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This tater tot casserole with green beans, corn, and ground beef is a perfect family-friendly, easy dinner for busy nights! The cozy, one-dish meal includes a creamy gravy, plenty of melted cheddar cheese, and a crispy potato topping.
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If you love hearty tater tot casseroles, be sure to try this tater tot breakfast casserole, a chicken tater tot casserole, and a one-skillet cheeseburger tater tot casserole, too!
How to Make Tater Tot Casserole with Green Beans | 1-Minute Video
The flavor in this short list of ingredients is amazing! this one is another Home run in my book. Next time I make it I had a request to swap out the green beans for Peas and small diced carrots. I love this site. I have found so many cool things to make and so easy to put my own spin on them as well. Thank you Blair.
– Pete
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
- Use the tater tot casserole with green beans as a basic formula and adapt it to suit your family’s preferences. For instance, use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of the beef, or swap out the corn and green beans for other vegetables.
- Just about any condensed soup flavors will work. You can use two cans of cream of celery, two cans of cream of mushroom, two cans of cream of chicken, or any combination of the above. You can also stir in a dollop of sour cream for a rich, tangy addition.
- For a filling that includes even more vegetables, use larger cans of corn and green beans. If you can’t find Mexicorn, just a can of regular corn is fine. If using fresh green beans, you’ll need to parboil or steam them first so that they’re tender when you add them to the casserole.
- You do not need to thaw the tots before adding them to the top of your casserole.
- For even more flavor on top of your cheesy tater tot casserole, try sprinkling a can of fried onions over the tater tots during the final 15 minutes of baking.
Directions
You only need about 10 minutes of prep time and a handful of simple ingredients for this easy tater tot casserole recipe. Detailed directions are included in recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Cook the ground beef and the diced onion in a large skillet until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off any fat from the pan.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the condensed soups and the milk until smooth.
- Add the soup mixture, corn and green beans to the cooked beef, and then stir to combine. I use small cans of the vegetables, simply because they’re not my kids’ favorite part of the casserole — and therefore the smaller amount doesn’t overwhelm the dish. If you prefer more veggies in your casserole, you can use the larger cans of corn and green beans.
- Transfer the ground beef mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Next, sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over top and finish with a layer of frozen Tater Tots.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes (or until the topping is crispy and golden brown).
Serving Suggestions
Pair the Southern tater tot casserole with a simple green salad dressed in buttermilk dressing, garlic roasted broccoli, oven roasted asparagus, a pan of Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, or a basket of 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Prep Ahead: assemble the casserole filling up to 24 hours in advance. Transfer it to the baking dish, cover with plastic wrap or foil, and store in the fridge. When ready to bake, let the dish sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes. Top with the cheese and tater tots right before baking. If the filling is still cool when it goes in the oven, you may need to increase the total baking time.
- How to Freeze Before Baking: assemble as instructed, and then wrap tightly with aluminum foil before baking. The green bean tater tot casserole will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. If it’s in a freezer-to-oven-safe casserole dish, you can bake the casserole directly from frozen. Bake the frozen casserole for at least 1 hour, keeping the top covered for the first 20-30 minutes.
- Storage: leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Cover the dish loosely with foil and warm in a 350 degree F oven just until heated through, about 20-30 minutes. Remove the cover during the final 5-10 minutes to allow the tots to crisp again. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 1 minute.
Love the recipe! I use onion and garlic powder when I brown the meat instead of having chunks of onion, which I don’t like. Also I use a small bag of mixed veggies, frozen, instead of canned corn and green beans.
– Jesse
More Easy Ground Beef Casseroles
Tater Tot Casserole with Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of celery soup
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 (11 oz) can Mexicorn, drained (or sub with regular canned corn)
- 1 (8 oz) can cut green beans, drained
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or sub with another type of cheese, such as Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, Colby, or mozzarella)
- 4 cups (about 16 ounces) frozen Tater Tots
- Optional topping: 1 (3 ounce) can French-fried onions; chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Cook beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until meat is no longer pink (about 5-7 minutes). Drain.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the condensed soups and milk. Add the cooked beef mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I use ½ teaspoon of salt and about ¼ teaspoon of pepper).
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over top. Finish with a layer of Tater Tots.
- Bake the casserole uncovered for 35-40 minutes (or until the inside is hot and bubbly and the Tater Tots are crispy and golden brown). If using French-fried onions, add them to the top of the casserole during the final 15 minutes (this will allow them to get browned and crispy without burning).
- Let the casserole rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or other herbs, if desired.
Video
Notes
- For a casserole with even more veggies, use larger cans of corn and green beans.
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground chicken or ground turkey instead.
- Any combination of condensed soup flavors will work. For instance, swap out the cream of celery for cream of chicken, or just use two cans of cream of mushroom.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce to the ground beef mixture for a salty, umami flavor.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in November, 2019. It was updated in July, 2024.
Love the recipe! I use onion and garlic powder when I brown the meat instead of having chunks of onion, which I don’t like. Also I use a small bag of mixed veggies, frozen, instead of canned corn and green beans.
Thanks, Jesse!
The flavor in this short list of ingredients is amazing! this one is another Home run in my book. Next time I make it I had a request to swap out the green beans for Peas and small diced carrots. I love this site. I have found so many cool things to make and so easy to put my own spin on them as well. Thank you Blair.
Perfect! It makes me so happy to know that you’re enjoying the recipes and, most importantly, that you’re figuring out how to tweak them to suit your preferences. That’s what cooking is all about — the recipe is just inspiration! 🙂
I want to make a smaller casserole, about a 2 quart pyrex. I was going to use tuna and make it more vegetable heavy. What proportions would you suggest? I have standard size cans of vegetables. I was going to season it with Mrs Dash. I wasn’t going to add the cheese to the casserole before it goes into the oven but sprinkle a little on top before reheating in the microwave. What would the oven temp and baking time be? Thanks, Blair.
Hi, Marion! I would cut all of the ingredients in half for a 2-quart pyrex dish. For example, if using tuna, try about 6-8 ounces of canned, drained tuna, 1/2 of an onion, 1 can of soup, etc. If you want to add more veggies, that’s fine. I’d just start with half of the suggested amounts, and then go up from there, eyeballing it to see if you like the consistency. So start with 1 standard size can of veggies and see if that’s enough for your liking. Stick with the same oven temp, but you might be able to reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes. Just keep an eye on it, because you want to allow enough time for the tater tots to get crispy on top. Hope that helps!
I have previously made tater tot casserole only to be disappointed that the tater tots were soggy on the bottom. Can you bake the tater tots separately then when they are crispy on top and bottom then top your baked casserole?
Yes, ma’am. That should work fine!