Looking for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner? This Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole is your answer! Prep it the night before, and you’ll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.
This easy recipe is one of those weeknight meals that you'll serve over and over again just because it makes you feel like you've got this adulting thing down.
It's nothing to put together and your grocery budget will send you fancy thank-you notes with xoxoxo on them.
Table of Contents
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways
- I love this dish. It's kid-friendly, hearty enough for adults, and doesn't take a lot of time, fancy ingredients, or money.
- This is perfect for those chaotic back-to-school nights and extra busy weeknights all year long.
- It freezes well so it's a good recipe for freezer meal prep. Check out the "How to store" section for details.
This cowboy casserole recipe (also called tater tot casserole) is one of those weeknight meals that you'll serve over and over again.
It's a tried-and-true family favorite!
🧾 Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need. Full measurements and detailed instructions are available in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Switch up the protein. Use ground turkey, ground sausage, or shredded or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- No tater tots. Use mashed potatoes, au gratin potatoes, or cornbread batter over the top instead.
- Homemade tater tots work great in this - plus you can mix in cheese or chopped onions to change up the flavor.
- Change the cheese. Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, or a Mexican blend of cheese all work as well in place of the cheddar in this recipe.
- Stretch it. Make this easy meal even more budget-friendly by stretching it with a can of Ranch-style, pinto, or black beans. Just add them in with the corn. Be sure to drain the black or pinto beans, but leave the sauce on the Ranch-style beans.
- Make it mild. If you don't want any hint of heat, use plain diced tomatoes instead of Rotel tomatoes.
- Switch soups. Cream of chicken or cream of celery soup works just as well in place of cream of mushroom.
Serve this hearty meal with a quick dessert like this microwave chocolate cobbler and you'll be enjoying that Mom of the Year
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Watch the video below for in-depth how-tos and more tips. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Bake the tater tots in the casserole dish.
- Cook the ground beef, onions, and pepper.
- Then, add the Rotel.
- Stir in the sour cream and cream of mushroom soup.
- Add the corn, and cheese.
- Spoon the ground beef mixture into a baking dish.
- Sprinkle with more cheese.
- Place the tater tots over the top and sprinkle with a layer of cheese.
- Bake and enjoy.
🤫 Cook's secrets -
Make this Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole in your
🍴 Equipment
- 13x9-inch casserole dish
- cheese grater
- measuring cups
- aluminum foil
- heavy skillet
🎥 Video
🥫 How to store leftover Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole
This easy casserole recipe is a great way to make one dinner that lasts for at least one more meal. It's also fabulous to make ahead as a freezer meal for busy nights.
Refrigerator storage:
Unbaked cowboy casserole stores well in the refrigerator for up to three days. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Once cooked and cooled to room temperature, you can move the leftovers to an airtight container or use a casserole dish with a lid to store it for up to 5 days.
Freezer storage
After adding the tater tots and cheese on top, wrap the unbaked casserole with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake you'll just thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed.
After cooking, you can freeze leftover cowboy casserole in an airtight container or freezer bag for the same amount of time.
How to reheat Tater Tot casserole
To reheat: To reheat, cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375°F until warmed through. Reheat small amounts in the microwave.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Always grate cheese from a block for the best flavor and melting quality. Pre-grated cheese often contains additives that can affect taste and texture. Ew.
💭 Things to know
- Make it easy with frozen veg. I like to buy packages of frozen fajita mixed vegetables that contain onions and different colored bell peppers. This saves me a ton of prep time! Sometimes I add them into my meat lover's pizza tater tot casserole, too!
- Prefer fresh? If you prefer to use fresh peppers and onions you'll want about ½ cup of each, diced.
- This chicken spaghetti with Rotel will use up any extra ingredients you have lying around!
- Stretching Ingredients: Use extra ingredients like beans or more corn to stretch the recipe further.
- Individual Portions: Make this is small, foil tart pans or mini-loaf pans and freeze for individual sized servings. Perfect for those times when everyone in the entire family is going in different directions.
👩🍳 FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
You'll need at least an hour to bake from frozen. Use and instant read thermometer to ensure that the casserole registers 165 in the center before removing from the oven. All in all, it's best to thaw it overnight in the fridge before baking.
Cowboy casserole gets its name because of the Tex-Mex-style ingredients. We love a little spice here in the South! However, in many places, it's called tater tot casserole because of the easy spud topping.
Put this hearty casserole together up to three days ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake and serve. It can also be frozen for up to three months. See the storage heading for more info.
Sure thing! Make the casserole in small foil tart pans or mini-loaf pans and bake or freeze for individual-sized servings. It's perfect for those nights when everyone in the entire family is going in different directions for dinner.
📚 Related recipes
🍽️ Serve with...
You don't need much with this hearty meal! I like to add a bowl of Candied Jalapenos to the table for those who like to spice things up.
This Italian Green Bean Salad a crunchy side dish that can be made ahead of time. The flavors work well with the cheesy Cowboy casserole.
If you've still got room for dessert give these Chewy Cinnamon Cookies a try!
Need more side dish ideas? These side dishes for hashbrown casserole go equally well with this dish!
📞 The last word
For the longest time I fought tooth and nail against making my life easier.
Honestly, it was like there was something inside me that made me feel like if I worked harder I would be worth so much more to someone, somewhere.
So I only used fresh vegetables, I made ALL our bread, I even ground wheat berries to make flour. I didn't use cream of anything soup... not ever.
Then, one day, I got a slap in the face that told me, in no uncertain terms, that no one really cared. The people who valued me would value me regardless, and the ones who didn't ... well, they didn't deserve me anyhow.
And that's when I discovered frozen chopped onions, cream of mushroom soup, and dinners that didn't leave me frazzled and exhausted from trying to do 👏🏻 it 👏🏻 all👏🏻.
You're valuable just the way you are. Cream of mushroom soup or not.
And you may just want to try this easy 30 minute casserole if you're out of cream of mushroom soup.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe, please leave a comment below and rate it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Your feedback helps others find and enjoy this delicious dish too.
📖 Recipe
Tater Tot Cowboy Casserole
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 32 ounces Tater Tots
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup onions and peppers mix, from the frozen section
- 10 ounces Ro*Tel tomatoes
- 2 cups corn kernels
- 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
- 2 cups Cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place Tater Tots in a greased pan and put them in a 425F oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Add the ground beef and onions & peppers mix to a skillet. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add the Ro*Tel and simmer for 5 minutes to let the extra liquid evaporate.
- Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, corn, and ½ cup of cheese.
- Stir until blended.
- Spoon into the bottom of a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle with ¾ cup of the remaining cheese.
- Top with the Tater Tots, arranging them in a single layer.
- Cover with the remaining cheese.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
- You can stop at this point and put the casserole in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Bake at 425F for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil.
- Bake 10 more minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- You can make cowboy casserole in your slow cooker. Just spray the inside with non-stick spray, layer the ingredients like you would for the casserole dish, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Make this even more budget friendly by stretching it with a can of Ranch style, pinto or black beans. Just add with the corn. Drain the black or pinto beans but leave the sauce on the Ranch style if you're using those.
- Make this is small, foil tart pans or mini-loaf pans and freeze for individual sized servings. Perfect for those times when everyone in the entire family is going in different directions.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published August 3, 2020. Last updated June 3, 2024 for editorial improvements and more helpful content.
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Tater Tot Cowboy Casserole
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Holly B Botha says
Everything I make from Marye is always delicious, my family raves about the dinner from her recipes. I love making her recipes. Thank you for sharing your recipes, your kitchen secrets and wonderful notes of wisdom from your heart. I love and appreciate it all as I do you💖
Marye says
Oh, thank you so much!
Michelle Bogart says
I haven't cooked (other than frozen dinners) in a long time and decided to search easy to fix meals. My Mom cooked a lot of casseroles and I found Restless Chipotle. I did use MILD Ro-tel because I am a whimp, but my Dad and adult son both agree this one is a keeper. And the adult son can be pretty picky! Great dish to dip back into cooking, thanks for sharing it.
Renee says
What if you don’t have sour cream on hand?
Marye says
Then you'll need to make a quick trip to the store. It's a pretty important ingredient.
Rene says
Hi,
I just discovered your blog last night and so many of your recipes look great! I cannot wait to try them. Today, I was looking at the Tater Tot casserole and reading your comments at the end of it (before the recipe). You are talking about how much pressure you have put on yourself to do everything with fresh ingredients, make everything from scratch, etc. and then one day you discovered that no one really cared. Those who love you will love you regardless. Wow, that was what I needed to hear! Because I have always done the same thing to myself. Never felt like I was good enough for folks unless I did everything perfectly.
Thank you for an eye-opener. I needed to hear that!
Marye says
I am so glad and thank you for telling me!!
Diann says
HELP, I can't print your Cowboy Casserole. I go from jump to recipe and when I hit print at the recipe it goes back to the Jump arrow again. Don't know if I love it, but I bet I would. D.
Marye says
Diann that's usually a problem with either your firewall or the search engine you're using. Try using a different search engine or do a screen shot of the recipe card. 🙂
Ash says
THIS CASSEROLE IS DELICIOUS!
Note: I had ground turkey on hand, so I used that but otherwise followed the recipe.
Great flavor and a new family favorite!
Marye says
So glad you liked it!