Cowboy Casserole with Tater Tots
Easy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe – Feed a crowd with this hearty delicious cowboy casserole! It’s loaded with ground beef, Rotel chiles, beans, and cheese, all topped with tater tots and baked to crisp, golden perfection.
Why We Love Tater Tot Casserole
Love a good hearty casserole? This brilliant meat, cheese, and potato Cowboy Casserole recipe has everything you know and love… The filling is a mixture of bacon, ground beef, onions, garlic, tomatoes, green chilies, corn, beans, and cheese. It’s mixed together and then layered with a topping of tater tots for a crispy finish.
This is a great casserole to prep ahead and freeze for later baking. Or make it ahead a day or two and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to bake. You’ll be amazed at how quickly this cozy family favorite casserole will disappear!
Ingredients You Need
- Bacon – thick-cut and chopped
- Ground beef – your choice of 80/20 or 90/10 lean ground beef
- Onion – peeled and chopped
- Garlic – peeled and minced
- Chili powder – for that smoky out-on-the-range campfire flavor
- Salt – a pinch for seasoning
- Rotel – mild or spicy canned chiles
- Kidney beans – drained and rinsed (or sub black beans or pinto beans)
- Corn – frozen, no need to thaw
- Cheddar cheese – shredded
- Cream cheese – slightly softened and cubed
- Tater tots – frozen, no thawing needed
- Green onions – sliced, to garnish the casserole
How to Make the Best Cowboy Casserole
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and spray with cooking spray.
Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Place the chopped bacon in the pan. Stir and fry the bacon for 3-5 minutes to brown. Then add in the ground beef. Chop the ground beef into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
Then stir in the onions, garlic, chili powder, and salt. Stir and cook the meat mixture until the ground beef is cooked through and the onions are soft.
Stir in the Rotel and kidney beans.
Then stir in the frozen corn, shredded cheese, and cream cheese cubes.
Get the Complete (Printable) Cowboy Casserole Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!
Scoop the meat mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread out into an even layer.
Arrange the tater tots over the surface of the meat mixture. You can do this in straight lines or create a pattern with the tater tots.
Bake the casserole for 40-50 minutes until bubbly around the edges, the tater tots are gold-brown, and a knife inserted into the center of the casserole comes out HOT.
Once it is out of the oven, sprinkle chopped green onions over the top of the casserole.
Make Ahead Tips
Tater tot cowboy casserole with ground beef is terrific to make ahead! Cook the filling and assemble the entire dish, then freeze or refrigerate to bake later.
Pro Tip: I suggest using an aluminum disposable pan or other freezer-to-oven safe baking dish.
To freeze, wrap the casserole dish in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by one or two layers of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.
Or, you can put the casserole together, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge for a day or two.
Frequently Asked Questions
A soggy casserole is usually due to the corn thawing before baking. Or the dish has not baked long enough. Bake the casserole for at least 40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the tots are browned.
Cowboy tater tot casserole likely originated from the Midwest in states like Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Montana. But this hotdish-style recipe has long been a quick and easy dinnertime favorite around the country!
Baked cowboy casserole leftovers will keep well for up to 3 days. Let it cool completely before transferring to an airtight container and storing it in the fridge.
I don’t suggest freezing the casserole after it has baked. Tots that are frozen, baked, frozen again, and baked again tend to lose their crispness.
Of course! Sour cream, chopped scallions, salsa, or hot sauce are all good options.
Looking for More Hearty Casserole Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
- Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
- Broccoli Rice and Cheese Casserole
- Cheesy Hominy Casserole
- Perfect Tamale Pie Recipe
More Tater Tot Recipes
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- Slow Cooker Taco Tater Tots
- Best Air Fryer Tater Tots
- Homemade Baked Zucchini Tots
Best Cowboy Casserole with Tater Tots (Recipe + VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 3-4 strips bacon chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 – 15 ounce cans Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles
- 15 ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese cut into cubes
- 32 ounce bag frozen tater tots
- ¾ cup chopped green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and spray with cooking spray.
- Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Place the chopped bacon in the pan. Stir and fry the bacon for 3-5 minutes to brown. Then add in the ground beef. Chop the ground beef into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Then stir in the onions, garlic, chili powder, and salt. Stir and cook the meat mixture until the ground beef is cooked through and the onions are soft.
- Stir in the Rotel, kidney beans, frozen corn, shredded cheese, and cream cheese cubes.
- Scoop the meat mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread out into an even layer.
- Arrange the tater tots over the surface of the meat mixture. You can do this in straight lines or create a pattern with the tater tots.
- Bake the casserole for 40-50 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly around the edges, the tater tots are gold-brown, and a knife inserted into the center of the casserole comes out HOT.
- Once out of the oven, sprinkle chopped green onions over the top of the casserole. Serve warm.