Cheesy 4-Ingredient Tater Tot Casserole Recipe Is the Perfect Budget Recipe by Ann Marie Patitucci


Cheesy 4-Ingredient Tater Tot Casserole Recipe Is the Perfect Budget Recipe

I’d never heard of tater tot casserole until I moved to Virginia. However, the dish was created in the Midwest and was originally referred to as hotdish. This tater tot casserole recipe is quick and easy, and will surely please even your pickiest of eaters. 

This variation of the recipe is based on the classic casserole recipe but skips the frozen vegetables, focusing more on the crispy tots and the flavorful ground beef and melted cheese. With just four ingredients and 10 minutes of prep, it 's a kid-approved meal perfect for busy weeknights. Here is your short shopping list for this cheesy tater tot casserole recipe: ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, cheese and frozen tater tots. 

To make the budget casserole, brown the ground beef in a skillet. Stir in the cream of mushroom soup and pour into a 13x9-inch baking pan. Evenly layer the tater tots on top of the meat mixture, then sprinkle with the grated cheese. Pop it into the oven for about 30 minutes and you're done. 

Serve this quick and easy four-ingredient casserole with a vegetable and a salad for a comforting dinner

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Cuisine: American 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 10.75 ounces (1 can) cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese
  • 16 ounces (1 bag) frozen tater tots

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Recipe Notes

  • Grate your cheese fresh, if you have time. It melts so much better than pre-shredded cheese in the bag.
  • You could use ground turkey instead of ground beef.

Here's how to make it: 

  1. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink and completely browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir soup into the cooked ground beef.
  2. Pour the mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer the tater tots evenly over ground beef mixture and top with cheese.
  3. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until tater tots are hot and golden brown, about 30 to 45 minutes (ovens vary).

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories: 478

Total Fat: 27.2g

Saturated Fat: 12.2g

Cholesterol: 107mg

Sodium: 895mg

Total Carbohydrate: 21.7g

Dietary Fiber: 1.8g

Total Sugars: 1.4g

Protein: 34.9g

Vitamin D: 5mcg

Calcium: 279mg

Iron: 16mg

Potassium: 740mg

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by VeryWellFit. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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Elisa Schmitz
My husband is from Minnesota, home of the hotdish! He will love this. Thanks for sharing the yum! Dieter Schmitz
Ann Marie Patitucci
You're welcome. Hope he enjoys!
Cassiday
Never met a tater tot I didn't devour.
Ann Marie Patitucci
Ha! You sound like my boys!
Tara Jenner
So do I make the soup with the water first and add it or just put in the condensed soup straight in with the beef?
Ann Marie Patitucci
Just put it right in w/ the beef!
Tamara Banks Byrd
Tara Jenner, You just add the can of soup directly into the beef, do not add water.
Linda Rackley Walton
I add lb of roll sausage like jimmy deal to beef
Mark Strong
Add a bag of frozen corn and black beans for vegetables. Delicious
Tamara Banks Byrd
This dish is delicious as is but you can also add a lot of other ingredients to enhance the flavor of it and bulk it up a bit.

For instance, I like to use half ground beef and half ground Italian sausage and I generally always like to add diced green bell pepper, onion and minced garlic to most dishes like this, or you can use whatever color of bell pepper you prefer or even add jalapeño pepper, and/or you can add a standard mirapoix of diced celery, carrots and onions. You can also add fresh or canned sliced mushrooms.

If you or anyone you're feeding doesn't like mushrooms, which is the case in my family, you can use cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, or any other "cream of soup" such as cream of potato soup or even creamy cheese soup, if you prefer, or just make your own white sauce from a roux of butter, flour and milk to use as the sauce instead of the soup.

Or to make it into an easy delicious breakfast casserole, use breakfast sausage instead of the ground beef, omit the soup and pour beaten eggs over the mixture before baking. And I know it's not a popular opinion but I like to use Velveeta cheese because it melts so well and I love the creamy texture of it and yes I know it isn't "real cheese" but I've eaten it all my life and it hasn't hurt me yet.

Anyway, I didn't mean to write a book, Sorry! I guess my point is you can add or subtract whatever you like or don't like and just make this dish your own creation and/or any other dish for that matter.
Ann Marie Patitucci
Thanks for sharing with us!
Paul Mannion
Thanks for sharing!
Danielle Middlekauff
If you cook the tater tots before it makes a difference. It taste so much better as well. Also if you can make a taco one as well. Same way but instead of cream of mushroom use taco sauce and add taco seasoning to the hamburger meat.
RonAllan
Is the cream of mushroom soup (can 10.75 oz.) condensed?
If so, does water need to added to the condensed soup?
Ann Marie Patitucci
Hi! Not condensed, no water needed. Just add the soup directly into the beef. Enjoy!

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