This crockpot tater tot casserole is the perfect comfort food for a chilly night. It’s a fun kid-friendly dinner that’s easy to make, and you can customize it to your liking.
Why you’ll love this recipe
This crockpot tater tot casserole is a total family favorite, especially with the kids! I mean, what’s not to love about savory ground beef, crispy tater tots, and gooey melted cheese all coming together in one epic dish? It’s the ultimate comfort food that’s a breeze to make. The best part? It’s a total crowd-pleaser and makes fantastic leftovers for those crazy busy weeknights when you need a quick kid-friendly dinner.
What do you need?
- Ground beef/ mince – ground chuck is perfect for this recipe since it is slow cooked. For a variation you could use ground pork, chicken or turkey.
- Tater tots – the casserole is topped with frozen tater tots. However, you can use another brand like potato gems, potato royals or potato crunchies. You could also substitute frozen hash browns if you dont have tater tots.
- Seasonings – The beef is cooked with a little salt and pepper, and then Worcestershire sauce is used in the sauce to bring out the savory flavors in the dish.
- Tomato sauce – You will need one can of tomato sauce (aka puree tomato or tomato passata). You could substitute an equal amount of tomato-based pasta sauce if you don’t have tomato sauce.
- Cream cheese – I normally use Philadelphia brand, but any other brand of cream cheese should work just fine. It needs to be softened to use in the recipe, so remember to get it out of the refrigerator at least half an hour ahead of making the recipe.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – I used cheddar, but you could substitute gouda, swiss, jack, mozzarella, or double Gloucester.
- Bacon (optional) – I like to top the casserole with bacon bits. It needs to be pre-cooked and cut into ½-inch pieces. You can fry it quickly before cooking the beef and onions (or you can also air fry bacon).
- Toppings – I usually garnish this recipe with cherry tomatoes, and sliced dill pickles, to give it a cheese burger flavor that my kids love!
How to make tater tot casserole in the crock pot
1
Make the sauce.
First, brown the beef and onion in a skillet with the salt and pepper, then drain to remove any excess moisture. Then add the tomato sauce, cream cheese, half the cheddar cheese, and Worcestershire sauce, and mix well
2
Slow cook.
Grease the slow cooker bowl to prevent the casserole from sticking. Then layer tater tots into the bottom of the slow cooker pan, followed by a layer of the meat mixture, and finally layer the remaining tater tots on top. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
3
Top with cheese.
When there is around 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, add the cheese and cooked bacon (if using) over the tater tots, then replace the lid, and finish cooking for 30 minutes.
Serving ideas
This dish is delicious served with a crunchy side salad or some crisp steamed vegetables.
For some easy side dishes to pair with this recipe try:
Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole (Slow Cooker recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 900 g ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 15 oz / 425 g can tomato sauce 1 can
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 32 oz / 900 g frozen tater tots 1 packet
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 6 oz / 170 g cooked bacon pieces
- Olive oil
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the chopped onion, salt, and pepper over a medium-high heat until the meat is crumbled.
- Drain the beef well. Then add the tomato sauce, cream cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and Worcestershire sauce, and stir well to combine.
- Grease the slow cooker bowl with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Then spread half of the tater tots onto the bottom of the slow cooker liner. Then, add the meat mixture, then layer the remaining tater tots on top.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
- When there is 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, add the cheese and cooked bacon over the tater tots, cover and finish cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
