First published Published: March 21, 2023. Last updated April 23, 2025 for editorial improvements.
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This tater tot pizza casserole is perfect for weeknights, game days, or feeding the neighbor who just had a baby (or a meltdown). Quick to make, easy to love, and guaranteed to have everyone scraping their plates clean. Save it now—your future self will thank you.
🧾 Ingredients
Switch up the meat. Feel free to swap ground turkey for beef if you prefer. You can also substitute or add ground Italian sausage. Use hot, mild, or sweet depending on what you like! Another option: swap the pepperoni or bacon for ham if you have some to use up.
Make this gluten-free by using gluten-free tater tots. Just be sure to check the rest of the ingredients carefully for hidden gluten.
📖 Recipe
Meatlover's Tater Tot Pizza Casserole
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- 1 pound lean ground beef, 90/10 or 97/3
- ½ pound bacon
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 ounces pizza sauce
- 2 pounds frozen Tater Tots
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded from a block, divided use
- 4 ounces pepperoni
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat.
- Add ground beef, bacon, onion, green pepper, and garlic.
- Cook about 10 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.
- Stir in pizza sauce.
- Spread pizza mixture evenly on the bottom.
- Sprinkle with half the Mozzarella.
- Cover completely with Tater Tots.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
- Return to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and top with Italian seasoning.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Don't let your frozen tater tots thaw. For best results, throw them on top of the casserole straight out of the freezer.
- I prefer lean ground beef (90/10). Otherwise, the tater tot pizza casserole can taste a bit oily. If you use fattier meat, try to drain some of the grease off before mixing in the pizza sauce.
- Placing the tater tots in a single layer helps them cook evenly, so try to avoid overlapping. It also ensures each tot turns a crisp golden brown.
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.
🤫 Cook's secrets -
For extra crispy tater tots, bake them for 10 minutes on a separate baking sheet before adding them to the casserole.
🍽️ Repurpose leftovers
- Breakfast Hash: Chop up leftovers and fry them with some scrambled eggs for a hearty breakfast.
- Pizza Casserole Soup: Add the leftovers to a pot with some chicken broth, V-8 juice, or vegetable broth and simmer until heated through. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a side of garlic bread.
How do I prep this ahead of time?
Simply brown the meat and veggies and stir in the sauce. Cool and refrigerate this meat mixture in a storage container or casserole dish until you're ready to cook—up to two days!
While preheating your oven, finish assembly by adding the frozen tater tots, then bake as directed. However, don't put a freezing-cold glass baking dish straight into a hot oven or it can shatter!
🍽️ Serve with...
This Italian Green Bean Salad is zingy and fresh, offering the perfect, easy complement to pizza casserole! Crispy, crunchy, air fryer garlic bread is the perfect way to soak up all the great pizza sauce and sweet endings? How about this Double Chocolate Fudge Coca Cola cake?
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Bill says
What a good combination of flavors. I used all Italian sausage in my 1/2 size recipe. I especially liked the crust that formed along the edges. Just like pizza! Definitely a 5 star rating.