Tater Tot Hotdish is a quick and easy comfort food staple recipe all over the Midwest! This hotdish is full of meat, veggies, soup, cheese, and topped with tater tots for a super satisfying meal!
Lots of folks are confused by the name, Tater Tot Hotdish, but you may recognize this as Tater Tot Casserole! We just call it hotdish here in Minnesota.) Tater tot hotdish, or any “hotdish” recipe for that matter, is a simple casserole with a few main components. Typically in these casserole recipes, you will find meat, potatoes, or some other kind of starch, along with a combination of vegetables, cheese, and canned soup.
Tater Tot Hotdish Recipe
Hotdishes have been popular for years because they are convenient to make using only one pan. They are also a favorite because they are very budget-friendly. You can feed a crowd with a 9×13-inch pan of tater tot hotdish. Or, you can easily get two meals from one casserole.
Ingredients (full recipe below)
- Frozen tater tots
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Worchestershire sauce
- Sour cream
- Condensed cheddar cheese soup
- Cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
- Corn
- Green beans
- Shredded cheddar cheese
As far as vegetables go, I have found that canned or frozen both work perfectly in this casserole. I typically always use canned green beans and canned corn, because those are my family’s favorites. You can feel free to use broccoli, peas, carrots, or whatever vegetables you prefer!
The same goes for the cheese for this recipe. I typically like to use sharp cheddar but have added parmesan as well and it adds great flavor. You can experiment with a mixture of cheeses to make this casserole your own.
How to Make Tater Tot Hotdish
This Tater Tot Hotdish recipe is incredibly easy to make. A lot of times you will see hotdish made by the layering of ingredients with the meat first, then the soup, then the tater tots. My version varies a bit from the traditional layering. But, I have found after making this casserole for years, that my way makes for the most flavorful casserole with the most accurate cooking time!
Start by cooking the ground beef with seasonings, then draining the grease if necessary. Next, instead of layering, I mix the cooked beef together with the two cans of soup, sour cream, vegetables, and shredded cheese. Spread the beef mixture in the pan, and top with an even layer of tater tots. By mixing everything together, the meat has excellent flavor, and you don’t have to worry about it drying out!
How Long to Cook Tater Tot Hotdish
Tater tot hotdish should be cooked at 350°F. As tempting as it might be to cook this casserole at a higher temperature, it is best to go a little lower in temperature and slower.
Baking at 350°F ensures that the tater tot casserole will be hot and bubbly, the cheese melted, and the tater tots perfectly light brown and crispy! This will take about 50 minutes. Then, you can simply add more shredded cheese to the casserole, pop it back into the oven for 5-10 minutes, and serve!
Can I Freeze Tater Tot Hotdish?
Yes! It is easy to freeze Tater Tot Casserole. Follow all of the instructions up to the point of baking it. Instead of baking the casserole after you have the tater tots layered on top, simply cover the casserole with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, making sure to label and date the casserole. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
When you are ready to bake the casserole, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake it following the original baking instructions. And, don’t forget to add the extra shredded cheese the last five minutes of baking time!
INGREDIENTS
- 32 ounces frozen tater tots
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 can (10 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1 can (10 ounces) cream of mushroom or chicken soup
- 1 can (15.25 ounces) corn, drained
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) green beans, drained
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef along with the onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce until the beef is no longer pink. Draine grease if necessary.
In a large bowl, mix together the beef mixture with the sour cream, both cans of soup, corn, green beans, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
Spread the beef and soup mixture into the prepared pan. Top with an even layer of tater tots and bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, until tater tots are brown and the casserole is bubbling.
Top the hotdish with the remaining cup of shredded cheese and bake for 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted. Serve.
