This cowboy tater tot casserole is an easy one-pan dinner recipe made with ground beef mixed with baked beans and corn and topped with cheese and tater tots. We love this easy kid-friendly dinner for a quick weeknight meal.
Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole is an easy healthy comfort food recipe perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. We love that this recipe requires simple ingredients we already have stocked in our pantry and kitchen.
The best part is that this healthy casserole recipe is that it can be made in one-pan or a cast iron skillet. This is also a great meal prep recipe and one of our favorite kid-friendly dinners.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- One-Pan Recipe
- Kid-Friendly
- Meal Prep Dinner
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground Beef - Ground beef is the main protein in this dish. You can also substitute with venison or ground turkey.
- Tater Tots - Tater tots make this dish kid-friendly and extra delicious.
- Baked Beans - Barbecue baked beans add extra protein and flavor to the dish.
- Corn - Fresh, canned or frozen corn work great for this recipe.
- Garlic - We like to add minced garlic to this recipe for extra flavor.
- Onion - We recommend using finely diced yellow onion, but you can use whatever onion you have on hand.
- Worcestershire Sauce - Worcestershire Sauce has a very distinct, savory flavor that enhances the flavor of the dish.
- Cheese - This recipe calls for cheddar cheese, but you can substitute with whatever cheese you have like mozzarella or Colby jack.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet - We prefer to make this entire meal in a cast iron skillet. This allows you to make the dish on the stovetop and transfer it in the same skillet into the oven to bake.
How to Make the Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole
Step 1. Add the ground beef, onion and minced garlic to the skillet.
Step 2. Brown the beef.
Step 3. Add the baked beans, corn and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet.
Step 4. Stir and cook the ingredients together.
Step 5. Sprinkle cheese over the meat mixture.
Step 6. Place the tater tots in rows on top of the meat mixture.
Step 7. Sprinkle cheese on top of the tater tots.
Step 8. Bake the skillet in the oven.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
This cowboy tater tot casserole makes 4-6 servings. We like to serve the dish with a side salad or vegetable side.
If you like this recipe, you will love our easy one-pan dinners.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Mix in More Vegetables - You can make this easy one-pan dinner even better (and healthier) by mixing in more vegetables while cooking on the stovetop.
- Top it with Barbeque Sauce - One of my friends who makes this recipe weekly for her family said topping it with barbeque sauce is their favorite way to eat it!
- Meal Prep Casserole - This is a great meal prep recipe because it keeps well in the fridge and reheats easily in the oven.
How to Store the Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole
- Refrigerator - 3-4 days in an airtight container
Recipe FAQ
Yes you can! Simple brown the beef and add the corn, beans and sauce to make the meat mixture. You can store the meat mixture in the fridge in an airtight container until you're ready to assemble the casserole.
More Dinner Recipes
Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole
Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole is an easy dinner with ground beef mixed with baked beans and corn and topped with tater tots and cheese. It is a great quick dinner recipe and easy casserole that's great for a busy weekday dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 16oz cans barbeque baked beans
- 1 cup corn
- 6 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 bag of frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place a cast iron skillet on the stove top and add the ground beef, minced garlic and finely diced onion to the skillet.
- Turn the burner onto medium heat and cook the beef until it is browned.
- Once the beef is browned, pour the baked beans, corn, and Worcestershire sauce into the skillet and stir to mix everything together.
- Turn the heat down to low and allow everything to cook together for 5 minutes.
- Use a spatula to press the mixture into the bottom of the dish.
- Sprinkle 1 cup cheddar cheese over the skillet, then place the tater tots in rows to cover the entire dish.
- Cover the skillet with tin foil and bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until the tater tots are browned.
- Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle on the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Return the uncovered pan to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Remove the dish from the oven, allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes, and serve with barbeque sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 739Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 1721mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 5gSugar: 30gProtein: 53g
Amy L
Looking to finally make this recipe (using ground chicken), but only have canned creamed corn, a can of black beans, and white kidney beans. Might the recipe still work with these substitutions? Thought I'd add barbecue sauce in lieu of missing sauce from barbecued baked beans.
Ally Tjoelker
Hi Amy! I am excited for you to try the recipe as it is one of our most popular and personal favorites. I have not tried the recipe with creamed corn or black/kidney beans and recommend following the recipe as written for best results!