Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole made with ground beef, frozen tater tots and lots of cheese is an easy meal the whole family will love. This hearty casserole is a delicious dinner for busy weeknights!
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Cheesy hamburger tater tot casserole is a family favorite comfort food dinner I love to make on busy weeknights. It has everything my family loves -- seasoned ground beef, mixed veggies, crispy tots and lots of gooey melted cheese.
Even my picky eaters gobble up this cheesy casserole, so it has a permanent place in our dinner rotation. Best of all, you get plenty of leftovers for the week!
If you love hearty casseroles and easy dinner recipes, try my crack chicken casserole, cabbage roll casserole and browse the archives for more easy main dishes!
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients for this easy tater tot casserole recipe. they should be easy to find in your grocery store.
- Ground beef -- Use lean ground beef or extra lean ground meat
- Frozen tater tots -- any brand, but the extra crispy tater tots are great if you like very crispy potatoes
- Shredded cheese -- I love using a blend of cheddar cheese and Colby Jack or a cheddar blend
- Cream of celery soup -- to bind the meat and add creaminess
- Sour cream -- helps bind the meat and adds flavor
- Milk -- to thin the cream soup a little
- Worcestershire sauce -- adds flavor
- Seasonings -- sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
- Mixed veggies -- use your favorite or use just frozen peas or frozen green beans
How to Make Cheesy Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole
First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f and spray a baking dish with non stick cooking spray.
Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Then, drain any excess grease, and add the seasonings.
Stir in the cream of celery soup, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and milk.
Turn the heat off, and stir in the frozen veggies. No need to thaw them -- they will cook in the oven.
Next, spoon the meat mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese.
Then, place the tater tots on top of the casserole in a single layer. Use as many tater tots as it takes to cover the cheese.
You don't have to make the lines super neat. I try to, but if I'm in a hurry, it's not as pretty!
Cook Time
Bake the casserole for 30-40 minutes or until tater tots are crisp and golden brown and the cheese is hot and bubbling.
I like to broil the casserole for 2-3 minutes at the end for crispier tater tots, but it's more of a personal preference.
Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes before serving.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate leftover tater tot casserole in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
Reheat individual portions of the hamburger casserole in the microwave or heat the entire dish in a 300 degree oven until heated through.
You can freeze this cheeseburger casserole for up to 3 months for best taste. It's a great freezer meal! You can also freeze the assembled casserole to bake for later.
Recipe Variations
For a spicier casserole, try my taco tater tot casserole. For tater tot casserole without cream soup, try my lightened up tater tot casserole.
Add cooked crumbled bacon for a bacon cheeseburger tater tot casserole!
You can use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the hamburger meat. You can use Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.
If you don't have cream of celery soup, try cream of mushroom soup, cream of onion or a can of cream of chicken soup in this easy casserole.
FAQ
The casserole is runny if there is too much liquid in the meat mixture. Be sure to drain extra fat from the ground beef and use a cream soup and or sour cream to help thicken the mixture. Letting the casserole stand for 5 minutes after baking will also help to thicken it up.
This casserole has meat, vegetables and potatoes for a hearty one dish meal. The best sides are a simple green salad or fresh fruit salad or fresh fruit to compete the meal.
Recipe
Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 10 oz can cream of celery soup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 16 ounces frozen tater tots or enough to cover the dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray casserole dish with non stick spray
- Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. If not using lean beef, drain the fat.
- Season the meat with salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper and stir in Worcestershire sauce
- Stir in cream of celery soup, milk and sour cream
- Remove from heat, and stir in mixed veggies
- Spoon meat mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with cheese and tater tots
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until heated throughout and bubbly. Broil for 2-3 minutes at the end, if desired, for crispier tots, and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving
Notes
Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this cheesy hamburger hot dish as much as we do. It's the best kind of meal for busy nights after football games or sports practice, and the leftovers are even better the next day!
If you do try this delicious casserole, please leave a star rating and comment. For more easy dinner recipes and easy main dish meals, follow on social media and sign up for the weekly newsletter.
Arthur says
Tried this out and it was absolutely delicious! Definitely going to make it again
Gideon says
Cheesy gooey goodness! Definitely making this again because it's so tasty 🙂
Betty says
Best grandkid friendly casserole! Easy to make and they helped with the tots too!
Patrick says
How simple! Made this over the weekend and had it for leftovers today! Going to make this often!
Dee says
Thank you so much! It's one of our favorite dinners!