Name: Tater Tots(R) Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste; 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup; 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese; 1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots

Quick and easy casserole everyone will love.

Tater Tots(R) Casserole

beef

salt black pepper

(10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Cheddar cheese

(16 ounce) package frozen tater tots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


Cook and stir ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink and completely browned, 7 to 10 minutes; season with salt and black pepper. Stir cream of mushroom soup into the cooked ground beef; pour the mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Layer tater tots evenly over the ground beef mixture; top with Cheddar cheese.


Bake until tater tots are golden brown and hot, 30 to 45 minutes.


Pretty tasty stuff. I did my own thing with it though. While browning the  beef I seasoned it with onion powder, garlic powder, freshly ground black pepper, and a smidge of salt. I chopped up one small onion, and after draining the beef I mixed the beef, cream of mushroom soup, and chopped onions together and let them simmer a bit. Then poured the mixture into a 10x10 casserole dish. I added sharp cheddar. Then put the tots on, then added triple cheddar shredded cheese on top of the tots. My family loved it including my 2 year old who typically doesn't eat beef!

This popped up this a.m. and remiinded me of how long it's been since I'd fixed this quick &amp; delicious casserole.  Versatile...turkey, beef, pork, lamb meats, tomato or cream based soups work, add a layer of grean beans, carrots or corn and you have a complete meal.  Vary the spices &amp; it's a new casserole each time you make it.   Thanks barryzimm for bringing back one of our faves.

I love this recipie. My family has used it for years. It is something thay you can even make the day before and put in your fridge. I do add a few things though, after i brown my hamburger I add fresh or canned mushrooms as well as some frozen vegetables. You can add what ever you want. I usually add corn and peas. I also put some cheese under the tatertots and a little on top of the tater tots. This allows them to get crispy.

I run a kitchen in a nursing home. We made this recipe this week for our residents. It was such a hit everyone came back for seconds and thirds!!!! Staff and family members had me print the recipe so they could make it home. I had my cook use Lawry's instead of salt plus we cooked the burger with fresh onions, mushrooms &amp; garlic. I'm making it for my family tonight??

I have used this recipe for years.   It was a favorite of one of the ladies in our church and always appeared at pot-lucks.   
Nick----it may not be the "nuevo cuisine" you are probably use to eating---but as a former home economist, it definitely isn't trash cooking.   Most families and kids love it and it certainly is an economical dish to prepare.  Serve it with a green salad or green veggies if the nutrition level upsets you.

I love this recipe and my son loves it too one of his favorite dishes!!! My grandma made this for me growing up and still love it to this day i make it a little different tho but like i said tastes great i brown 1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef with onions(optional) drain grease from meat (&amp; onions if use) then i take a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of either french style cut green beans or reg.cut green beans (drained) and mix together then add to beef and layer on bottom of 9×13 pan then sprinkle a small layer of shredded cheddar cheese then i add a layer of tater tots and then i add more shredded cheese on top bake in 350° oven for about 30-35 min or until cheese is bubbling then sprinkle(cover)top with french's french fried onions and put back in oven until fried onions are crispy take out and enjoy!!!!!

I add a packet of dry french onion  soup mix and a can of French style green beans. Love this!

the only thing i changed was i prefer it with peppers and onions (they make everything better though, dont they?)

My family loves when I make this simple meal. I add onion and garlic to the beef. When I am assembling it in the casserole dish, I top the beef with a layer of frozen veggies, then a little cheese before adding the tater tots.  Really is yummy.

My three toddlers are extremely picky eaters. They were begging me to make it again the next night! What a great classic. Fast and easy, too!

This is always a hit at potlucks or carry ins!

Very good but using a 9x13 is the wrong size as 1lb of beef did not even cover the full bottom.

It was very tasty, nonetheless when we put it into a smaller dish, however.

I was pondering how to twist the flavors so I experimented.  Instead of Beef I used 3 cups of leftover turkey (cubed) and replaced the can of soup with a cup and a half of turkey gravy and a HALF can of soup.  I added a little extra flour to thicken it up a bit.  Because of the flavor in my homemade gravy, I didn't need any onion but add it to taste.  I poured the mixture into a casserole dish as usual and sprinkled shredded cheddar cheese to lightly cover it then added a drained 10 oz can (roughly) of French green beans.  I usually use a few extra Tots to help with texture.  I finished with crumbled Sausage stuffing left over from Thanksgiving as well.  Season Salt and Black pepper and into the oven for 40 minutes exact @ 350.   It is an incredible journey into the holidays any time of year.  

Gravy tips--  Sauté some onions and celery in a stick of butter and cook off 2 cans of veg broth with cut up dark meat and the skin (for flavor and fat content to thicken)  After it simmers and takes on the flavor of the cooked bird, strain solids into a colander and Robot Coupe/Food Processor the mixture and add back to the cooked off broth for more flavor and texture.  Thicken to your liking!!

I have made this recipe 3x now and I found a way that I like it. First time, followed the recipe exactly with the exception of adding 4 eggs and baking the tater tots 10 minutes before adding them. The result was good but I knew this recipe could be even better. Second time, I wanted to increase the flavor profile so I added a layer of sauteed vegetables: diced onions, peppers, mushrooms and zucchini but goofed by using turkey sausage. What I learned is that this tastes best with more salt and fat. Thus, the third time I made this I used regular pork sausage, a variety of veges (listed above) and more cheese. I built it like a lasagna: first layer sausage, than a little cheese, sauteed veges, a little more cheese, the tater tots, a little more cheese and finally poured in the egg mixture. And yes, of course, topped with a little more cheese. I baked it for 45 minutes and it came out perfect. Sorry, don't know how much cheese I used but my family readily ate it.

Made this for "cheat day" on Sunday and barely took 3 bites! I thought it was horrible... I even made a few changes based on the reviews and the changes couldn't even save this dish. Saved a small amount and tried to feed it to my 16 month old, who eats just about anything. Will not make this again!

I loved the ease of this recipe and how fast it came together and cooked. I didn't have cream of mushroom on hand so I just removed my beef (seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasonings) after browning it, added equal parts butter and flour, added beef stock and made my own little sauce. Once I added the beef back to the pan, the mixture thickened up nicely. I kept the cheese underneath the tator tots and it turned out great.  My kids, whom have been known to be picky eaters, both had seconds. Definitely a new addition to our family menu!

I made this and we all liked it, but there was something missing to us Soni made it again. This time I added a chopped up onion and about 2 tbsp of garlic and used sharp cheddar. It was much more our taste.  Thanks for posting this recipe.

So I have eight kids and I suppose my issue with meals are always, is it going to be enough? Will they be full enough? Oh geez and on top of TIME constraints! I mean, it's hectic! This meal definitely did the job! I of course have to make a lot more than what the recipe above gives, but having leftovers for the kids, lunch time is made easy! My kids absolutely LOVE this meal and it's VERY GOOD! And my husband and I are "3 course meals" type of people and LOVE our steak and chicken breast and such, THIS IS A WINNER....ALL DAY LONG!If you're a family who likes less cleanup and easy/quick assembly....this is your meal!!

Really good comfort food.  I browned some onions with the ground beef (used ground chuck) and added garlic powder.  Used low fat mushroom soup.  Forgot to put in the cheese and my husband told me afterward that he never liked this with cheese when I made it before.  Happy accident.  Will make this again with these changes.

When I make it I will make as directed except I do not put cheese on before going in the oven. I also add a spinkle of salt on top of the tator tots. I put in the oven for 30 minutes pull out and sprinkle cheese on top and bake for another 15 minutes. This will make the tator tots crispy. Adding the cheese at the beginning I found the tots soggy

This was good, if a little bland. If I make it again I'll do so with tomato soup as the other reviewer suggested, or ketchup or something. I also thought it was too shallow, so I'd double the filling or use a smaller dish.

My family loved this!! Great recipe!!! We used cream of chicken soup instead of mushroom, It was AWESOME!!

the meat mixture had zero flavor so the second time I made this I just made my shepherd's  pie recipe and put the tots on top of that instead of mashed potatoes . ... much much better  than this bland recipe  that my kids just smothered  in ketchup  for some flavour!!

one of my all time fav. recipes! easy filling and cheap and amazingly good

Very good 'on a budget' meal. added some sauteed onion, and used Lawry's seasoning salt and black pepper. Mixed some of the cheese in with the ground beef, put the rest on top and then added tater tots.Was done in 35 minutes, tater tots were crisp. Would definitely make again.

I doubled everything but instead of 2 cans of mushroom soup I substituted a can of cheddar cheese soup and added a can of corn (drained). Top servings with Mexican hot sauce.

I made this tonight and it was da bomb! My husband said it was TOO good!

This was a hit with the whole family! The way its layered keeps the tots crispy, and not mushy. We all loved it!

Love this recipe! I did make a few alterations though. I added one packet of onion soup mix to the ground beef and I also added cheese under the potatoes as well. I served this with a side salad and garlic bread, fabulous meal!

Teaching my daughter how to cook, she loved making it, it was so simple.  The only thing different I do,(and only because my family is Mexican and love spicy food) I add some juice from the canned jalapeño peppers, to the mixture.  My family loves!

Very simple &amp; flexible recipe. Many substitutions can be made to use up what you have in the pantry, or leftovers 
I used cubed rotisserie chicken, a bag of frozen potatoes obrian, 2 cans of cream of mushroom, &amp; mozzarella.

Omg, my 2 year old actually ate this and my husband said this is one I must remember! Delicious needless to say.

Very Good.  My only changes was to add French Fried Onions prior to adding the cheese.

This is a classic! My Mom taught it to me before I went off to college. Sophomore year I lived in a house with 4 other guys, each would cook dinner one day a week. I  cooked this the first week and thereafter my room mates would demand it when it was my turn to cook. We ate it once a week for an entire school year and never tired of it. Crumbled potato chips as a garnish on top before serving is a nice touch.

I made this tonight in a cast iron skillet I like to do the one pot method when I can with 2 small kids. I added some onion and garlic as well as some herbs and spices per some bland reviews. I also added a bit of mustard and ketchup with worchishire sauce. I put the cheese under the tots and put in oven for 30 mins. My 18 month old is eating it now..I also made a green salad and some raw veggies for a healthy side dish...great kid friendly dish

My son loves this casserole. I have to make it for him at least once a week. Good thing it is easy to prepare.

Very good and easy!  I had loads of frozen french fries and used those in place of the tater tots - excellent!

I made this dish tonight and it was amazing. I am vegetarian and replaced the ground beef with Morningstar Crumblers. The flavor was amazing, my meat-eating boyfriend was very happy and impressed!

this is a great recipe! 4 stars because it was bland. going to try again and double it.  will try variations of cream soup and cheese.  also got crowns by mistake. next time, will use tots!! thank you for recipe! *update* used Grill Mates spice for beef or hamburger when cooking the meat. great flavor!  doubled the recipe and had no left overs!

Used cream of chicken in place of mushroom. Added dried onion flakes but will use real onion next time. My baking dish was a little big. Solid 4 stars, a more flavored beef mix would kick it up to a 5.

Added salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, onions and green peppers.  Could have more cream of mushroom soup and next time we will use hash crowns instead of tater tots.  Pretty good overall.

i loved it i used cream of chicken soup  cause i like it better but i came out tasty and delicious

This is good. It makes for a quick cheap dinner. Fun to make for something different.

I saw this recipe and thought "easy but bland". I added leftover black bean dip, onions, green pepper, and other stuff....easy peasy. Now I know this can be my go-to recipe when I have a bit of leftovers and need to use it up; 'cause everything goes with meat and tater tots!!!!

my family LOVES this recipe.. i use ground chicken instead of beef..less greasy taste and the kids cant tell difference! much better!!

Delicious! I've had this before with burger but this time i added broccoli on the bottom then layered chicken, seasoning, cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup, t then shredded cheese and tatertots. Yummmmm!

This is a great , simple recipe. It is one of my grandchildren favorite. Now whe. They spend the night this is what they want.
I have experimented and made a few changes. I find that if I bake the tator tots  for about 15 in a 425 oven it changes the texture and taste of the final product. (I bake them while I am making the sauce so there is no real change in the cooking time.)
 I also season the beef with onions, bell peppers, garlic and salt and pepper. After the beef is cooked I drain in then add the soup and a can of Rico cheddar cheese, and a bit of milk. I heat it through then pour a layer of this sauce in the bottom of my casserole dish, add the tator tots and top with the rest of the sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.  Delicious!

My family loves this! I always forget how long to cook it so i have to look it up again occassionally and i found this recipe. I ALWAYS  flavor my meat as i cook with garlic, onions, or maybe even steak seasoning depending on my mood. Then i also add green chilis and ive been known to add  little velveeta cubes into the meat mixture a time or two before covering with the tots.  I am definatly going to try some of these variations y'all have mentioned because this is definantly something we have at least twice a month if not more:) thanks y'all!!

try switching the cream of mushroom with cheese soup and add some cooked macaroni, or leave mushroom and add macaroni , need to add some milk to be creamy

This is pretty tasty! I did get a bit liberal with the garlic salt when seasoning the meat, and I wish I'd mixed some sort of veggie in with it, but all in all, this one's a "I'd make it again!" recipe. :)

I cooked this for my family tonight and they loved it!! I put my own swag in it though. I seasoned the ground beef with Tony Chachere’s, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and parsley. I used cream of chicken and mushroom soup and added Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses to the mixture before adding the tots and then cooked for 40 min so that the tots were crispy. Then I topped it off with some more of my cheese blend and baked for another 15 min. Delicious!!

Very easy to make. I used a whole 32oz of tater tots, not just 16oz. Was very good. I also used more cheese.

The recipe was very good, quick and easy. Instead on mushroom soup I used a can of beef gravy. I baked the tators for 10 minutes prior to adding them to the casserole. The shredded cheese (marble), I placed half the amount under the tators and the remainder over top. The gravy cheese and potatoes made it like a cross between a poutine and a sheppards pie :)

Family Favorite. If you want to make it gluten-free use Progresso cream of mushroom soup. Progresso vegetable based soup is gluten free where Campbell's Soup  is not.

This is a good basic casserole.  It's easy to put together, filling and fairly inexpensive.  It's tasty the way it's written, but even better if you add your own flavor profiles. 

I have made it several times and adapted it to what we had on had.  For example...

Add to the ground beef
1 package taco seasoning (or make your own like I do)
1 package dry ranch mix.

Replace the cheddar with Mexican cheese blend and top with black olives, minced onion and cilantro (I hate cilantro so I leave it off my portion)

Serve with sour cream and salsa.

I have also used chicken, black beans and even made a turkey version on time.

I used this as a base recipe like I do with most. It's very tasty and so easy to make! I added frozen green beans in the cream of mushroom soup mix and used onion flavored tater tots and French fried onions on top of the cheese, I used an 8x8 casserole dish and baked it an extra 10 minutes for extra crispiness! YUM!

My family loves this meal. I saute some onions and throw in a small package of frozen green beans or spinach and it's a hit! I have also used what other ground meat is on hand, turkey or chicken, and other "cream of" soups and it is great.

My entire family loved it! Even my picky eater!

I don't care for mushroom soup, so I used cream of onion.  I like it in my casseroles, as I usually don't have to do the extra step of chopping onion.  BJ

Great base recipe. I followed other reviewers advice and seasoned hamburger, added garlic and onion and corn. Mixed cheese with the cream of mushroom soup mix as well as on top. You can do anything to this recipe to personalize.

I excluded the beef, and as per several comments on this recipe, I doubled the soup and mixed in frozen vegetables and a can of mushrooms. Very delicious!

Those of you that rate this awful probably didn't drain all the grease off of the ground beef once it was cooked.  I don't blame you because the person that submitted this recipe left that part out.  If you just do that extra step it would probably have been wonderful.

It was much better than I thought it was going to be! The recipe did NOT suggest draining the fat from the ground beef so I didn’t. I think it would have been better to do so!

It said to add anything I wanted so I did. Added can of pinto beans, green beans, taco seasoning and corn of course, it made a lot. Put cheese over all and topped with the tots. Pretty darn good

My family loves this recipe, but with the added veggies and ground beef spiced up a bit.  Very nice go to for cold busy days.

Our whole family loved this recipe. Even our picky six year old asked for seconds.

It was very good, not great. I recommend it just because of its simplicity and that it is easy on the budget. I will continue to use this recipe.

I made it and my husband that hates mushrooms even liked it.  Of course I didn’t tell him

Loved this, used less cheese and added. Can of French style green beans! Also put a layer of tator tots on bottom

Just like my mom made when I was a kid...

I made as directed other than adding garlic  powder and onion salt. Delicious, simple and my son loved it. Had a nice salad on the side.

Would use a different kind of soup next time. I was lied to and told I couldn't taste the cream of mushroom.

I added a can of Rotel tomatoes and was delicious!!

When I was a kid this was not made with cheese but with green beans.  THis recipe is calls for a 9x13 and it say's to put the cheese on top of the tator tots, photo shows different.

I made this Recipe with a couple of alterations. This is One of the easiest recipes to alter too ones Taste, You can add or Delete anything you Like or you can Double this Recipe easy enough

I've been making this for years. Iwas a single mom with 2 kids, and they loved this.

I used ham instead of ground beef, because I had ham.   I also sauteed an onion,  added along with the  ham at the bottom.  Insanely good for a 5 item entree.  Nuked it in the microwave so it was already hot, before adding  cheese and 15-20 minutes in the oven.

I took the advice of another reviewer and added the packet of Lipton onion soup mix. That added great flavor! I'll make it again with this twist.  I also added green beans.  My two teenage boys, who usually don't like veggies mixed in with things, liked it a lot.

Just added 1 can of green beans to it so all food groups are in one meal.

the family loves this!  I usually sautee up a 1/2 chopped onion.  1 tablespoon of worstershire, and a green veggie like frozen peas or green beans.  Sometimes I crush up 2 or 3 slices of bacon and add to it.  So many ways to go on this one!

So good! My boyfriend even liked it and he’s a picky eater

I double the ingredients, and add 2 cans of french cut green beans (drained) to 2 cans cream of mushroom soup. Ground beef on the bottom, beans and soup next, tots on top. Add the cheese the last 5 minutes, after the tots are brown and crispy. It a great comfort food on those -80 degree windchill nights.

I can't seem to make enough of this! My family loves it and it's super simple and easy!

WONDERFUL!!!!! Family loves it! Mixed veggies is also a nice addition to this dish.

This casserole hits on all the comfort classics. 


Tater Tots(R) Casserole

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Servings: 8

Cost: $3.97 /serving

Author : barryzimm

Ingredients

Instructions

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