A couple of years ago I was apparently living in a cave and had never even heard of tater tot casserole until a friend told me about it. Sounded pretty simple and soon my family was hooked. I mean, it’s kid friendly (what kid won’t eat tater tots?!) plus even as grown-ups we all kinda still love the stuff even if we don’t really want to admit it. But I guess that’s the other cool thing about it is that you can make it in so many ways that it will appeal to just about anyone’s tastes. And you know me. I can never leave well enough along and I’m now I’m my third version. Tater tots for breakfast, anyone?
I think we all have them. You know, those go to style recipes that we maybe modify just a little but, really, anytime we are in a pinch to get dinner done we go back to our basic comfort zone. For me, it’s usually what I call “taco stuff”. Sometimes it’s tacos or it could be taco salad or burritos. Either way, it’s the same basic ingredients that I know I can throw together quickly and get people fed. Not glamorous, but sometimes it’s not meant to be.
This recipe kind of comes together as a combo of those things my family loves and things I can get on the table quickly. It’s essentially a taco meat style recipe doctored up with a few more ingredients and topped off with tater tots. And did you notice? No packages of taco seasoning!! This is cooked up with loads of tomatoes, salsa, corn, peppers, onions…. you get the picture. Lots of fresh taste and that is what will take your family taco night to a whole new level.
What are your go to family meals? Will this soon be making an appearance in the rotation?
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5oz) can fire roasted tomatoes, drained
- ½ cup frozen corn
- 4 oz whipped cream cheese
- 2 pounds tater tots
- ½ cup salsa
- 8 oz shredded mild cheddar cheese
- In a large skillet over medium high heat add beef, onion, garlic and jalapeño
- Break up beef as it cooks and stir as needed to brown evenly and cook veggies
- Once ground beef is fully cook and veggies are softened you can spoon off any excess grease
- Add black beans, tomatoes, corn and cream cheese and stir to combine well
- Let heat through for 3-5 minutes
- Spray slow cooker well with nonstick canola oil spray
- Add half of tater tots on bottom then top with ground beef mixture
- Top with remaining tots, drizzle with salsa and cover with cheese
- Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 or until tater tots are hot and slightly crispy on edges and cheese is fully melted
If using a casserole style slow cooker
add all filling on bottom and all tots on top then covered with salsa and cheeseTater tot casserole is a great dish to make up ahead of time and save time on a busy day!!
Want more tater tot casserole?
Try these tater tot casseroles in your slow cooker too!!
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Make-Ahead and Freeze Tater Tot Casserole
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Where I live in Minnesota tarot tot casseroles are a big deal. It’s an institution! Haha. :). But this looks a lot better than any I’ve ever had. Yum!
Hi Amanda, that’s what I hear! Haha! And do you guys call it a hot dish? I’ve heard it referred to that way as well 🙂 Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
This casserole looks amazing!
Thanks Marla!!
This may be a silly question… But if using frozen tater tots, do I bake them first? Or put them in frozen?
Just put them in frozen! The beauty of slow cooking is just how simple it is 🙂
I wondered the same thing!
Any idea of what the calorie count is per serving?
Really great taste!
Any idea of the nutritional information including calorie count is per serving?
Hi Cinda!! Thanks! I do not have the calorie count but you can upload it to My Fitness Pal and adjust for the specific ingredients you used and get a very good idea. Another good option is caloriecount.com.
Making this right now! I added my homemade taco seasoning mix to ground bison instead of beef to put my own spin on it. Hoping it’s a hit with the fam 😉
oohhh, yum!! Love bison!!
Can you share what’s in the drizzle over the taco tater casserole in the finished pictures?
Hi Karen! Of course! It’s just a little sour cream. Sometimes I will thin it out with a touch of lime juice to make it drizzle a little better, but that’s more for looks than anything 🙂
I would like to make this in the oven. Any advice on that?
yes, I would use a 9×13 casserole dish and put all the filling on the bottom and tots on top. Set oven to temp recommended on bag of tots. Baking time will be about 25-45 minutes so just keep a close eye on it!! I always find it varies based on which brand of tater tots I use.
I’m going to try the taco tater tot casserole. I noticed the note at the bottom of the recipe said if you’re using a casserole style slow cooker to put all the filling on bottom and all the tots on top. What’s a casserole style slow cooker? Mine is oval shaped and not round. Does that mean mine is a casserole style?
Hi Trish! I’m adding a link now to the post, but a casserole style slow cooker is kind of a newer style that looks more like a 9×13 casserole dish. They are awesome! But you can just as easily make this in a regular slow cooker like your oval one by adding half the tots on bottom and half on top.
What is “whipped cream cheese”?
Hi Lauri! It’s just a version of cream cheese that you can find in a tub that has had air whipped into it to be lighter and it tends to mix in easier without lumps in many recipes. If you can’t find any, feel free to sub regular that has come to room temp so that it will be easier to blend.
A lot of the recipes on here, including this one, call for ‘1 can’. I have no idea what that means in terms of the size of can or amount of that particular ingredient. Can you tell me or update the recipe to be a little more user friendly? Thanks.
15oz can of black beans and 14.5oz can of tomatoes
Wonderful! Thank you very much 🙂