This delicious meal is easy to make, hearty, and perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. So dig into your favorite comfort food and enjoy!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- It's so cheesy and an easy meal making it a weeknight winner!
- Great to prep ahead to save time at dinner on busy days.
- This kid-friendly casserole is a recipe that the entire family will enjoy.
I have had a "thing" for Tater Tots since I was a kid. There's just something about the combination of crunchy and creamy that I love.
You, too?
Then you're going to make this recipe a lot... but change it up once in awhile with this meat lover's Tater Tot pizza casserole!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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- Lean ground beef
- Onion
- Bell peppers
- Salt and black pepper
- Spicy ketchup
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Brown sugar
- Yellow mustard
- Tater Tots
- Cheddar cheese
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Brown ground beef, then saute the onions and bell peppers with the cooked ground beef.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients into the beef and pepper mixture and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Layer the beef mixture, cheddar cheese, and then tater tots in a single layer in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes, top with more cheese and then bake until tater tots are crispy.
🥄 Equipment
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- large cast-iron skillet or nonstick skillet
- 9x13 casserole dish
🥫 Storage
Store leftovers covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
You can freeze up to 3 months - just thaw overnight in the fridge before baking or reheating.
To reheat just warm up in the microwave or in a pan over medium heat on top of the stove.
📖 Variations
- No Tater Tots? Try topping with fried potatoes.
- If you can't find spicy ketchup, simply substitute it with regular ketchup and add some hot sauce.
- Mexican blend cheese can be used in place of cheddar cheese.
- Out of tater tots? You can use french fries or even diced potatoes instead of tater tots for this recipe.
- Not a fan of spice? Use regular ketchup instead of spicy.
- Add a touch of creaminess to this casserole by adding cream cheese or sour cream to the sauce mixture.
- Use ground turkey as the ground meat for this recipe, if you want something lower fat for this quick meal.
- Sprinkle with some French fried onions just before serving.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: Be sure to spray your baking dish well with cooking spray for easy clean-up.
- For extra crispy tater tots, you can bake them separately for about 15 minutes before adding them to the top of your casserole.
- You can tell the onions are done cooking when they start to turn translucent.
- If you like more spice to your tomato sauce, you can add some chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Onion powder can be used in place of fresh onions if you prefer.
👩🍳 FAQs
The tater tot casserole was popularized by home cooks in the 1950s.
Tater tots are layered with ground beef and cheese as a homestyle casserole recipe.
Yes, tater tot casserole makes a great freezer meal. You can freeze it for up to three months.
📚 Related recipes
- John Wayne Casserole is an easy recipe that is filled with beef and creamy sauce that the whole family will enjoy.
- Monterey Chicken Casserole is an economical meal that is full of Tex Mex flavor and will quickly become a family-favorite recipe.
- Chicken Casserole with Stovetop Stuffing is a classic comfort food that makes for an easy meal on a busy weeknight.
🍽️ Serve with...
- Spicy Roasted Cauliflower is an excellent low-carb side dish to pair with this hearty casserole.
- Green Bean Salad is a fresh and flavorful side dish that the entire family will enjoy.
- There is no better way to end a weeknight dinner than with a delicious recipe like this Strawberry Sheet Cake.
📞 The last word
When you're looking for an easy dinner that the kids will eat you can't go wrong with this sloppy joe tater tot casserole recipe! It's perfect for busy nights!
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. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup bell peppers, chopped
- salt & black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup spicy ketchup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, be sure to pack it into the measuring spoon
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 32 ounces Tater Tots
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Season the ground beef lightly with salt and pepper and brown in a large skillet - be sure to break it up as it cooks.
- Stir in the onions and peppers. Check the seasoning and make sure it has enough salt.
- Continue cooking the mixture until the onions and peppers are soft. Stir often so it doesn't stick.
- Stir remaining ingredients into the skillet.
- Bring to a simmer, the reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or so, stirring often.
- When the sloppy joe mix has thickened, remove the skillet from heat
- Add the beef mixture to the bottom of a 13x9-inch casserole dish that's been sprayed with no stick spray.
- Sprinkle with half the cheese.
- Add the Tater Tots on top - you may not want to use all of them. It's up to you.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake 10 more minutes or until Tater Tots are crispy and cheese is melted.
Notes
- For extra crispy tater tots, you can bake them separately for about 15 minutes before adding them to the top of your casserole.
- You can tell the onions are done cooking when they start to turn translucent.
- If you like more spice to your tomato sauce, you can add some chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Onion powder can be used in place of fresh onions if you prefer.
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.
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