• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Simply Happy Foodie
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures / Disclaimers / Copyright
    • Contact Me
    • Meet Gizmo, Our Foodie Pug
  • Cook's Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • My Cookbook
  • About
  • Cook’s Shop
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • My Cookbook
  • About
  • Cook’s Shop
×
Home » Blog Recipe Posts » Dinner

Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole

February 21, 2019 by Sandy 3 Comments

Jump to Recipe

This Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole is a true American classic comfort food! Everyone from Grandmas to busy moms and dads have been making this easy Tater Tot Casserole recipe for decades. Let's go back to basics with this surprisingly tasty and popular hotdish!

Slice of Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole on a white plate in front of remaining casserole in a baking dish

 

Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole

The Hotdish is a casserole that contains meat, something starchy (such as tater tots), frozen or canned veggies, and a cream of something soup. This is a very popular dish in the upper Midwest of the USA, especially Minnesota.

My mom lived in MN for part of her life, and the things she cooked sometimes reflected her time there. For some reason the name Hotdish became Tater Tot Casserole in our neck of the woods.

Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole in a white baking dish

There are dozens of ways to make a Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole. You can use ground beef, ground sausage, or ground turkey. Some recipes are very bare-bones and don't have you season the meat, and I find those quite bland. Some use canned vegetables, some frozen, and the "cream of" soup can be mushroom, chicken, or even celery.

My version of the Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole uses ground beef, or ground turkey, and some seasonings. I like to use frozen veggies as they are not as mushy as canned. I also like to mix up the soups to get more flavor. And cheese, as that is a yummy addition to so many recipes!

Slice of Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole on a white plate in front of white baking dish

My family are meat and potatoes guys, so they really appreciate this Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole. This recipe makes about 10 servings, but sometimes the guys have seconds because it is so good! True Americana!

blue banner with the words you might also like
Cheesy Baked Chicken Spaghetti
Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast
Pulled Pork
Easy Baked Meatballs

5 from 1 vote
Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole in a white baking dish
Print
Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
 

This Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole is a true American classic comfort food! Everyone from Grandmas to busy moms and dads have been making this easy Tater Tot Casserole recipe for decades.

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Hotdish recipe, tater tot casserole recipe
Servings: 10
Calories: 402 kcal
Author: Sandy Clifton
Ingredients
  • 32 oz Frozen Tater Tots (or enough to cover the casserole)
  • 1 ½ - 2 lbs lbs Ground Beef (or ground Turkey, or Sausage)
  • 1 small Onion, diced
  • ½ tsp Pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • ½ tsp Onion Powder
  • ¼ tsp Thyme, dried
  • 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce (or Worcestershire)
  • 2 cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables
  • 1 10.5 oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1 10.5 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 2 ½ cups Shredded Cheese, divided (sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc.)
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 425° F

  2. Spread the tater tots out in an even layer on a baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove pan from oven and set aside (This optional steps helps you get a crispier tater tot layer).

  3. Lower oven temperature to 350° F

  4. In a skillet, start browning the meat and onion together. Add in the spices and soy sauce. Stir well and cook until meat is browned. Drain grease, if necessary.

  5. Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the meat mixture into the dish and spread in an even layer.

  6. Distribute the frozen veggies over the meat mixture in an even layer.

  7. Mix the 2 cans of soup together and then spread evenly over the frozen veggies.

  8. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over the soup layer.

  9. Arrange the tater tots on top of the cheese in a single layer. Us as many as you need to cover the entire surface.

  10. Bake in a 350° oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling.

  11. Sprinkle the remaining ½ (or more) cup of cheese over the tater tots and put back in the oven just long enough to melt it.

  12. Remove from the oven and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.


pink button with the words follow Simply Happy Foodie on Pinterest

RESOURCES TO MAKE this recipe and more

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.

This Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole is a true American classic comfort food! Everyone from Grandmas to busy moms and dads have been making this easy Tater Tot Casserole recipe for decades. simplyhappyfoodie.com #hotdish #tatertotcasserole Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole is a true American classic comfort food! Everyone from Grandmas to busy moms and dads have been making this easy Hotdish recipe for decades. Tater Tot Casserole is delicious! simplyhappyfoodie.com #hotdish #tatertotcasserole

More Dinner

  • Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner on a plate
    Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner
  • Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops and mashed potatoes on white plate.
    Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops
  • Slow Cooker Tamale Pie on a white plate with garnish.
    Slow Cooker Tamale Pie
  • Meatballs in a black crock
    Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Meatballs

Sharing is caring!

273 shares
  • Tweet
  • Share

My Instant Pot Cookbook is Here!

Instant Pot Cookbook Cover

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Cindy Duane

    March 23, 2019 at 5:38 pm

    Hi Sandy,
    I don't see the frozen veggies listed in the ingredientst. A 10oz bag of mixed veggies?

    Cindy

    Reply
    • Sandy

      March 24, 2019 at 7:45 am

      About 2 cups. Thanks for catching that!

      Reply
  2. Ellen

    February 23, 2019 at 8:21 am

    A great recipe from my childhood!

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi there! I’m Sandy - foodie with a passion for cooking and sharing my tasty recipes. My hubby Paul, our Pug Gizmo, and I live in Washington.

Sandy wearing a black shirt and a red apron

More about me →

Reader Favorite Recipes

  • Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf on a white plate garnished with parsley
    Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf
  • Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
    Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
  • Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
    Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
  • Short Ribs over mashed potatoes on a black plate next to a bunch of fresh parsley
    Instant Pot Short Ribs

More favorites

Footer

↑ back to top

Copyrighted Content
This website and its contents are the copyright of Simply Happy Foodie LLC – © 2016-2025.  All rights reserved.

Disclaimers

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

About

  • About
  • Contact
  • Meet Gizmo, Our Foodie Pug

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT