I had never had “Cowboy Casserole” (aka Tater Tot Casserole) until after I met my husband. Whenever he is in charge of the meal, this is his go-to dish.
He asked why I hadn’t put it on the blog yet, so I decided to share this easy “comfort” food with you.
Finding a recipe that EVERYONE will eat is not an easy feat. Especially when you have kids and really picky eaters. Well, this cowboy casserole recipe will be one you can make over and over again and they will LOVE it!
This dish is also very affordable and comes together in minutes!
You can throw it together super quick on those super busy weekday nights when you are running all over the place. It even makes for great leftovers. Add a side salad and dinner is good to go!
Cowboy casserole is one of our most popular recipes! But we have even more recipes for dinner that everyone loves, like our Chicken Zucchini Casserole, and the delicious Million Dollar Casserole, and of course our Easy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.
Ingredients in Cowboy casserole with tatertots:
- Ground beef
- Diced onion
- Corn
- Cream of mushroom soup *
- Cheddar cheese
- Milk
- Sour cream
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Frozen tator tots
*If you aren’t a fan of condensed cream of mushroom soup, you should try out this recipe for a quick cream of mushroom soup from Taste of Home.
If you or someone in your family doesn’t like mushrooms, you could also substitute it with cream of chicken or celery, but it will change the overall taste a bit.
Cowboy casserole recipe tools:
- Large skillet
- Can opener (this automatic can opener is my FAVORITE!)
- Turner spatula (like THIS one)
- Colander
- 9×13 baking pan
how to make this easy dinner cowboy casserole:
Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.
Then, in a large skillet add in the ground beef and diced onion. Heat it all the way through until the beef is no longer pink and onions are transparent and soft.
Once the beef is cooked pour it into the colander to drain the grease from the meat. Then return the meat back into the skillet and pour in the can of corn (drained), cheese, milk, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste.
After everything has been added to the skillet, stir it all together until everything is well combined. Then, pour the beef and corn mixture into the 9×13 baking pan and spread it out evenly.
Next, pull out the frozen tater tots and place them on top of the beef mixture. Try as best as you can to keep the tator tots to one layer so that everything bakes evenly.
Then just sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top of the tater tots until it is covered.
Now that cowboy casserole is put together, put the 9x 13 pan in the oven uncovered for about 25-30 minutes or until you see the cheese start to bubble. But be sure to check the tater tots and see if they are cooked all the way through.
ADD SOME EXTRA FLAIR!
If you want to add some extra tastes and maybe hid in some veggies, you can always throw in a can of green beans or a bag of frozen veggies. Add what you know your family will like!
How to make cowboy casserole into a freezer meal:
If you are looking for a freezer meal that you want to make and bake later, or even bring to another family, this is a great meal to freeze! Instead of popping it in the oven, after everything is made up and mixed together place the casserole in the freezer.
You will want to be sure that you place the casserole in an aluminum pan that is freezer-friendly. Then be sure to cover it tightly in aluminum foil.
When you are ready to bake it just take it out and thaw it completely before cooking. If it doesn’t thaw the whole way while by the time you are ready to cook it, add on a few more minutes for it to bake to make sure it’s cooked all the way through.
Use the casserole within 2 months to avoid freezer burn.
Watch & Make & Bake
Watch us while we make our famous recipes on our YouTube channel! You can see exactly how we make our recipes and even make yours along with us! We have so many recipes that are tied and true, not to mention picky eater approved!
Try more of our delicious casserole recipes:
- Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole
- John Wayne Casserole
- Beef and Bean Taco Casserole
- Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Six Sisters
Serves: 6
Creamy corn and beef casserole mixed with the crispy tator tots makes for a wonderful family dinner. All of the kids will be going crazy over this Cowboy Casserole.
12 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
42 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 (15 ounce) can corn (drained)
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 (20 ounce) bag frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink.
- Drain grease, then stir in the corn, soup, 1/2 cup cheese, milk, sour cream, and seasonings.
- Pour beef mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
- Top with frozen tater tots (try to keep them in a single layer) and then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and tater tots are thoroughly cooked.
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Quick and easy dinners at your fingertips!
Our most popular cookbook – Dinner Made Easy – is all about quick, easy, and delicious family dinner entrees. We did all the organization, all the taste-testing with picky kids, and all the hacks to cut the prep time so that you can focus on spending more time with your family.
Every recipe has a beautiful mouth-watering photo and has been picky-eater approved. The directions are simple, easy to follow, and do not require any strange ingredients.
The complete family meal game plan in this cookbook is arranged in seven popular categories:
- 30 Minutes or Less including recipes for: Skillet Pork Lo Mein, Parmesan Pork Chops, and Ham and Pineapple Pizza Roll-ups.
2. 5 Ingredients or Less including recipes for: Easy Gnocchi Casserole, Sweet and Tangy Meatballs, and Baked Sloppy Joes.
3. Pantry Essentials including recipes for: Seven-Can Tortilla Soup, Crispy Coconut Strips with Pina Colada Dipping Sauce and French Dip Crescents.
4. Slow Cooker including recipes for: Honey Garlic Chicken, Tuscan Soup, and Mongolian Beef.
5. Freezer Meals including recipes for: Kung Pao Chicken, Country-Style BBQ Spareribs, and Beef and Mushrooms.
6. One Pan, One Pot including recipes for: One-Dish Baked Fajitas, Sunrise Skillet, and Mushroom Asparagus Chicken Stir Fry.
7. Casseroles including recipes for: Cheesy Chicken Quinoa Casserole, Country Breakfast Casserole, and John Wayne Casserole.
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