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.
Christy, when you started telling the flower box story, I thought for sure it was going to end with you deciding to make one on your own. That would have been my thought, because I would have figured it would be less expensive than buying one. Then you load up more than enough lumber to build a small fort, the nails, trim and what-have-you (and now it has probably cost more than any elaborate box would have). Then you would have your husband make a drawing (with dimensions, of course!). I can see it now. Anyway, might still be fun and have the kids help make it. It would be a memory every time you look at the pretty flowers growing in it just how it came to be! … All the Best
Can you use real potatoes, sliced thickly, instead? My husband does not like tater tots…..real potatoes would not have the same texture, but wouldn’t the taste still be great? Just wonderin’, as if regular Potatoes will work, should they be pre-baked, so that they will cook thoroughly, as tater tots are pre-cooked and frozen, kinda?
Thanks for any help with this question…..
This looks wonderful. I have to try it soon. The funny part is most everyone adds some kind of vegetables to theirs and my family wouldn’t touch it with veggies in it. LOL Your recipe they will definitely love … and the best part for them … no veggies.
I will definitely try this recipe…sounds great and you know Christy, if you hadn’t of wanted those planters so desperately at that time they would have been sold everywhere. I’m sure you will eventually get your planters. Love your story and your insight on life in general.
Excellent soapbox sermon! Thank you!
Christy thank you so much for the gentle reminder about things that are truly important are not bought. They are right there with us all the time. I too need to remember to stop and smell the flowers in my own yard and not go looking for others. I love this recipe and have been making it for years. So simple and hearty. A real crowd pleaser.
Christy, your post today really hit home with me. I spend waaaayyyy too much time circling that darn mountain and I need to stop, RIGHT NOW! 🙂 I love your posts, can’t wait to see that I have email from you, it’s just like hearing from my best friend!
My family loves tater tot casserole, nothing like it on a cold winters night! If i’m feeling really energetic, I’ll throw some shredded cheese into the mix and mix it all up together real good before throwing it in the oven. If I’m not so energetic, I just sprinkle the cheese over the top! Any way you make it…..yummy!!!