Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole

Our easy Crock pot tater tot casserole with ground beef recipe is cheesy and can be a great leftover ham recipe too! Made with frozen potatoes and Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup this is a family friendly creamy meal you’ll love.

We have used leftover ham from Christmas, as an easy ground beef recipe and it turned out delicious no matter what! You only need a few ingredients and it’s perfect to have breakfast for dinner, lunch, or even brunch. Let us know what you think after you try it yourself. 😉

If you have never made a casserole in Crock pot before you are in for a real treat. Everything can be layered, lid secured, and when you’re home dinner will already to ready for all of you. Don’t skip the cheese, add that extra layer or top because cheesy = added YUM. 😉 It’s a great throw it in and go kinda’ meal and a tater tot casserole with ground beef is always great when it is chilly outside.

Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup

This is how to make this comfort food super creamy. Generally I will use a can of condensed soup but you could make some homemade cream of mushroom soup too if you’ve got the time and use that.

There’s really no difference, other than a slight taste variation, if you use mushroom vs. chicken condensed soup. I use typically whatever I have on hand at the time and it is a hit either way so I wouldn’t worry about that.

Should you defrost frozen tater tots?

You are going to start out with a bag of Ore Ida Frozen tater tots, same as we use to make frozen air fryer tater tots but this will become a complete meal. You NEVER want to defrost them first as that will make them really mushy. You want them to take some time with all the other ingredients so just pour in as is.

Best Meat for Tater Tot Casserole

Ground beef or diced ham works too. You will need to precook in a pan on the stove or cook ground beef in microwave. Ground chicken or ground turkey meat mixtures work too for lower fat but honestly 80/20 beef or HOT ground Jimmy Dean sausage is the best of the best.

Can you use leftover meat?

Yes, one year just before Christmas I bought a ham because I got almost 3 lbs. for under 7 dollars! Meat like this literally lasts us for a week using different recipes, so I got to experimenting and used the leftovers from that one year to make this, was delish.

You can use chicken as well. Use what’s on hand I always say (or needs to get cooked or it will go bad). Originally when I was looking for new ways to use our leftover ham I modified my oven version using hamburger meat. I always like to incorporate vegetables into a dish if I can.

Can you add vegetables?

If you want to add vegetables I would go with frozen mixed veggies that include corn, peas and frozen green beans all mixed together. Once again, don’t defrost, just pour in as is or leave out if you prefer.

And shredded cheddar cheese for us is a must but if you needed dairy free you could omit. This is kinda’ what the layered look looks like when you are throwing it all in there.

How Long to Cook Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole

Precooking your ground beef takes about 15 minutes, then cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours cooking time. I do not recommend to cook on high at all. Stop cooking when taters are as tender as you’d like them to be. Can sprinkle an additional layer of cheese on top and close lid for about 20 – 30 minutes so it melts and then serve.

For easier clean up I would spray the inside of your pot with some non stick spray. That way your servings full will slide out nicely and the dishwasher can get all the stuck on bits off easily.

Super easy crockpot casserole idea right? You can print recipe below and there is nutritional information listed there too. This isn’t a healthy dish, a family favorite we cook now and then when it is chilly outside and we desperately need comfort food. All info will vary slightly depending on brands you choose. Refer to saturated fat, calories etc. on your packages for most accurate info.

A great meal for night 3 of trying to use up your leftover ham too! For another great casserole you should try our cream corn casserole. Add leftover ham to that too, or just serve as a side dish to just about any meal!

Why is my casserole soggy?

If you want the top of your tater tot casserole recipe to become crispy just set your oven to broil. Lift your inner crock out and set it on the middle rack of your oven for about 2 minutes. It will nicely crisp the top potatoes, and cheese. Laying a few paper towels under the lid during cooking will make it less soggy too as they absorb the condensation.

How do You Save Leftovers

If you do have hamburger hotdish leftovers you can save them in a sealed container inside your fridge for up to 3 days. I will say that it really can only be “saved” within the next 24 hours so I would reheat for lunch the day after. Because the taters will get a bit soggy you don’t want it sitting.

Best way to reheat a casserole is to add it into an oven safe dish. Either warm at 350 for about 10 minutes or you can throw it into your air fryer for about the same time. The latter will get the top crispier which helps liven the mushiness up a bit if you ask me.