Tater tot casserole is a layered casserole with ground meat, frozen vegetables, cream of mushroom soup, and tater tots. This classic casserole has its roots in the Midwest and uses simple ingredients that make up the perfect comfort food for cold winter nights. It’s a family favorite meal.

baked tater tot casserole in 9x13 dish with white and blue cloth in background

I love casseroles because they are generally easy to make, can be made ahead of time to reheat in the microwave or bake just before eating, can easily be doubled-up, and make great freezer meals. Tater Tot Casserole is no exception.

I know, casseroles aren’t the cool kid in town these days. However, I strongly believe they can be a busy parent’s secret weapon when there just aren’t enough hours in the day. And let’s face it, no matter how much we look ahead to the next stage in life, we find there are never enough hours in the day.

Now, let’s dig in and get cooking.

The Meat Base

You can use any ground meat you like, but I often use 93% lean ground turkey in tater tot casserole because it goes on sale frequently at our grocery store. However, it is also usually a bit cheaper than ground beef.

You can also use 85% lean ground meat. However, the amount of cooked meat will be less as the fat cooks out of it. In this regard, I often find the price difference for lower-fat ground meat isn’t that different since you end up with more meat after it cooks down.

ground turkey cooking in pan for tater tot casserole; showing it crumbled small as it cooks

The Veggies

Frozen mixed vegetables are my go-to for tater tot casserole. A 12-16 oz. bag of of them and we are good to go. However, feel free to mix it up and use whatever frozen vegetables you would like and add more or less. The beauty of layered casseroles like this is you can change it up to whatever veggies your family prefers.

veggies in smooth layer over ground meat in 9 x 13 dishes; one aluminum for freezer and one glass

Cream of Mushroom Soup

You absolutely can use canned cream of mushroom soup if you want to. It’s fast and easy and is a definite shortcut since homemade cream of mushroom soup takes time to make. However, I prefer making this homemade cream of mushroom soup. It’s tastier, has fewer ingredients, and I can adapt any recipe that calls for cream of mushroom soup for allergy needs much more easily. I talk about how to adapt the homemade recipe below in the sections about making tater tot casserole dairy-free and gluten-free.

,ushroom soup over mixed vegetables and ground meat in 9x13 pan for tater tot casserole

The Tots

The tater tots on top of the casserole tend to draw even picky eaters in because most kids like tater tots. Plus, there’s little hassle in using tater tots – no peeling, cutting, pre-cooking, or mashing required. Simply pull a bag out of the freezer and arrange them on top of the casserole.

two 9x13 baking dhes, one foil and one glass with tater tots arranged over top of casserole

Can you make it gluten-free ?

You can make a gluten-free tater tot casserole at home quite easily with this recipe. If you do not already follow a gluten-free diet and need to avoid even trace amounts of gluten because you are cooking for someone with Celiacs or extreme gluten sensitivity, be sure to check with that person to confirm what seasonings, tater tots, and cream soup or cornstarch are safe for them. I use a homemade cream of mushroom soup recipe here that uses cornstarch instead of flour.

Can you make it dairy-free?

You can also make tater tot casserole dairy-free if you need to. Just as I suggested with gluten concerns above, be sure to confirm the ingredients, including the tater tots, you use do not contain dairy. My cream of mushroom soup recipe can be made with coconut milk (I use So Delicious refrigerated full-fat) or rice milk as a 1:1 substitution for cow’s milk. Again, just confirm that they are safe for whomever needs to be dairy-free.

Can you freeze it?

You can freeze tater tot casserole. Simply prepare it up to just before the step of baking it. Wrap it well and freeze. I recommend moving it to the refrigerator several days before using so it has time to defrost. I have not baked it from frozen so do not have instructions for how to do so.

How long does it take to bake?

If you bake the casserole uncovered right after assembling all the ingredients it takes 45 minutes – 1 hour to bake in a 375F oven depending on your oven size and reliability of your oven temperature. I recommend checking it at the 45-minute mark to see if it is heated through and the tater tots are lightly browned.

You want it to reach a temperature of 165F. And if you are asking how to know when it reaches that temp, I find food/meat thermometers to be an invaluable asset to my kitchen and they are quite affordable. They take the guesswork out of “Is this food cooked all the way” without defaulting to overcooking it “just to be sure.”

The following links are for products on Amazon that I have purchased and used. I make a commission from your purchase without it costing you more. This thermometer is my go-to, but if you prefer a digital thermometer, I have also used this one and like it. I always manage to break them somehow so stick with the non-digital thermometer.