Cheesy Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

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This Cheesy Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole Recipe is creamy and comforting, but has tons of veggies too! It’s an easy weeknight family dinner!

Gather the whole family because everyone is gonna love this one! This Cheesy Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole Recipe is one comforting, savory, hearty and satisfying dish.

And, hey, it has crispy TOTS!!

But, let’s start with the cheesy goodness. As the name suggests, this hearty casserole is rich in cheese. But because that cheese is combined with a thick and creamy sauce, you don’t need tons of it to still get a creamy and melty texture.

Next, you have the perfectly browned and seasoned ground beef that serves as the main protein component. But, to stretch the meaty filling, provide texture, AND give you a nutritious element, I have added savory veggies. Mushrooms extend that earthy meatiness. Carrots give a fresh pop of sweetness and the onions and red peppers bring more flavor.

Finally, this casserole is topped with crispy tater tots. They get golden brown and crispy during baking, adding a satisfying crunch to each bite. They also provide a starchy and filing element that completes the meal.

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Jump to:

• Why you will Love this recipe
• Simple Ingredients and Substitutes
• Simple Equipment
• Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps
• Cooking Your Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole
• Variations on this Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole!
• Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole FAQs
• More One-Pan Dinners You will Love!
• Cheesy Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
• Comments

Why you will Love this recipe

There are many reasons to love this recipe, but I’ve narrowed down to the top 3!

1. Complete Meal with Veggies – Most Hamburger and Potato or Tater Tot Casseroles are just the meat, potatoes, sauce, and cheese. However, my version adds lots of veggies to bring more nutrients and vitamins and balance the meal. And if you have picky eaters in your house, it’s a great way to ‘sneak’ them in with all of the other goodness.
2. Entirely Make-Ahead to Save You Time – You are busy everyday, but there is always that one day that is craazzzy busy that you need a super easy meal. When you have this casserole already cooked and stored in the fridge, it’s only a matter of tossing it in the oven!
3. Family-Friendly-Flavors – It can be challenging to get the entire family to be happy with one meal. This is one that most people love. Hamburger. Tater Tots. Cheese. Right!?

Simple Ingredients and Substitutes

Quick note!  This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them.  This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :).  I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used. 

• White Button Mushrooms, Sliced – You can buy pre-sliced or whole mushrooms. Cremini or baby bella mushrooms would be great too. I don’t recommend canned or frozen mushrooms as they will not give the same flavor or texture, but if that’s all you have, make sure that you drain them really well and pat dry and then try to brown them in the pan.
• Onion, diced – I used yellow onion, but you can use white onion, red onion, shallots, or even scallions. If you don’t have fresh onion, you can also use a tablespoon of onion flakes or onion powder.
• Carrots, diced – You can use whole carrots with the skin on or peeled. I peeled for this recipe. You can substitute with diced baby carrots or parsnips. You can also use frozen diced carrots added directly to the meat mixture frozen.
• Fresh Garlic cloves, minced – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic. You can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk in a food processor and freeze it to use when you need it! You can also substitute in dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• Red bell pepper – You can also use green bell pepper, yellow, or orange bell pepper.
• Lean Ground Beef – I used 90% lean Ground Beef, but you can use any fat content. You can substitute in ground chicken or ground turkey.
• Salt and Black Pepper – I used coarse for both, but any salt and ground black pepper will do.
• Salted Butter – Butter is used for making the roux in the sauce base. You can also use unsalted butter. You can substitute with another fat, but you do really need a fat to make the smooth thick roux. Substitutes for butter can be Ghee (clarified butter), olive oil, coconut oil, or other butter or oil product.
• All purpose white flour – This is the thickener to mix with the butter/fat.
• Milk – I used 1% milk, but any milk will work, including unsweetened soy, almond, or coconut milk. If you want even creamier, you can add half and half or heavy cream. You can also eliminate the milk and replace it with water or chicken stock.
• Chicken Broth or stock – You can also use, vegetable broth or stock or beef broth or stock. You can also use water mixed with a beef or chicken bouillon cube or beef base or chicken base.
• Sour Cream – Sour Cream gives more creamy, tangy sauce. However, you can substitute with coconut milk, plain greek yogurt, or marscapone.
• Cheddar Cheese, Shredded – I like sharp cheddar cheese in this recipe. White cheddar, yellow cheddar, monterey jack, pepper jack, or even mozzarella are all great for this.
• Dried oregano – You can substitute dried Italian seasoning, marjoram, basil, or a combination.
• Frozen Tater Tots – There are lots to choose from these days. I used a variety that had bacon bits, but you can use plan traditional potato tots. You can also use the cauliflower tots that I’ve seen in the frozen section!! If you don’t have tots, you can top with frozen hashbrowns, but you may need to use the broiler for the last 5 minutes or so to really get them golden brown on top.
• Fresh Italian Parsley, optional – Since this is optional for a finishing freshness and color, you will want fresh parsley. Don’t even bother with dried parsley. You can substitute in other fresh herbs, such as basil or oregano.

See recipe card for quantities.

Simple Equipment

For this recipe, you need a large casserole dish or baking dish that’s approximately 10×12, 12×12, 10×13 or similar.

To brown the mushrooms, beef, veggies, and later make the sauce, you need a large skillet or large frying pan. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning. 

Mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.

Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below) 

The truth is, this entire casserole can be prepped ahead if you want. Assemble, cook it, then store it in the fridge for when you’re ready for it.

But if you just want to get the ingredients ready first, it’s really just about cleaning, peeling, chopping, dicing, and mincing the veggies. Slice the mushrooms. Finely dice the onion. Dice the carrot. Dice the red pepper. Chop parsley if you are using it.

Cooking Your Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

We start with the mushrooms giving them their space to develop that deep savory, mushroomy flavor. In preheated large frying pan or skillet over high heat, add the olive oil and the sliced mushrooms, spreading them out into a single layer.

Let sit without stirring for about 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms get a beautiful browned sear. Then stir and so that the other side of as any mushrooms as possible get browned. Cook for another a 3-4 minutes, then push to the side.

Tip: If you’re worried that your pan is too small, you can transfer the mushrooms to the casserole dish.

Transfer the beef and veggie mixture to the casserole dish.

Time to start the sauce!

You will use the same pan used for the beef with all of the delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom. Turn the heat to Medium-LOW. Then add the butter and stir to melt scraping up anything on the pan. Add Flour and whisk to combine with the butter.

Cook stirring constantly for about 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the broth and then milk until the roux is completely and smoothly mixed into the liquids. All the while you are also scraping up all of the browned goodness from the bottom of the pan.

Turn the heat to Medium and continue to stir and cook 1-2 minutes until it comes to a light simmer and thickens.

Bake in the oven center rack for 30 minutes until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy.

Tip: You can also use the broiler for the last 5 minutes of the cooking to get a nice crispy brown top, but watch to ensure they don’t burn!

Garnish the top of the casserole with chopped parsley (optional). Serve and enjoy.

Variations on this Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole!

Oh my, I have so many ideas for ways to change this casserole up! Here are a few, but please let me know what you come up with too!

• Healthier – If you want to make this dish lighter and more nutritious, here are some ideas. Swap out the ground beef for ground chicken or turkey. You can also swap the sour cream for greek yogurt. Instead of lots of cheese, reduce to a quarter of the amount of cheese and switch to parmesan cheese, which has a more intense and pungent flavor. Pureed cauliflower is a fantastic creamy component to sauces and casseroles too! And of course, add any and as many veggies that you want!
• Mexican Tater Tot Casserole – Mix taco seasoning and a can of green chilis into the beef and the sauce. Corn is a great swap or addition to the veggies. And instead of cheddar, try using pepper jack cheese! Cilantro, scallions, tomatoes, and jalapenos are all good ideas for inside or on top of this Taco Casserole.
• Pizza Tot Casserole – Try adding in Italian seasoning with the beef and some pepperoni! You can also swap some of the beef with Italian sausage. Use mozzarella in place of cheddar and use parmesan cheese in the sauce and to sprinkle on top.

Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole FAQs

Can I Use Ground Chicken Or Turkey Instead Of Beef In This Recipe?

You can definitely substitute the ground beef with either ground chicken or ground turkey in this recipe. The cooking time will be the same, but check the internal temperature to ensure it has reached 165 F degrees.

Can I use different vegetables in this recipe?

Yes, you can of course use any vegetables you love in this recipe. Let’s start with easy freezer grabs. Green beans, corn, peas, and spinach are all great options that can be used from the freezer section of the grocery store. For other fresh options, try diced tomatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, or other bell peppers.

Can I Use Canned Soup Instead Of Making The Sauce?

To save time, you can use a can of cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup or other similar soups. To use it, you will use the entire can in its condensed form. This will replace the butter, flower, and milk in the recipe, but you will still want to whisk in the broth and sour cream.

Can I freeze this casserole?

This Hamburger Tater Tot casserole can be frozen before or after baking. If you bake it first, cool it in the refrigerator before putting it in the freezer. Store it in an airtight container in the freezer and it will last for 3-4 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator 24 hours in advance of cooking. Then place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes minutes covered then 10 minutes uncovered.

More One-Pan Dinners You will Love!

If you like this recipe and want more easy, one-pan dinners and casserole recipes, then check these out too!

Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!