Easy Loaded Bacon Tater Tot Casserole with Sour Cream
Easy Loaded Bacon Tater Tot Casserole with Sour Cream is a quick and easy family dinner, and is truly the BEST Tater Tot Casserole recipe around! Layers of amazing flavor combine for a fast (and kid-approved) meal any night of the week. This easy casserole recipe will quickly become a family favorite!
As a mom to two toddlers, easy dinners are my favorite 🙂 As a mom of three young children who also juggles two jobs, I’m also all about fast and easy when it comes to dinner during the week!
Confession time: before making this tater tot casserole for our family, I had NEVER had it before! I know, that sounds totally crazy, but somehow I went my entire childhood and adult like without having this yummy, cheesy, potato-y dish. But y’all: it was worth the wait!
Loaded Bacon Tater Tot Casserole is going to quickly become a staple in your family dinner rotation. If you’ve never had tater tot casserole before, it’s exactly what it sounds like: a casserole dish filled with tater tots, mixed with a few other ingredients of your choosing.
One of the things I love most about this easy tater tot casserole recipe is that it takes only a handful of ingredients and most can be found in my pantry or fridge regularly. That means I don’t have to run to the store to snag supplies at the last minute!
This is a different take on the classic tater tot casserole, because it uses a little sour cream to make it rich and creamy AND has veggies added for the kids. This is such a simple recipe to whip together on busy weeknights in a short amount of time.
With seasoned beef, bacon, onions, sour cream, cheese and frozen tater tots, it’s the perfect easy family dinner. My kids love to eat it with a little ketchup, but my husband and I prefer to add extra sour cream, green onions and a little hot sauce to ours.
If you don’t like veggies, this recipe tastes fantastic without them too! In fact, I started making this bacon tater tot casserole originally without the vegetables. As my children grew into picky toddlers (gotta love the picky eaters stage!), I realized this was a great meal for me to add hidden vegetables to, and they’ve loved it.
If you’re short on time, this simple Bacon Tater Tot Casserole can easily be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen for later. This recipe can also be divided into two smaller 8×8 pans if you don’t need an entire casserole dish. Cook one and freeze the other to pop in the oven another day!
This delicious casserole is also a really easy recipe to double and make two 9×13 inch casserole dishes for a crowd. The great thing about this hearty casserole is that it’s a complete meal the whole family can enjoy.
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What Ingredients Are In a Tater Tot Casserole
To make this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients. The full list of ingredients will be in the recipe card below.
- Ground beef or turkey
- Diced yellow or white onion
- Light sour cream
- Cream of chicken or mushroom soup
- Frozen tater tots
- Shredded cheese
- Chopped cooked bacon
- Frozen chopped mixed veggies
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Creole Seasoning
- 1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
- Salt & pepper to taste
For this recipe I use lean ground beef. You can use any kind of ground beef that you prefer, as long as you remember to drain the grease once it’s cooked. I’ve also used ground turkey and ground chicken before.
I used yellow chopped onion, but you can also use white onion for this recipe.
For the bacon, you can either cook up some fresh bacon and chop it up, or use real bacon bits. Not a fan of bacon? Just leave it out!
This loaded tater tot casserole tastes great with nearly any kind of shredded cheese! You can use Colby Jack cheese, mild cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, Monterrey Jack cheese, or even an Italian blend shredded cheese or mozzarella cheese.
I’ve experimented with both cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom soup. Both taste great in this recipe (which is great for us, because we never know which can will be in the pantry).
You can use any brand of frozen tater tots. Do not thaw the tater tots before cooking!
Tater tot casserole is also a super easy family dinner that is incredibly easy to change up. The frozen potatoes make an easy base that goes with a ton of different ingredients.
Because we have young children, I use a simple bag of frozen mixed veggies for my hidden vegetables in this recipe. However, you can easily add other ingredients too! Green beans, black beans,tomatoes, corn, chopped bell peppers and mushrooms go great in this.
Supplies Needed for Loaded Tater Tot Casserole
You’ll also need the following supplies to make this cheesy tater tot casserole with sour cream:
- Skillet
- 13×9 inch casserole dish
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
- Nonstick cooking spray
It’s an incredibly easy and budget friendly meal, and I’m happy to report is 100% toddler and hubby approved (as they both practically licked their plates).
How to Make Loaded Tater Tot Casserole with Sour Cream
This easy weeknight dinner is a great recipe for families because it only involves a few easy steps. The entire step by step recipe can be found below in the recipe card.
First, brown the ground beef or turkey, adding the garlic powder, creole seasoning and onions to the pan while cooking. Drain the fat and set the browned meat aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the soup, sour cream, ranch seasoning packet, chopped frozen veggies, 1 cup of shredded cheese and bacon.
Add the cooked meat and onions to the sour cream mixture.
Fold in the frozen tater tots, being sure to thoroughly mix with the ground beef mixture to make sure the tater tots are covered.
Pour into a greased 9×13 casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese on top of the casserole. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Cook for 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes to be sure the cheese on top is melty.
Loaded Bacon Tater Tot Casserole is best enjoyed hot! (Note: If you’re serving to little ones, be sure you let cool after scooping out, as the sour cream gets very hot and bubbly.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
The Best Slow Cooker Pot Roast Ever Made
Easy Cheese Quesadilla Recipe (Kid-Friendly!)
Easy Air Fryer Potstickers and Dumplings
Loaded Bacon Tater Tot Casserole
Easy Peasy Bacon Tater Tot Casserole is going to quickly become a staple in your family dinner rotation. It’s an incredibly easy and budget friendly meal, and is 100% picky toddler approved.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
- 1 diced yellow or white onion
- 1 16 oz container of light sour cream
- 1 10 oz can of cream of chicken or mushroom soup
- 32 oz package of frozen tater tots
- 2 cups mild cheddar shredded cheese
- 1 cup chopped cooked bacon
- 1 cup frozen chopped mixed veggies
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Creole Seasoning
- 1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Brown the ground beef/turkey, adding the garlic powder, creole seasoning and onions to the pan while cooking. Drain the fat and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together the soup, sour cream, ranch seasoning packet, cooked spinach, 1 cup of shredded cheese and bacon. Add the cooked meat and onions to the sour cream mixture.
- Fold in the frozen tater tots, being sure to thoroughly mix to make sure the tater tots are covered.
- Pour into a greased 9×13 casserole dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Cook for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes to be sure the cheese on top is melty.
- Easy Peasy Bacon Tater Tot Casserole is best enjoyed hot! (Note: If you’re serving to little ones be sure you let cool after scooping out, as the sour cream gets very hot and bubbly.
Notes
Feel free to substitute casserole ingredients! If your family is vegetarian, try adding extra veggies. If you love extra meat, this casserole is great with crumbling ground beef, chopped chicken and shredded pork as well.
The inside can be surprisingly hot when it comes out of the oven, so remember to let it cool after scooping, especially if you're serving to kids.
This bacon tater tot casserole goes great with a side of ranch, ketchup or sour cream!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 520Total Fat: 33gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 1280mgCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 21g
