This comfort food meal starts with a flavorful, meaty, and saucy base. It’s topped with tater tots, covered in melted cheese, and then baked to perfection. It’s an easy, delicious dish the whole family will love.

For more easy dinners, try our One Pot Queso Chicken and Rice or our Ground Beef Tacos.

Why Our Recipe

  • No canned cream of anything here! Our quick and easy sauce is homemade.
  • Meat, veggies, crispy tots, and all the melty cheese.
  • Ready in under an hour, perfect for busy weeknights.
A wooden spoon scooping a helping of tater tot casserole.

While tater tots might remind you of your younger years, there’s nothing childish about this meal. It’s hearty, comforting, and packed with flavor. Plus, I love the hidden veggie aspect—it’s so delicious that kids won’t even realize they’re eating their vegetables! This dish is not only easy to make but also perfect for potlucks, parties, and family dinners.

Ingredient Notes

An overhead shot of ingredients for Tater Tot Casserole.
  • Ground Beef: Opt for lean ground beef (85/15 or 90/10) to minimize excess grease. You can also substitute with ground turkey, pork, or chicken.
  • Onion: We used white onion, but yellow onions work well too.
  • Flour: This is the thickening agent for the sauce. Cornstarch can also be used in half the amount so for this recipe, you’d use 1/4 cup of cornstarch.
  • Beef Broth: Use low-sodium broth to better control the flavor.
  • Milk: Use whole, 2%, 1%, skim, or even milk alternatives. Whatever you’ve got on hand.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: Can substitute with soy sauce with a splash of vinegar.
  • Corn Kernels: Canned corn works perfectly—just be sure to drain the liquid. You can also use frozen.
  • Green Beans: Canned green beans work great. Can use cut or french style green beans. Frozen works too.
  • Tater Tots: Found in the frozen aisle near the french fries.
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese: We recommend freshly shredded cheddar cheese as it melts better than pre-shredded cheese.

Homemade Sauces Are Easy

Casseroles are meant to be easy, but they often contain a can of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup. It’s convenient, but here at The Stay At Home Chef, we like to feed our families whole foods wherever possible. Homemade sauces are easy! It’s really just a matter of mixing butter with flour and adding a liquid.

You already have to brown the ground beef for this recipe. That means that making a homemade sauce instead of using cream of chicken soup adds less than 5 minutes to your cooking time.

A collage of nine images showing the process of making tater tot casserole from start to finish.

Make Ahead

This tater tot casserole is already incredibly easy to assemble right before baking but if you want to cut down on time, you can make this ahead of time. Simply prepare the dish but skip the baking part. Instead, cover it up nice and tight with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then pop it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

When it’s time to bake, pull it out and let it hang at room temperature for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. Then bake as directed, adding an extra 5–10 minutes to make sure it’s hot and cooked all the way through.

a side view of tater tot casserole with serving taken out of it.

Make it A Freezer Meal

Make this meal ahead of time and freeze it for future use! Assemble the casserole but don’t bake it yet. Wrap the dish tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil to keep it fresh and prevent freezer burn. Be sure to label it with the date and baking instructions—it’ll stay good for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to enjoy, bake as directed, adding 10–15 extra minutes to ensure it’s fully heated through.

Pro tip: Freeze in smaller portions for convenient, individual meals. Simply reheat in the microwave or oven whenever hunger strikes!

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Freeze leftover portions in a freezer-safe container or covered entirely with 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil for up to 3 months.

Reheat portions in the microwave on high in 30-second increments or in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through, about 20 minutes.

More delicious casserole recipes…