The Original Tater Tot Casserole

The Story Behind This One

This recipe came out of my 90s Mom video — the one where I went through all the meals I actually cooked when my kids were little. So many of you wrote in about the tater tot casserole. Some of you said you’d never even heard of it. So here we are.

I pulled it right out of my favorite recipes. These are handwritten recipes that I’ve had for years and years, and the original tater tot casserole is right there in that book.

You want to know where I first ran across it? I had a friend when I was a teenager who fixed this. I can’t remember all the details, but I think there was some kind of cooking contest at school one day, and she had made this for it. That was the very first time I ever tasted tater tot casserole, and I thought it was delicious. I think she even won a prize. I don’t remember exactly what the deal was with that — but I got the recipe from her, and I don’t even know how many times I’ve made it since.

When my kids were home growing up, I made this all the time. It was just such a quick, simple meal. I loved it.

Now, I’ll tell you — I didn’t realize until recent years that other people had different versions of this out there. Some folks brown the ground beef first. Some add mixed vegetables or corn, which turns it into more of a cottage pie situation, since the tater tots are standing in for the mashed potatoes on top. And some people top theirs with cheese.

You can absolutely do any of those. But this is the simple version. This is the one that’s been in my book all along, and it’s the one I’m showing you today.

Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes Servings: 6–8 Oven: 350°F

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, raw
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of celery soup
• 1 small bag frozen tater tots
• 1/2 soup can of water

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Go ahead and do this before you start anything else, because this comes together so fast that you’ll want the oven ready when you are. I used an oval dish in the video, but it’s basically the same size as a 9×13. That’s what you want.
2. Press the raw ground beef into the bottom of the dish. Take your whole pound and a half and spread it around to cover the bottom. It’s just going to be a thin layer, and it bakes right in the oven — you do not brown it first. I know some versions have you brown the beef, and you certainly can. But my recipe simply uses the raw hamburger meat, and that long bake time takes care of it.
3. Season the meat. Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of salt evenly across the top, then add black pepper to taste. I go with a light sprinkle, but if you love pepper, use more. And I know people always say “to taste” — what that really means is you have to learn your own preferences as you cook. If you know you like salt, go a little heavier. If you’re cutting back on salt, use a little less. You have to know your own tastes.
4. Add the diced onion. I use one small onion, sliced up and run through my little chopper to let it do the work for me. Sprinkle it all across the top of the meat. Here again — if you love onion, use a bigger one. If you don’t care for as much, only use half of one.
5. Spread on the first can of soup. I go ahead and use the cream of chicken, but honestly it doesn’t matter which one goes first. Chicken and celery are the two flavors in my original recipe, but I’ve changed it up many times based on what I had in the pantry. Spread it out all the way to the edges.
6. Cover with the tater tots. Just a small bag, scattered all around the top. Now, I know some people place those tater tots in neat rows so they look perfect, and you can absolutely do that if you want to. But it’s really not necessary. It’s going to taste the same no matter what.
7. Spread on the second can of soup. Same thing — get dollops out, put them around, and then go back and spread it out a little. It’s a little harder to spread over the tater tots, but you can do it.
8. Pour on half a can of water. This is the ingredient I almost forgot to mention, and it matters. About half a soup can of water, poured gently over the top. It’s also a good way to clean your can out and get every bit of that soup in there. This is what keeps everything from drying out over that long bake.
9. Bake at 350°F for 1 1/2 hours. That full hour and a half gives the raw meat time to cook down in the pan with all the other ingredients, and all those flavors just mix together. When it comes out, it’s hot, it’s bubbly, and it smells delicious.
10. Check the meat and serve. When you scoop into it, you’ll see the hamburger meat down in the bottom cooked all the way through — it’s plenty done at that cook time. Let it sit a minute, because it comes out piping hot. Then dig in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you really not brown the ground beef? You really don’t. The full hour and a half at 350°F cooks the raw beef through completely, right in the pan with the soup and onion. When you scoop it out, you can see it’s plenty done. Some versions of this recipe do have you brown it first, and you’re welcome to — it’ll just change your bake time. But the original way is raw, and it works.

Can I use different soups? Absolutely. Cream of chicken and cream of celery are what’s written in my original recipe, but I’ve swapped them many times based on what was in my pantry. Cream of mushroom works. Two cans of the same kind works. Use what you’ve got.

Can I use homemade cream of chicken soup? You can. I have a homemade version and it’s wonderful in this. I used the canned soup in the video because that’s the original recipe and it makes this so quick to put together, but homemade is a fine substitution.

Do the low-fat soups work? They do. The ones I used were the 98% fat free versions — not because the recipe calls for it, but because that’s all our grocery store had that day. It turned out just fine. The regular soups are what it actually calls for, so use those if you have them.

What size dish do I need? A 9×13 baking dish, greased. I used an oval dish that’s about the same size and it worked perfectly.

How many tater tots do I need? Just a small bag — enough to cover the top in a single layer. You don’t need to line them up in neat rows unless you want to. It tastes the same either way.

Can I add vegetables? Yes, and a lot of people do. Mixed vegetables or corn stirred into the meat layer turns this into more of a cottage pie — meat, veggies, and potatoes all in one, since the tater tots stand in for mashed potatoes on top.

Can I add cheese? You can. I’ve seen plenty of folks top theirs with shredded cheese. Mine is just the simple version, but a handful of cheddar over the top for the last few minutes of baking would be good.

Why does it look like that? Because it’s a tater tot casserole. It has always been one of those dishes that doesn’t look great in the pan, especially after you start scooping it out. Trust me — it tastes good. It’s a good comfort meal, and if you love meat and potatoes, you’ll love this dish.

Can I make it ahead? You can assemble it and refrigerate it, then bake it when you’re ready. Just know that a cold dish going into the oven may need a little extra time. I’d check it at the hour and a half mark and go from there.

I hope you’ll give this one a try. I love how simple it is, and you saw how quick it was to put together. If you need some good options for dinner on weeknights, this is the perfect one. I think you’ll love it, and I think your family will love it too.

And keep your eye out for more of those 90s Mom meals we promised to bring you.