Anyone from the American Midwest is familiar with tater tot casserole. This creamy dish is the perfect addition to your comfort foods catalog to effectively battle those winter blues. We'll share why you have to try this meal, the ultimate tater tot casserole recipe, plus some fun tweaks to customize it to your tastes.
All About Tater Tot Casserole
Give This Dish A Try
We can't quite explain why we love a classic hot dish so much, but we will sure try! It starts with the terrific texture of crispy tater tots. Then cream of mushroom soup adds a delicious smoothness, while Worcestershire sauce provides a savory punch of flavor and green beans contribute a bit of sweetness and freshness. And finally, the ultimate decadence of yummy melted cheese brings this casserole together in a winning fashion. Plus, this is an easy dish to make that heats up really well for satisfying leftovers and requires little active cooking time.
Delicious Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1 yellow or white onion
- 3 cloves fresh garlic
- one 15 oz. can green beans (drained)
- one 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup, condensed
- 2 cups tater tots, frozen
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 1/4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt and pepper
Directions
Begin by preheating oven to 375 degrees and cover baking dish with light layer of non-stick cooking spray. Prep by dicing onion and garlic.
Warm skillet to medium-high heat. Add beef to brown, stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes. Add diced onion to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about another minute.
At this time, stir in Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Then, place mixture into greased baking dish. Add can of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and shredded cheddar. Finally, top with the tater tots.
Bake casserole for 40 minutes or until tots are golden brown and cheese has melted. Carefully remove from oven and enjoy.
Supplies
- measuring cups
- 9x13 glass baking dish
- medium skillet
- non-stick cooking spray
- spatula
Recipe Notes
1/2 an onion may be used without any tweaks to recipe if a whole onion is not available; the same may be applied to using canned corn instead of canned green beans. Additionally, cream of chicken soup can be used in place of cream of mushroom soup.
Variations
Now that we've mastered a classic version of tater tot casserole, let's discuss some inventive tweaks to customize this meal to your tastes. There's so much you can do with it!
- Breakfast Fun: To give this recipe a morning spin, consider using ground breakfast sausage instead of ground beef and subbing a cup of sour cream instead of the soup. Additionally, consider removing the green beans since veggies don't necessarily scream breakfast. Add some flair by instead topping the crispy tots with runny fried eggs, bacon crumbles, or sliced avocado. Shredded hash browns could also be utilized in this instance.
- Mexican Take: To harness some south of the border flavors, use ground chorizo rather than beef, or ramp up beef with taco seasoning packet. Plus, you could add some bell peppers or corn to the dish and remove the beans altogether. Consider salsa rather than cream of mushroom soup as well. This Southwestern spin would be super delicious!
- Health Conscious: To tweak this recipe to be a bit healthier in content, there are a couple easy substitutions we'd like to share. First, make sure both the canned beans and canned soup are the lower sodium versions. Also, less cheese may be utilized in this dish; even a half a cup less would cut down on fat content. You could also use a bag of mixed vegetables for more nutrient density than simply using beans.
- Time Saver: For home cooks in a rush, we have some time-saving tips. Pre-minced garlic can be a nice addition and means you'll have less dishes to clean up too. Or, garlic powder can be substituted for fresh garlic. Pre-shredded cheese will also save time on hectic weeknights. Additionally, there are dried minced onions that can be quickly rehydrated to avoid chopping an onion; onion powder is another alternative in this vein.
Overall, we hope you've enjoyed our recipe and tips for classic tater tot casserole. Happy cooking!