Cowboy Casserole with Tater Tots

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Cowboy casserole is a pan of seasoned ground beef and sweet corn in a creamy sauce with a full layer of tater tots baked crisp across the top. It’s the kind of dinner kids ask for by name, and it goes from a cold skillet to the table in about an hour.

The tots need room. Lay them in a single layer straight from the freezer and the tops crisp while the bottoms steam gently into the sauce, which is exactly right. Pile them two deep and the whole pan turns into a soft potato blanket with no crunch anywhere.

Drain the beef well before the sauce goes in. Even 85 percent lean leaves a couple of tablespoons of grease in the skillet, and grease that comes along for the ride floats up under the tots and keeps them from ever browning.

Why You’ll Love This Cowboy Casserole Recipe

• Crispy top, creamy bottom. The tots give you crunch over a soft, cheesy beef and corn filling, so every scoop has two textures in it.
• Ten minutes of actual work. Brown the beef, stir in the sauce, dump the tots on top. The oven handles the other forty.
• Picky-eater proof. Ground beef, corn, cheese and tater tots is a list with nothing on it for a kid to negotiate around.
• Everything comes from the pantry and freezer. A can of soup, a bag of tots, frozen corn and a pound of ground beef, all things worth keeping on hand.

Cowboy Casserole Ingredients

Don’t thaw the tater tots. Frozen tots hit the hot oven and crisp on the outside before the inside softens, while thawed ones go limp and soak up sauce from below.

• 1 lb ground beef (85/15)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, divided
• 1 (32 oz) bag frozen tater tots
• 3 green onions, sliced, for garnish

Recipe Variations

• Make the tomato version instead of the creamy one. Skip the soup and milk and stir in a 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained, plus an extra 1/4 cup of sour cream. It comes out tangier and a little looser.
• Add 6 slices of cooked bacon, chopped, to the filling along with the corn. Cut the salt back to 1/4 teaspoon since bacon brings plenty of its own.
• Use ground turkey in place of the beef. Cook it to 165°F rather than 160°F, since turkey is poultry and needs the higher temperature.

How to Make Cowboy Casserole

1. Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
2. Brown the beef and onion: Cook the ground beef and diced onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, breaking the meat apart, until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more, then drain off all the grease.
3. Make the sauce: Turn the heat to low. Stir in the cream of mushroom soup, milk, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper and onion powder until smooth. Fold in the frozen corn and 1 cup of the cheddar.
4. Fill the dish: Spread the beef mixture evenly across the bottom of the greased 9×13. It should come about halfway up the sides.
5. Top with tots: Arrange the frozen tater tots over the filling in one single layer, straight from the bag, lining them up in rows so nothing overlaps.
6. Bake uncovered: Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until the tots are golden and crisp on top and the filling bubbles up around the edges of the dish.
7. Add the cheese and rest: Scatter the remaining 1 cup of cheddar over the tots and bake 5 minutes more, until melted. Let the pan stand 5 minutes, then top with the sliced green onions and serve.

Recipe FAQs

Can I Make Cowboy Casserole Ahead of Time?

Make the filling up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it in the baking dish. Add the frozen tots right before it goes in the oven, and bake 45-50 minutes from cold, until the tots are crisp and the center of the filling reads 165°F.

Why Did My Tater Tots Come out Soggy?

Three usual causes: the tots were stacked more than one deep, the pan was covered with foil, or the beef wasn’t drained. Any of those traps moisture right where you need dry heat.

Can I Use a Different Condensed Soup?

Yes. Cream of chicken, cream of celery or cheddar cheese soup all swap in one for one. Cream of chicken makes the mildest version, which is the safer bet with kids who spot mushrooms.

What Else Can I Add to Cowboy Casserole?

Chopped bacon, a drained can of black beans, diced jalapeños or a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles all fit. Keep total add-ins to about 1 1/2 cups so the filling doesn’t get too wet for the tots.

Can I Make This in a Slow Cooker?

Not well. The tots need dry oven heat to crisp, and a slow cooker’s trapped steam turns them to mashed potatoes on top of the beef. This one is worth the oven.

Cooking Tips

• Line the tots up in rows rather than scattering them. Rows fit more tots in a single layer and give you an even crust instead of thick patches and bare spots.
• Let the filling stay hot when it goes in the dish. Frozen tots on a hot base start crisping right away, while a cold base makes them sit and steam for the first ten minutes.
• Run the broiler for 2 minutes at the very end if you like them crunchier. Stand at the oven door while you do it, because tots go from golden to black in well under a minute.

Storage and Freezing

To store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The tots soften overnight no matter what you do, so count on reheating in the oven.

To freeze: It freezes for up to 2 months, but be honest with yourself: the potato topping never fully crisps again. Freeze the filling on its own instead and add fresh tots the day you bake it.

To reheat: Warm it uncovered at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, which brings back most of the crunch, and heat until the center reaches 165°F. The microwave works for a single serving but leaves the tots soft.

How to Serve Cowboy Casserole

Cowboy Casserole is heavy on its own, so put something sharp and green next to it. A crisp romaine salad with ranch, steamed broccoli or a plate of raw carrots and cucumbers all cut through the richness. Sour cream, hot sauce and extra green onions on the table let everyone finish their own plate the way they like it.

Loved This Recipe?

Cowboy Casserole is on the table in about an hour and it’s one of the few dinners where the leftovers get fought over the next day.

Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.