Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
My easy sloppy joe tater tot casserole features ground beef in a flavorful sauce topped with super crispy tots. This easy recipe is ready in less than an hour and includes a tip for the most tender ground beef ever!
I love easy ground beef dinners. Some of my go to's are pizza pasta, stuffed pepper casserole, and Doritos casserole. You'll love that it uses one skillet, is ready in less than an hour, and tastes just as good reheated! Even picky eaters who "hate casseroles" gobble it up without complaint. We like to serve ours with cornbread, mac and cheese, or baked beans. Can't get enough? Try our chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole or cheeseburger tater tot casseroles next.
Why Our Recipe Is the Best: A Sprinkle of Food Science
- We Add Baking Soda To Our Ground Beef: This raise's the meats pH keeping it tender and juicy NOT dry or crumbly.
- We Add Worcestershire Sauce: This adds a pop of umami flavor to the sauce base.
- We Shred Our Own Cheese: Because it doesn't contain any starchy fillers it melts more smoothly.
- We Use Mini Tots: We tested this recipe with regular and mini tots. The mini ones got way crispier and took less time to bake too!
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Ground Beef: I like using 90% lean as it's flavorful but not overly greasy. If using fattier ground beef be sure to drain it before adding to the casserole.
- Tater Tots: Grab mini tots if you can find them for the crispiest topping. Avoid crispy crowns which don't work as well here.
- Keep frozen until ready to use. Already thawed tots can get mushy or soggy.
- Cheese: Buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself if possible. Pre-shredded cheese has starch to prevent it from sticking together which can cause it to be oily or grainy when melted.
Yes! I've frozen this both baked and unbaked. I prefer it unbaked for the crispiest tots! Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
More Casseroles You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Best Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground Beef I used 90% Lean
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda Optional, But Highly Encouraged
- 1 Onion Diced
- 1 Bell Pepper Diced, I used Green
- 3 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 Cup Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Teaspoons Yellow Mustard
- ½ Teaspoon Salt Or, To Taste
- ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper Or, To Taste
- 2 Cups Cheddar Cheese Freshly Shredded, Divided
- 16 Ounces Frozen Mini Tater Tots About 60
- Parsley If Desired, For Garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Stir ½ teaspoon of baking soda into the ground beef and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and cook until no longer pink, about 7-10 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Add onions and peppers to the skillet, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper scraping the bottom of the pan as you go. Simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Spread the beef mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese.
- Arrange tater tots in a single layer on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tater tots are crispy.
- Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheddar cheese over the top of the tater tots and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
