Tater Tot Casserole without Condensed Soup

This Tater Tot Casserole is made with lean ground beef, mixed veggies, a rich homemade sauce, shredded cheese, and an irresistible, crunchy layer of tater tots, to create a family-favorite dinner recipe. 

Need more family-favorite casseroles? You will love Chicken Pot Pie, Creamy Chicken and Rice, and Poppyseed Chicken.  

Growing up in the midwest, my idea of comfort food is a dish that is creamy, cheesy, and filling. 

This Tater Tot Casserole sometimes referred to as a hotdish, is the ultimate comfort food. It features lean ground beef and mixed vegetables enveloped in a rich, creamy sauce that is finished with layers of melty cheese and crispy, salty tater tots. 

Notes on Ingredients

• Ground Beef: Use lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken. I recommend using 90/10 lean ground sirloin.
• Onion: Adding a minced onion to the ground meat adds great flavor to the casserole. Feel free to omit it for picky eaters or if you don’t have an onion on hand. 
• Vegetables: To keep this casserole super simple, I use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables that contains corn, carrots, peas, and green beans. Feel free to swap out the frozen mixed vegetables for any combination of frozen corn, diced carrots, peas, and diced greens. 
• Flour: Use all-purpose flour to thicken the homemade sauce. 
• Oil: Use canola or olive oil for sauteeing the beef and forming the roux. 
• Milk: Any fat percentage of milk works in this recipe.
• Beef Broth: To compliment the ground beef, and keep this dish really earthy and hearty, I recommend using low-sodium beef broth. If you are using ground chicken or turkey, feel free to use low-sodium chicken stock in place of the beef broth. 
• Cheese: Use a melty cheese, like shredded Colby Jack or Cheddar cheese to add a rich, cheesy, layer to the casserole.  
• Tater Tots: Tater tots are not the healthiest of ingredients and are often rather processed. That said, there are a lot of great brands on the market made with simple ingredients. I personally love Alexia Potato Puffs. 

How to Make Tater Tot Casserole

• In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and minced onion to the skillet and cook, breaking up the beef into bite-sized pieces, until the beef is cooked through. Add in the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. 

• Sprinkle the flour over the beef and onions and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, to remove the raw flour taste. 
• Slowly whisk in the beef broth and milk. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened. This should only take a couple of minutes. 
• Remove the skillet from the heat and stir the frozen vegetables into the skillet. 

• Transfer the beef mixture to a greased baking dish and top with cheese and a single layer of frozen tater tots. 

• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the tater tots are browned and the meat mixture is warmed through.  
• Remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Make-Ahead Instructions

Prepare and assemble the layers of the casserole in a freezer and oven-safe baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with 2 layers of foil and freeze for up to 1 month. 

When ready to bake the tater tot casserole, remove it from the freezer, remove ONE layer of foil, and bake in a 375-degree Fahrenheit preheated oven for 60 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the tater tots are browned and the casserole has warmed through. 

Storing Leftovers

Cover the casserole with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To retain the crispy texture of the tater tots, bake the leftovers in an oven-safe casserole dish at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. 

More Favorite Casserole Recipes

If you tried this Tater Tot Casserole Recipe, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below.