Description
A comforting and delicious Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole featuring seasoned ground beef, mixed vegetables, creamy cheese sauce, and crispy tater tots baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Vegetables
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 15 oz. can green beans, drained
- 1 cup sweet corn (canned and drained or frozen, not thawed)
- 1 cup petite frozen peas, not thawed
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Cream Sauce
- ¼ cup flour
- 1¼ cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons beef bouillon (granulated, base or crushed cubes)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 8 oz. (2 packed cups) freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- ¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
Topping
- 1 32-oz. bag frozen Tater Tots® (DON'T THAW)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9"x 13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then set aside.
- Brown Beef: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for three minutes until softened. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain excess grease. Add minced garlic and spices (chili powder, dried parsley, dried thyme, salt, pepper, smoked paprika) and cook for one minute to combine flavors.
- Cream Sauce: Sprinkle the flour over the beef mixture and cook over medium heat for one minute to form a roux. Reduce heat to low and gradually stir in one cup of chicken broth followed by the milk. Add soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon, and Dijon mustard, stirring well to combine.
- Simmer: Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer while whisking often. Continue cooking for about 7 minutes until the sauce thickens to a consistency thick enough to hold the tater tots without sinking. The sauce should be creamy and slightly thickened.
- Add Cheese & Veggies: Remove the sauce from heat and whisk in ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Stir in sour cream or Greek yogurt followed by the drained green beans, sweet corn, and frozen peas. If the sauce is too thick, stir in the remaining ¼ cup chicken broth to reach a slightly saucy consistency. Adjust salt and pepper to taste as desired.
- Combine: Transfer the beef and cream sauce mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Evenly sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese on top, then arrange an even layer of frozen tater tots over the cheese. Note that you will not use the entire bag of tater tots.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes until the tater tots are golden brown and the casserole is bubbling around the edges. For extra crispy tots, optionally broil for a few minutes at the end.
- Add Cheese: Remove casserole from oven, top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese, and return to oven for 5 more minutes at 350 degrees F until the cheese melts completely.
- Cool & Serve: Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- Prep Ahead: Assemble the casserole up to step before adding tater tots. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 48 hours. When ready to bake, let rest at room temperature 30 minutes, add frozen tater tots, and bake adding 10-15 minutes more as needed.
- Do not thaw the frozen tater tots before baking to ensure crispiness.
- Use reduced-sodium ingredients where possible to control salt content.
- Freshly shredded sharp cheddar melts better and provides superior flavor compared to pre-shredded cheese.
- For a lighter option, substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream.
- Broiling briefly at the end intensifies crispiness of tater tots.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
