Meatlover's Tater Tot Pizza Casserole

Overhead view of the casserole with pepperoni on top/

Meatlover's Tater Tot Pizza Casserole

Build your favorite pizza on a base of Tater Tots for the easiest casserole ever. Your favorite pizza sauce, lots of gooey cheese, and all the meats make this Tater Tot pizza casserole the best!

Course Casserole

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 629kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Equipment

Casserole Dish

Ingredients

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

Storage:

Cover and refrigerate pizza casserole for three or four days at the most. You can also freeze this. Just cover tightly with plastic wrap then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Be aware that the Tater Tots may get a slightly weird texture.

Tips:

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