Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole
I must be reliving my childhood with this recipe for Tater Tot Casserole with Green Beans and dang it does taste good. It came to light a few years ago that not everyone knew the deliciousness of a tater tot casserole. What? Didn’t everyone’s mom brown beef, add soup, cover in tater tots and bake for an hour? Apparently not, poor things. Tater Tot Casserole and it’s many variations were in regular rotation at our house, and we all loved it. I also like being able to make a Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole without paying attention to it.
Easy Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole
Of course, I hadn’t made or eaten a tater tot casserole in 30 plus years until a few years ago. Someone brought us dinner when my son was in his car accident. I should say that MANY friends brought us dinner. But one was a tater tot casserole, and my kid’s minds were blown. What was this thing that mom never made and when will she make it for us? Well they can quit asking after a year and a whole remodel later I finally made one for my poor, deprived kids. I made it an easy tater tot casserole, in the crockpot, so we could eat it after a long day of being out and about. It was perfect, hot and comforting. I’ve already been asked to make it again and twice as big, believe me, I’ll keep the easy part too.
Not a Classic Tater Tot Casserole
I’ve been scolded for not covering this Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole in cheese. Some people believe it must be piled with shredded cheese. My mom never covered her tater tot casserole in cheese, did yours?
If yours did and you want cheese on it, by all means, add cheese in the last ten minutes of cooking. Remember that I love to give you recipes to work with, you make them your own.
We Make it with Green Beans
I also added green beans to my casserole because I love tater tot Casserole with green beans. Again, it’s what my mom did so I did it too. If you like other vegetables, feel free to experiment with adding those instead, but in my opinion, green beans work best.
I think my mom added vegetables to everything so we were always fully vege-nated as kids. I do it too. It doesn’t hurt this casserole to have green beans or other vegetables in it; it does need something else in there besides beef.
Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey or pork
- 1/2 onion
- 1 can condensed mushroom soup
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 pound frozen green beans
- 32 ounces tater tots
Instructions
- brown the ground beef in a dutch oven over medium heat-I like to use a dutch oven because it cuts down on spatter
- chop the onion and add to the beef in the last five minutes
- while that is cooking line the bottom of the crock pot with a layer of tater tots, roughly a pound of them
- once the beef is browned turn off the heat and remove from the burner
- drain the grease off the beef
- add the soup, milk, and the green beans and stir to combine
- pour this over the tater tots
- cover with the remaining tater tots
- cook on high heat 5-6 hours or low for 8-10
- alternately you can layer this in a deep 9×13 and bake for 45-60 minutes at 350˚, uncover in the last 15 to crisp up the tots if desired
So if I do this in the oven; 350* for 45 minutes? Does that sound about right? I've never made this before but I'm sure the kids will love it!
OH! good question–I think 45-60 minutes in a 350Ëš is the usual cook time–I popped that in the recipe for anyone else not crock potting it
Oh that looks like some Grade A comfort food right there, mmmm 🙂
the UK doesnt have Tater Tots , but im sure ive seen them in a freezer somewhere under a different name , I will have to investigate