Beef Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
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!
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!
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
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.
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.
Place this ground beef mixture in the bottom of your 8×8 baking dish.
Cover in the frozen tater tots.
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.
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.
Enjoy.
If you have any leftovers, this tastes even better reheated!
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:
Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe (Easy and Delicious)
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Video
Notes
“Life is just a chance to grow a soul.”
~Powel Davies. Submitted by Carol Prince. Submit your quote by clicking here.
I was so excited to see good ole tator tot casserole! This was the very first recipe I ever made on my own and it got me through the early years of being broke but independent. I must’ve made this at least once a week for 2 years! I grew up as the oldest daughter of a large family and always helped Mom cook meals. I was soooo proud to have her and Dad over to my place for a new recipe that I made myself. During this same period I also made my first solo Thanksgiving turkey and AFTER roasting it, discovered the “back door” plastic bag of goodies! LOL! Anyway, I may have to make TTC again soon…. just for old times sake…..
I have made this in the past and while my girls and hubby liked it, they prefer my Shepherd’s Pie better.
This is an old family recipe which I just happen to be making for dinner tonight! My recipe has mixed veggies mixed with the soup and ground beef. Top with tater tots and bake uncovered. Everyone loves it! Thanks for the “circle the mountain” story. It’s a good reminder for all of us
What a great recipe to keep in mind for nights you just don’t feel like cooking but you need some comfort food…..especially if you have the ground beef already prepared and frozen. It sounds like a good dish to have your teen make…easy and will give them a great sense of accomplishment while feeding the whole family. I’ll think I will have this ready for Stephen to make one night. He will love this.
I Love this…thanks again Christy for sharing. You are such a great sharer. LYB
A family favorite for us! But I do mine a wee bit different – I cook the tots separate for a while then mix the soup & hamburger together. Dump it on top of the tots and cover with cheese! Mmm…it makes the tots a little more crisp but you get the same effect.
Thanks Christy! Just what I needed to hear this morning! I think it’s about time for me to ‘Go North’ too. And the casserole sounds good. May try it tonight. Have a blessed day!
I make this for my daughter. I mix the cream of mushroom soup with the hamburger meat. I add green beans and put a little shredded cheese over the tater tots.