Crock pot tater tot casserole with ground beef that’s cheesy and a perfect brunch or dinner! Great as a leftover ham recipe too, everyone will love it! With potatoes and Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup this is a family friendly creamy meal you’ll love.
Who doesn’t like a dish with tater tots??!! Come on be honest…they’re the bomb! This crock pot tater tot casserole is really versatile because you can add a variety of meats to it. It’s one of our favorite crock pot recipes. (affiliate links present))
Table of Contents
- Tater Tot Casserole Crockpot
- Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole Crockpot
- Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients
- How to Make Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Why is my casserole soggy?
- Can you add meat to tater-tot casserole?
- Can you use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken soup?
- How do You Save Leftover Casserole?
- Crockpot Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
Tater Tot Casserole Crockpot
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. 😉
Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….
- This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
- I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.
Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉
Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole Crockpot
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. This one is done in the oven and is great but sometimes I really have the energy for prep in the morning and just want everything done when we get back home so this was born.
Just before Christmas on year, although I wasn’t cooking dinner that year, 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.
My kids now really enjoy veggies but it took some time and putting them in a casserole helped them develop a taste for them. I think you could easily use broccoli or corn instead of green beans if you’d rather or use homemade cream of chicken soup too if you’ve got the time.
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. Makes it a creamy meal and softens all the ingredients nicely.
Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients
- Frozen tater tots, same as we use to make frozen air fryer tater tots
- 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
- Frozen green beans or mixed veggies right out of the bag are perfect, do not defrost ahead of time
- Cream of chicken soup or mushroom version works to make it creamy
- Onion – or dehydrated onions work too
- Salt and pepper are basic seasonings
- 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 to Make Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Start to layer all of your ingredients this way: Half of your tater tots, then your precooked ground beef. Sprinkle mixed veggies on top of beef mixture, with remaining frozen tater tots on top.
- In a bowl whisk together your can of cream of chicken soup and milk. Stir in diced onions, salt, pepper and cheese.
- Pour this cheese mixture over the top of everything.
- 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.
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.
Can you add meat to tater-tot casserole?
Of course, it just needs to be precooked ahead of time. I would drain it quite well too so you aren’t adding grease or added moisture to the dish. Draining and then pouring it on top of a few paper towels help to get that done easily. Then just layer it in between everything else.
Can you use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken soup?
Yes, they are interchangeable and will just change the flavor slightly depending on which you prefer. If I need 2 I will many times use one of each for a deeper richer taste to my dish.
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!
How do You Save Leftover Casserole?
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.
Crockpot Tater Tot Casserole
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 32 oz tater tots, frozen
- 1 lb ground beef, cooked, or precooked and diced leftover ham
- 2 c mixed vegetables, frozen
- 1 can cream of chicken soup, or cream of mushroom
- 1 small onion
- 1 c milk
- 2 c cheese, cheddar, shredded
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Spray inside of crock with non stick spray and start to layer this way: Half of tater tots, then ground beef, then mixed veggies, with remaining frozen tater tots on top.
- In a bowl whisk together cream of chicken soup and milk. Stir in diced onions, salt, pepper and cheese.
- Pour this cheese mixture over the top of everything.
- Close lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Check and 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 minutes so it melts and then serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very good. I used garlic powder and smoked paprika.
Glad it was a hit
Can you cook it for 10 hours?
This is very good. I don’t use the salt. Added garlic powder an smoked paprika.
So glad it was a hit