A super easy tater tot casserole that’s extra cheesy with seasoned ground beef, onions, garlic, sour cream, mushroom soup and frozen tater tots. It’s the perfect easy family dinner.
This casserole is just one of those bakes that you can just easily whip together in a short amount of time, but it still tastes amazing and everyone always wants seconds.
Table of Contents:
It’s basically a different take on the classic tater tot casserole because you’ll add a bit more cheese (who doesn’t love that?) and a bit of sour cream to make it rich and creamy. It’s definitely pure comfort food.
This recipe will make a full 13×9 inch pan full of tater tot casserole goodness. If you need to feed even more people, you could always double it and bake in two 13×9 inch pans.
Kids sometimes like to eat this with ketchup, but you could always pile on some extra sour cream or even add a little drizzle of ranch dressing to make it the best ever.
The good part is that this recipe doesn’t call for green beans like other tater tot casseroles do. Nope, we’ve got none of that happening here.
Don’t get me wrong, you could always add green beans as a side, but I’ve never understood why anyone would want them added and mixed into the casserole though but to each their own.
Ingredient Notes:
Let’s talk a little bit about just some of the ingredients in this casserole. The full list of ingredients will be in the recipe card below.
Ground beef – You can use whatever ground beef you prefer for this, but make sure to drain off the grease once it’s fully cooked.
Chopped onion – I used yellow onion, but you could also use white onion.
Worcestershire sauce – This just gives it a little extra zing. It’s optional, but it really adds a lot of flavor to it.
Cream of mushroom soup – This is a good part of what makes this casserole creamy. In my opinion, it’s best to use the name brand.
Sour cream – This also helps with the creaminess and adds a little flavor and tang. This isn’t in your average tater tot casserole and I really think it makes a big difference.
Shredded cheese – You definitely want cheese in your casserole and you can use really any you prefer, but I’ve found that cheddar or colby-jack cheese works the best.
Frozen tater tots – This is the star of tater tot casserole. Use frozen and in any brand you like. Adding them in a single row on top works best.
Preparation & Mixing Notes:
The full instructions will be in the recipe card below.
This casserole is super easy to put together. You’ll just cook the ground beef with the seasonings and onion first, then mix all the other ingredients together.
Next, you’ll add the mixture into a 13×9 inch casserole dish.
You’ll then sprinkle a little more cheese on top.
Once everything is added to the casserole dish then you can add the frozen tater tots.
After it’s baked, take it out of the oven and add a bit more cheese on top and pop it back in the oven for about 5 minutes.
Pull it out of the oven when the cheese is melted and everything is bubbly.
Easy Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole with Sour Cream
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 10.75 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or colby jack cheese)
- 1 32 oz bag frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet with the chopped onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Once cooked, add the worchestershire sauce and simmer for a couple minutes.
- Drain the excess grease.
- In the skillet (or a large bowl) add the cooked ground beef, canned soup, milk, sour cream and 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Add the mixture to a 13×9 inch baking pan, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese, then top with frozen tater tots. (You may have about a 1/4 of a bag of tater tots left over.
- Bake uncovered in the oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 35-40 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar over the tater tots. Place the casserole back in the oven and bakc for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition
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Tips & FAQs:
No, just leave the tater tots frozen.
You’ll just want to add the condensed soup just like it comes out of the can. You don’t need to dilute it other than adding in the 1/2 cup of milk the recipe calls for.
You’ll want to store any leftovers covered in the fridge. To reheat, scoop out the portion you want, add to a plate, cover and microwave for about 45 seconds.
At my house it’s usually eat within a day or two! If you do have leftovers, cover the dish well and store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
This casserole should be served hot or warm.
Tater tot casserole goes well a vegetable like green beans and baked crescent rolls.
Supplies used for this casserole:
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I love this version of tater tot casserole!
Yay! I’m so glad you love it and thanks for the wonderful review. 🙂
Could u put salsa into this?
Sure, if you like the taste of salsa, I think that would be a good addition.
Very easy directions and OH SO YUMMY. I love this version however I did add a layer of tots to the bottom of the dish. I have a large family to feed. But I do love this version best of all.
That’s awesome! So glad you liked it and I think that’s an excellent idea to add the layer of tots to the bottom. 🙂
Omg I put all the tator tots on top and realized I forgot the can of soup 😞. Ugh I hope it’s still good 😊
Oh no! I hope it ended up ok, Lisa!
I’ve been making this version of Tater Tot Casserole for some years now. the only difference is I use canned cheddar cheese sauce ( Not cheddar cheese soup), the kind you can use for nachos. About a half of a can cheddar sauce, instead of the sprikle cheese in with the ground beef mixture. And about half a teaspoon of Montreal Steak seasoning. It’s the BEST TATER TOT CASSEROLE recipe ever. I usually make a double batch, hubby likes like to take for lunches and son likes it for snacks. Because it reheats soo well.
Hi Theo, thanks so much for your review and comment! I LOVE canned cheddar sauce and never really thought to add it to this. What a great idea! I’m definitely going to try it as well as the Montreal steak seasoning the next time I make this!