Taco Tater Tot Casserole is the perfect answer to the question, “what’s for dinner?” It’s so easy to make! Seasoned ground beef, cheese, and tater tots all baked together until hot and bubbly. Add some sour cream, chopped tomato, and lettuce for a tasty taco-inspired meal.
If you love this dinner idea, definitely try our classic tater tot casserole recipe!
Taco Tater Tot Casserole
This Taco Tater Tot Casserole recipe was a real hit! It was quick to make by browning the ground beef then adding the seasonings and mixing it together with the rest of the ingredients, spreading the mixture into a casserole dish, then baking until hot and the cheese is melted. Minimal effort for big flavor!
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make Taco Tater Tot Casserole (the exact measurements and full recipe instructions are below in the easy to print recipe card)
- Lean ground beef – ground turkey is also a good option.
- Taco seasoning – use one packet of your favorite taco seasoning.
- Rotel – if you don’t have Rotel, use a can of petite diced tomatoes with green chiles.
- Water
- Condensed cheddar cheese soup – this soup adds flavor and thickens the consistency of the casserole.
- Sour cream – use regular full-fat sour cream for the best results.
- Cheddar cheese – we liked the flavor of sharp cheddar, but any shredded cheese you like will work well.
- Frozen tater tots – do not thaw the tater tots before adding them to the casserole.
How to Make Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Are you ready to make this taco version of a tater tot casserole? Here’s how to do it:
- Prep your tools. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- Cook the meat. Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until fully browned. Drain off the excess fat. Stir the taco seasoning, Rotel, and water into the ground beef and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Mix everything together. In an extra large mixing bowl, combine the cooked beef mixture, cheese soup, sour cream, 2 cups of the cheddar cheese, and tater tots. Mix until well combined.
- Assemble. Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining ½ cup cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes.
- Add fixings and serve. After the casserole is finished baking, you may want to sprinkle with chopped cilantro or green onions. Serve the casserole hot.
Topping Ideas
- Chopped lettuce
- Diced fresh tomato
- Diced onion
- Sour cream
- Extra cheese – You can also drizzle nacho cheese on top!
- Salsa
- Hot sauce – Franks Red Hot or Cholula hot sauce are great options.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Keep the leftovers in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave until warmed through.
Looking for more family-friendly dinner ideas? You’ll love these recipes: Homemade Pizza Dough | Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas | Porkchop Casserole | Chicken Sheetpan Dinner | Olive Garden Chicken Gnochi Soup
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Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded and divided
- 1 (32 ounce) package frozen tater tots, unthawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until fully browned. Drain off the excess fat.
- Stir the taco seasoning, Rotel, and water into the ground beef and simmer for 5 minutes.
- In an extra large mixing bowl, combine the cooked beef mixture, cheese soup, sour cream, 2 cups of the cheddar cheese, and tater tots. Mix until well combined.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining ½ cup cheddar cheese. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
Last Step:
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7 comments on “Taco Tater Tot Casserole”
This was quick and easy and delicious not nothing left over
Can this be assembled the night before and cooked the next day? Wasn’t sure if the tots would tolerate that.
Hi Julie. I haven’t tried it but I think the tots will be fine doing that. Please let us know how it turns out.
Made this and it’s delicious! I just forgot didn’t have the cheddar soup, so I used some cubed Velveeta…My husband and I could have eaten the entire pan, lol…we can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow!
I hope you or someone may know how much Velveta? I just don’t like all the sodium in Cambles(sp) soup because there’s just too much. I don’t know yet how much sodium is in Velveta, but I’m hoping not as much as the soup.
Thanks to anyone who can answer my question.
I cannot rate the actual recipe, because I’ll be honest, I’m not a rule follower (and also didn’t think to read the recipe before buying groceries) so I made a bunch of substitutions based off what I had on hand at home. I didn’t have any cheese soup, so I used Tostitos salsa con queso instead, but it’s a bit spicy and my husband isn’t a huge fan of spice, so I also sub’d the rótel diced tomatoes for my homemade salsa. I also through in a can of black beans and a can of corn just for good measure. Also, the beans and taco meat still had a good amount of juice in them, so I left out the extra water, it had plenty of liquid already for our liking.
I will say, what I do really love about meals like this is the versatility. It’s so easy to use as a general guide, and tweak to my family’s liking!
Thanks so much! Definitely saving this for my meal rotation. Maybe someday I’ll actually follow the recipe as it’s written and can leave a review on that lol.
That taco tater tots casserole looks delicious looking forward to more recipes