recipe. Thanks to the cream of mushroom soup and milk, it’s creamy, rich, and full of flavor in every bite. If you love some tater tots, you and your family won’t be able to get enough!

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

This beef tater tot casserole recipe is one of those recipes that I had to beg my mother to try. She said it just didn’t sound good. I mean, what doesn’t sound good about beef and onion topped with tater tots and cooked in a creamy mushroom sauce?

So I made a big batch and showed up at her house. She took one bite and her eyes got big as dollars. “This really is good, what did you say was in it?”. It has since become one of her all-time favorite meals. I hope you get to try it soon. If there were such a thing as a recipe being too simple, this just might be it. But it’s oooh so good and my family loves it.

All you have to do is brown the ground beef and onion, and then add it to a casserole dish along with the tater tots, cream of mushroom soup, and milk. In 30 minutes, your easy tater tot casserole will be ready to dig into. Told ya it was too simple!

Another easy casserole I love to make as a on busy weeknights is my taco tater tot casserole. Enjoy!

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

Recipe Ingredients

  • Ground beef (already browned, with onion in it if you like)
  • Cream of mushroom soup (can use fat-free)
  • Frozen tater tots
  • Milk

How to Make A Beef Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

Brown your beef first

I like to brown my beef ahead of time and keep it in the freezer to make meals like this one a breeze to put together.

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

Here I am browning my meat with some onions to give it a bit of flavor. Drain off the grease before moving on to the next step.

I have browned as much as 30 pounds of ground beef in one day and then store it in zipper seal baggies. I generally put about a cup in each bag and then get out one or two bags depending on how much I decide I need.

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

Place this ground beef mixture in the bottom of your 8×8 baking dish.

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

Cover in the frozen tater tots.

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

Pour your cream of mushroom soup into a medium bowl and add about a cup and a half of milk to it.

Stir well.

It will still be lumpy but as long as you put forth the effort to give it a good stir it’ll be fine.

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

Pour your soup over all of your beef tater tot casserole.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

A lot of recipes don’t have you covering your casserole and I used to do mine that way but I’ve found it is even better if you cover it up a bit. If you’d like your tater tots nice and golden brown, uncover for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

Enjoy.

If you have any leftovers, this tastes even better reheated!

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

Do you make tater tot casserole for your family? I’d love to hear about it!

Storage

Store casserole leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat quickly in the oven to make crispy tater tots again. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating in the oven.

Recipe Notes

  • You can definitely substitute the cream of mushroom soup for cream of chicken soup if you prefer. Here’s my recipe for homemade cream of chicken soup.
  • If you want to add a couple more layers, I recommend topping the beef with a layer of canned vegetables, like green beans, corn, peas, or carrots. You can then add another layer: a cup of shredded cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese for a cheesy tater tot casserole.
  • Substitute the ground beef for ground turkey or ground pork.
  • Add more flavor to the meat mixture by adding 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 2 minced garlic cloves.
  • Serve your tater tot casserole with a simple side salad or some warm dinner rolls on a cool night.

You may also enjoy these other easy casserole recipes:

Country Casserole

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole

Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe (Easy and Delicious)

Shipwreck Casserole ARRR!

Sloppy Joe Casserole Recipe

Crunchy Beef Casserole

Cheesy tater tot casserole with cream of mushroom soup

With just 5 ingredients, this easy beef tater tot casserole recipe is creamy, rich, and full of flavor in every bite.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef, casserole, taters

Servings: 4

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 small onion, chopped optional
  • 1 package frozen tater tots about 1 pound
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup can use fat-free
  • 1 cup milk

  • Brown the ground beef and onion together until done, and drain off any grease (I brown my beef ahead of time and store it in the freezer to make this quicker).

    2 pounds ground beef, 1 small onion, chopped

  • Place the ground beef mixture in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Top with the frozen tater tots.

    1 package frozen tater tots

  • In a small bowl, stir together the cream of mushroom soup and milk. Pour this over the tater tots.

    1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup milk

  • Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

A lot of recipes don't have you covering it and I used to do mine that way but I've found it is even better if you cover it up a bit. If you'd like your tater tots nice and golden brown, uncover for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

“Life is just a chance to grow a soul.”

~Powel Davies. Submitted by Carol Prince. Submit your quote by clicking here.

What side dishes go with tater tot casserole?

What to serve with tater tot casserole: This tater tot casserole is a meal by itself thanks to the protein, veggies, and potatoes! That said, something light goes well with this dish, like my mad dog salad. Amp up the veggie goodness by serving with a side of cauliflower mac and cheese!

How do I make my tater tots crispy?

Directions.
Preheat oven to 425°F..
Add tater tots to a baking sheet. Pour bacon grease over the tater tots. Sprinkle with season salt. ... .
Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven..
Turn tater tots over and return to oven for 10- 15 minutes or until crispy and brown..
Serve immediately..

Is tater tot casserole a Midwest thing?

Is Tater Tot casserole a Midwest thing? Yes! If you're from the Midwest, chances are good that you were raised on this classic comfort food.

What is tater tot casserole made of?

Tater Tot Casserole is a classic comfort food made with ground beef, tater tots, cheesy and a creamy beef sauce topped with cheese. We love comfort food and this tater tot casserole is a classic comfort food favorite with no canned soups.