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Tater Tot Taco Casserole will be your new favorite way to enjoy taco night! Tater taco casserole has layers of a Mexican mixture of taco meat, crispy tater tots, and lots of cheesy goodness! It’s a one pan casserole dinner that the whole family loves.
Try these other tater tot casserole recipes – Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole, Shepherd’s Pie Tater Tot Casserole, and BBQ Beef Tater Tot Casserole.
Taco Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
Switch up taco Tuesday and make this easy casserole recipe with all the flavors of classic tacos but with crispy tater tots! One of our family favorite dinners is when we make taco tater tot bowls. Crisp up tater tots inside the air fryer, top with taco seasoned ground beef, queso, and then all your favorite taco toppings.
This easy dinner recipe is a twist to those tater tot taco bowls. A one pan casserole with cheesy tater tots, taco seasoned ground beef with lots of mix-ins like black beans, tomatoes, sour cream, and corn and then topped with lots of cheese.
Simple Ingredients Needed
- Ground Beef : I use 93/7 lean beef.
- Finely Diced Onion : Use a sweet onion or yellow onion.
- Garlic : Use fresh garlic cloves that have been minced or pressed, chopped garlic from a jar, or garlic paste.
- Taco Seasoning Mix Packet : Use regular, mild, or a hot & spicy packet.
- Rotel : These are diced tomatoes with green chilies. You can use mild, medium, or hot spice level.
- Black Beans : Drain the black beans and rinse them under cold water.
- Mexicorn : This is canned corn with peppers mixed into it, also called Mexican corn. It comes in a smaller can, so if you can’t find it, use the equivalent in regular canned corn (about half of a 15 ounce can).
- Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup : This is similar to cream of chicken soup, but it’s a cheddar cheese version. I know it’s annoying to only use half of a can, but that’s all you need. So save the remaining half and make this easy taco tater tot casserole again! Cream of chicken is a substitute if needed.
- Sour Cream
- Frozen Tater Tots
- Shredded Cheese
- Taco Toppings : Sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, avocado slices, sour cream, taco sauce, and chopped black olives are all great topping choices for this Mexican tater tot casserole recipe.
How To Make Tater Tot Taco Casserole (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef and onion until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are tender. Drain any excess fat from the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes or until fragrant.
Stir in the taco seasoning and Rotel diced tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
Add in the black beans, mexicorn, condensed cheddar cheese soup, and sour cream. Stir until everything is well combined and heated through.
Pour the ground beef mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, and spread the mixture out evenly.
Arrange the frozen tater tots in a single layer on top of the beef mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over top of the tater tots. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Top the entire casserole with your preferred taco toppings OR garnish each serving with taco toppings of choice.
How To Store Leftover Tater Tot Casserole
Store the leftover casserole inside the fridge for up to 3 days. You can cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or a lid for storage. Or remove individual portions to an airtight container for storage.
To Freeze : Assemble the casserole, but do not bake it. Cover the casserole tightly with plastic wrap and then again in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. Add an extra 10-15 minutes to the bake time if baking chilled from the fridge. Otherwise, let the casserole come closer to room temperature before baking; about 10 minutes set out at room temperature.
Can I Make Any Changes or Substitutions?
- Make It Spicier! : Add a can of diced green chiles or canned chopped jalapeños into the meat mixture. Use Pepper Jack cheese.
- Ground Beef : Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead.
- Black Beans : Substitute with pinto beans, kidney beans, or white navy beans.
- Rotel : These are canned diced tomatoes with green chiles. Use mild, medium, or hot spice level. Even the mild heat is somewhat spicy so if you don’t want any spice at all then try using regular canned diced tomatoes. You won’t need the entire can, only about 3/4 of it.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese : Any variety of cheese that you love will work great! Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby Jack cheese, Mexican blend cheese, etc.
More Tex-Mex Mexican Food Recipes To Try
- Best Cafe Rio Dressing (Copycat Recipe)
- Quick & Easy Taco Bowls
- Taco Sloppy Joes
- Best Steak Fajitas
- Easy Chicken Taco Soup
- Creamy Ground Beef Flautas
- Honey Lime Chicken Taquitos
- Baked Double Decker Tacos
Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (I use 93/7)
- 1 small sweet onion OR yellow onion finely diced
- 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 can (10 oz) mild Rotel drained
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 can (8 oz) Mexicorn drained
- 1/2 cup condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 bag (32 oz) frozen tater tots
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Optional Taco Toppings For Serving
- shredded lettuce
- diced tomatoes
- avocado slices
- sour cream
- chopped cilantro
- sliced green onions
- jalapeño slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef and onion until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are tender. Drain any excess fat from the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes or until fragrant.1 pound ground beef, 1 small sweet onion OR yellow onion, 1 clove garlic
- Stir in the taco seasoning and Rotel diced tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes until well combined.1 packet taco seasoning, 1 can (10 oz) mild Rotel
- Add in the black beans, mexicorn, condensed cheddar cheese soup, and sour cream. Stir until everything is well combined and heated through.1 can (15 oz) black beans, 1 can (8 oz) Mexicorn, 1/2 cup condensed cheddar cheese soup, 1/2 cup sour cream
- Pour the ground beef mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, and spread the mixture out evenly.
- Arrange the frozen tater tots in a single layer on top of the beef mixture.1 bag (32 oz) frozen tater tots
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over top of the tater tots. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes before serving.* Top the entire casserole with your preferred taco toppings, garnish each serving with taco toppings of choice, or serve the casserole as is!shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado slices, sour cream, chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, jalapeño slices
Notes
Nutrition
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