Tater Tot Casserole is not a meal that I plan on having. It is a meal that we have because I have everything on hand and didn’t plan anything for dinner!
However, Tater Tot Casserole is a family favorite, thanks to this quote:
Randy: Napoleon, give me some of your tots.
Napoleon: No, go find your own.
Randy: Come on. Give me some of your tots.
Napoleon: No. I’m freakin’ starved. I didn’t get to eat anything today.
[Randy kicks Napoleon’s pants pocket, ruining the tater tots]
Napoleon: Ugh.. gross. Freakin’ idiot!
Name that movie….
It also affords me the ability to clean out the fridge a little… I have added pepperoni, all different kinds of cheese and even sliced up hot dogs once (don’t tell anyone!)
Many times tater tot casseroles call for cream of mushroom. I refuse to use cream of mushroom and so I use 2 cans of cream of chicken.
I also saute my onions with the hamburger and add smoked papkria. Try it sometime you will be surprised, in a good way!
Grab some kids to help, mix it all up. Pour into a 9×13 and top with Tater Tots! Easy Peasy!
Serve with some fruit and a side salad and you have dinner!
Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 bag of Tator Tots
1 onion soup mix package OR 1 small chopped onion
1 t Garlic Salt
1 t Smoked Paprika
Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.
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Thanks!! I have some hamburger meat in the fridge I have to cook tonight and I’ve been meaning to try this anyways 🙂
I, too, had some hamburger meat thawed out in the fridge. this morning. I wish I had seen this…. I made Stroganoff…..Just brown the meat, and onions. add a can of cream of mushroom soup. mix salt and pepper to taste. add some sour cream….. I put it over egg noodles, but you could use rice, or toast…… for a suggestion for your next hamburger meal.
Try cream of celery soup instead of cream of mushroom in your stroganoff, much better flavor, and holds it’s flavor better when reheated.
Try tarragon, minced up, sour cream and little heavy cream instead of condensed soup.
Add a packet of Lipton onion soup and some Worcestershire sauce, about 2 tbls to your soup mix. Good stuff.
I make a Mexican version that my kids can’t get enough of 🙂
what’s the Mexican version?
Do you put all the cheese on top? Instructions say nothing about cheese.
Either way! I added some in and some on top.
I was wondering the same thing? It would be good on top or mixed in with the soups…
I was wondering the same thing??? I am going to mix some of it in with the meat and then add the rest on top. Assuming it won’t matter but here goes nothing lol lol
Has anyone tried this with ground turkey? I almost always use turkey for beef, I think it would be good.
Oh I think turkey would be awesome!
Yes it is great
My family love it…
I used ground turkey and it was delicious.
Thats almost exactly how i make mine!!!
I am so making this!!!! They now have gluten free cream of mushroom soup at GE. And this week it is on sale YEAH!!!! That way I can make it for me and the kids! Thanks so much for the info. I also wanted to say I love, love, love your website!!!! I check this out everyday and then go to I heart the mart! Thanks so much for all you do I have learned to save money and live better with your tips/coupons links.
Awesome! You are welcome! Thank you for coming by!
These instructions arent very specific. When do ypu put in the garlic salt and the paprika. And when do u put on the cheese. Do the tator tots go into the casserole frozen?
Actually it says I added them with the onions. You can add them whenever you want. Have you made a casserole before? 🙂 Add the cheese on the top and bake. Add them frozen or not, doesn’t matter, it will bake and either way they will cook. Easy!
Mine came out super salty I will make it again without the onion soup which made it soo salty. It could’ve been really good.:)
i am sorry it turned out bad
I made this on a whim because I love tator tots.I used garlic already minced in a jar while browning the hamburger since I really like garlic. Extra cheese of course and it was really tastey! Shame that we can’t eat cheesey tator tots every night, but it will be in the recipe rotation for sure. Thanks:)
Anyone tried to make this ahead and throw in the freezer? I’m about to do a big back to school freezer meal marathon.
I always use ground turkey, and i have made a few of these at a time and frozen them just fine! I usually layer mine, and i omit the onion soup mix and use my own seasoning instead (:
Can I use this with can chicken or no meat at all?
Can you freeze this? How would cooking times change?
This is what I am making for dinner tonight, but I am using diced up chicken. Anyone have suggestions what seasons I should use on the chicken while I cook it??
Sounds good and a cheep meal and easy to make, that’s what I like easy and cheep since I work 12 hour shifts. Thanks can’t wait to try 🙂
I make it using salsa instead of the creamy soups and use velvety cheese cubed, I mix it all together hand bake. My family always asked for more.
OMG. I think I need to try this variation.
Add corn and green beans…yummy
Add corn and green beans..yummy
Why do you refuse to use cream of mushroom? My curiosity is peaked!!!
Oh, I just don’t like the taste!
M
Yummy the whole family love it and it’s so easy!
The directions seem vague. Do you mix the cheese with the hamburger mixture, do you sprinkle it in between the burger and tots, or do you put it on at the last few minutes of baking?
I know I was wondering the same , but I split the cups up in to two 1 cup of cheese’s & poured cheese on the meat mixture then put the tots on and baked it. Five minutes before it was ready to come out sprinkle the rest on top of the tots. Turned out for me.
Just put the cheese in the soup mixture and then on top before you bake it
Definitely going to try this today! However I have some shredded chicken that needs to be used up. Let’s hope it’s just as awesome! ^-^
Do you mix any of the tots nto the beef mixture?
I was wondering if I could add some of the frozen tater tots to the Hamburger mixture as well and if they will cook all the way through in the center of the casserole instead of just on top
The print recipe leaves out alot of detail on instructions… I printed to save it, but had to fill in missing parts that u described in ur blog.
The instructions for printing are incomplete. It would help avoid confusion to be more specific. I had printed the instructions, but had to look back for more detail.
It’s a great start but the recipe instructions do not match the photos at all. It would be helpful to readers to try to be consistent. There are people who may come across this and do not have experience with making casseroles.
Made this but the garlic salt made it to salty,next time i will use powder garlic with soup packet.Instead of 2 cans of cream of chicken, I used 1 can and a can of cheedar cheese. I also added cooked crumbled bacon.