Taco Tater Tot Casserole

Name: Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1500 min
Ingredients: 1-1 1/4 pound lean ground beef; 1/2 cup diced yellow or sweet onion; 1 packet taco seasoning (divided); 1/2 cup canned beans (black, pinto or charro) (drained and rinsed); 1/2 cup shopeg corn or mexicorn (drained ); 1 cup salsa; 1 cup sour cream; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided); 32 ounce bag frozen tater tots; Olive Oil Spritz (optional); Optional toppings: sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, jalapeño slices, sour cream, guacamole

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This Taco Tater Tot Casserole is a total winner with family and friends, plus it's made simply in just an hour. With 10 ingredients, it has a seasoned Mexican filling on the bottom, and crunchy tater tots on top. What's not to love!

Everyone loves Taco Tuesday, right?! Well this super simple, flavor-packed Taco Tater Tot Casserole makes it easy to enjoy the bold flavors of taco night...any night of the week. With ingredients you know and love, made in just one pan, this is dinner done fast and done well!

Made with seasoned beef, all your favorite taco flavors and toppings, and a layer of golden brown tater tots, this Mexican Tater Tot Casserole is a twist on traditional Taco Night that's oh so delicious and perfect for the whole family.

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If you like this easy Mexican-inspired casserole, be sure to try some of our other quick and delicious dinner recipes with similar flavors. We love this Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole, these super easy and tasty Viral 4-Ingredient Taco Cups, this hearty Frito Taco Casserole, and this unique and flavor-packed Taco Pasta.

Table of Contents

Why You'll Love This Recipe

One Pan Wonder: This delicious casserole comes together in just one pan, making prep, cook time and clean up an absolute breeze. It's cooked and baked in the same skillet, so no need to dirty a bunch of different dishes!
Delicious Twist on Taco Night: We all love a good Taco Tuesday or taco night. And this is a fun and new way to enjoy everyone's favorite meal, in skillet form. You get all the same flavors in an exciting new dish.
Feeds a Crowd: Casseroles are always great to serve a family or a large group, and because this is made in one big skillet and it's customizable, it's the perfect meal to get on the table for the whole family.
Quick and Flavorful Dinner Idea: With a handful of familiar and easy-to-find ingredients, plus a simple cooking method, this dinner comes together fast, and they're flavors everyone in the family will enjoy.

Laura Ashley's Tip: We are using ground beef in this recipe, but feel free to change up the meat! Ground chicken or turkey are also delicious in this recipe too.

Ingredients

Scroll down for specific ingredient amounts in the recipe card.

Ground Beef: The meat and main protein in this casserole. We like lean ground beef for it's meaty flavor and crumbled texture when it's browned. It's just like the classic taco meat everyone knows and loves!
Onion: Yellow or sweet onion works best here but use whatever you have on hand. This aromatic adds nice flavor to the beef.
Canned Beans: Black, pinto or charro are our favorites for this recipe. They add more fiber, protein, flavor and texture to the casserole. Use your favorite variety.
Shoepeg or Mexicorn: With slightly smaller kernels and a touch sweeter than yellow corn, this brings a nice sweet flavor, texture and pop of color to the casserole. If you can't find shoepeg or mexicorn, canned, fresh or frozen yellow corn works perfectly too.
Salsa: Use whatever flavor or style you prefer here. There are so many different varieties to choose from, so use your favorite. This adds a nice zip, tang, and signature taco-esque flavor to the beef mixture.
Sour Cream: Rich, tangy, and another signature "taco night" ingredient, this gives the beef mixture a nice creamy and velvety consistency.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Sharp and buttery, this makes everything melty and delicious.
Frozen Tater Tots: Use your favorite variety from the freezer section - you can't go wrong here! Once cooked, these are crispy, golden and perfectly potatoey, making them the ideal topping for this casserole.
Olive Oil (optional): Gives the tots an extra crispy exterior.
Toppings: Pick and choose what you and your family like here. Fresh toppings take this taco casserole to a fresh and crunchy level. We like sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, jalapeño slices, more sour cream, and guacamole.

The ingredients to make taco tater tot casserole.

Tools You’ll Need

12-inch Cast Iron Skillet or Large Oven-Safe Skillet
Meat Chopper
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Cheese Grater

How To Make Tater Tot Casserole

Preheat your oven to 400°F.
In a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble ground beef until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat.
Stir in diced onion and 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add beans, corn, salsa, and sour cream. Stir until combined.

Adding corn, salsa and sour cream in ground beef.

Fold in 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheese. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Arrange the frozen tater tots over the beef mixture in an even layer, in a circular pattern, starting with a row along the edge of the pan and working your way in. For an extra crispy crust, spritz with olive oil. Season with additional taco seasoning or salt and pepper, if desired.

Adding tots to the top of beef in a skillet.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until the tater tots are nearly golden brown. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onions, cilantro, or chives. Serve taco sauce, hot sauce, additional salsa or spicy ranch on the side.

Pro Tips

Choose The Right Pan: I recommend using a large, round, heavy oven-safe skillet to make this casserole. I like a cast iron skillet or shallow dutch oven best. They conduct and hold heat well, so everything will cook and warm through evenly. Plus, all of the ingredients fit nicely and it looks extra mouthwatering when it comes out of the oven when it's time to serve! Alternatively, you can use a 13"x9" pan. Simply make the beef base mixture in a skillet, then pour the mixture into your baking dish before topping with the tots.
Shred Your Own Cheese: You can certainly use pre-shredded cheese for ease, but taking time to freshly hand shred your own ensures the casserole is super melty and delicious.
Get The Tots Golden: It might take an extra 5 minutes or so, but let the tater tots get nice and golden brown before adding the rest of the cheese and toppings. A crispy, crunchy topping is the best!

Storage and Freezing

If you've got leftovers, great news! This meal is delicious the next day, too. Here are the best ways to keep them fresh and flavorful.

Fridge: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. When you're ready to enjoy, reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through. You can also rewarm in the microwave if you're in a pinch.
Freezer: You can freeze this casserole, too! When you're ready to serve, thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a 350°F oven until warm. Then simply add your favorite toppings and enjoy.

Variations and Substitutions

Change The Protein. Ground beef is a classic taco-style meat to use here, but feel free to use whatever you like or have on hand. Ground turkey, chicken, sausage, or even a combination could work. Whatever you use will take on the delicious flavors of the seasonings you add.
Sour Cream Tips: This one is definitely for the sour cream lovers. If you want to decrease the amount of sour cream, you can opt for more salsa and less sour cream (i.e. 1 ½ cups salsa and ½ cup sour cream). You can also substitute 1 cup of sour cream with 8 ounces softened cream cheese.
Get Creative with Garnishes. This recipe calls for some of the signature taco toppings to garnish with, but get creative! Pickled onions, fresh cilantro, a sprinkle of cotija cheese, crunchy tortilla chips or fresh jalapeno slices would also be delicious on top. Of course, a dollop of my homemade Guacamole and Pico de Gallo and game over! SO good!
Add More Veggies. If you're looking to bulk up your filling, or you simply want to use up some veggies you have on hand, go for it. Chopped bell peppers, mushrooms or additional beans would go perfectly in this casserole.
Amp Up The Heat. Add in a can of diced green chilies, some chopped jalapeños, or a dash of cayenne if you're looking to really spice things up!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen tater tots?

Definitely! In fact, we recommend it. Once you add them to your casserole, be sure to let them get really crispy and golden in the oven before adding the rest of your toppings. This will keep them nice and crunchy with the best texture.

Can this tater tot casserole be made in advance?

Absolutely. You can fully cook and assemble this casserole in advance, up to the fresh toppings step, and refrigerate or freeze until you're ready to heat in the oven and serve. You can also cook and prepare the beef filling ahead of time, and simply add the frozen tater tots and the rest of the toppings when you're ready to bake and enjoy.

What can be substituted for the ground beef?

If you don't want to use ground beef or you happen to have something else on hand, you can use almost any other protein. Any ground meat, like chicken, turkey, sausage, or a combination would work well. You could even use crumbled tofu loaded with chopped veggies if you want to go a meat-free route.

How long does a Taco Tater Tot Casserole bake?

This casserole takes around 45 minutes in total to bake. It'll bake for about 30-35 minutes before topping with more cheese, and then it'll bake for about 10 minutes longer until everything is nice and melty. It comes together quickly and is definitely worth the bake time!

Can this casserole be made vegetarian?

Absolutely. Skip the ground beef and use crumbled tofu or a mixture of chopped veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, or any vegetable you like. Season this mixture as the recipe instructs and you'll have a delicious meat-free taco casserole.

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