A well-loved casserole of ground beef, and I like to also add smoked sausage, seasoned with sweet onion and bell pepper, and a cream soup sauce and topped with crispy, crunchy tater tot potatoes and cheese.
Tater Tot Casserole
Tater tots. Little pillows of deep fried shredded potatoes. I mean, c'mon... how can you not love those little bite sized crunchy bites of goodness? On the rare occasion that we eat Sonic, I guarantee I'm gettin' the tater tots y'all!
Did you know that tater tots were born out of trying to "use it up?" They sure were. Those folks at Ore-Ida were looking for a way to use up the leftover slivers of potatoes and came up with the tater tot. You'd almost think those Griggs brothers were southerners! Around since the early 50s, we consume about 70 million pounds of tater tots a year.
Ah yes... and let us not forget the fabulous famous Tater Tot Casserole! Sometimes called Cowboy Casseroles, it's a recipe I'm pretty sure every southerner has in their recipe box. The basic tater tot casserole is very simple, including cream of something soup, cheese, milk or sometimes sour cream, seasoned simply with a bit of salt and pepper, and is usually served as a side dish. Somebody along the way thought to add meat to make it a more substantial main dish, usually ground beef or turkey. Some folks layer the ground beef in the bottom of the casserole raw, but I prefer to pre-cook mine and drain off the fat.
Well, y'all know I can never leave well enough alone, right?
Here's what you'll need to make my Beef and Smoked Sausage Tater Tot Casserole:
- 1 (10-ounce ) can original cream of mushroom or chicken soup
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
- 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1-pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2-pound smoked sausage, chopped, optional
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 pound package frozen tater tots
Just one thing to note here with this casserole. A lot of people mix all of the ingredients together, others put the tater tots on the bottom and pour the mixture on top of them. Well, in my little ole humble opinion, you want those tater tots to be crispy on top, really you do! This ain't hash brown casserole y'all, although that is an excellent variation.
Here's how to make it.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a 9 x 9-inch casserole dish with non-stick spray; set aside. Whisk together the cream soup and milk until well blended; set aside. Double everything for a 9 x 13-inch casserole.
Add olive oil to a large skillet and sauté the onion and bell pepper until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the ground beef and brown; drain excess fat if needed and return beef to the skillet.
Add the minced garlic, cook and stir another minute.
Add in the chopped smoked sausage and cook about 3 minutes.
Stir in the basil, thyme, Cajun seasoning; taste and add salt and pepper only as needed.
Transfer meat mixture to the prepared casserole dish.
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese.
Evenly pour the soup mixture over the top.
Arrange the tater tots on top.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until potatoes are nicely browned and crisp.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on top and return to the oven just until cheese is melted.
Serve immediately with a green vegetable or a mixed garden salad. Double for a 9 x 13-inch casserole.
Perfect for toting to a potluck, but I wrote this in a smaller version here for a 9 x 9-inch baking dish, so you'll want to double it for that.
I've also included some of the many variations this casserole has gone through over the years, just in case you may want to try something a little different.
For more of my favorite casseroles and bakes, check out the collection on my page on Pinterest!
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