This Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole is so quick and easy to put together – then you just have to put it in the oven and dinner is ready in a snap! Made with ground beef/hamburger meat, ketchup, onion, pickles, bacon, tater tots and lots of cheese!
This casserole is just the best dinner when you have a hungry family to feed, but no time for much dinner prep. And no nerves for whining about the food when you sit down for you meal 😅
A Tater Tot Casserole is always a good way to make sure everybody is happy with dinner at our house. Add bacon, hamburger, pickles and lots of cheese… Well, let’s just say this one is a recipe for the regular rotation!
Ingredients you’ll need
This is just an overview of the ingredients needed – scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for exact quantities and instructions.
Ingredient notes
- Beef: I use cheaper, fattier ground beef for this casserole and just drain off the grease after browning the beef. Feel free to use lean or extra lean, or even ground turkey. I have also made it with half beef, half ground sausage before. Or with half ground beef and half ground pork. All great!
- Pickles: You can leave these out if you’re not a fan, but there’s no way I can make this casserole without pickles at our house. I live for warm pickles on a burger 😅 so for a real cheeseburger flavor, I want pickles in there. A few tablespoons of pickle relish are a good alternative if that’s all you have on hand!
- Cheese: I like to go for a cheddar blend for this casserole, but you could also do all cheddar or a cheddar/mozzarella blend.
Step by step photos
The only pre-cooking you have to do for this casserole is browning the beef and onion. Just break up the beef well to crumble it as it cooks.
Then all you have to do is stir the other filling ingredients right into the pan.
Transfer this mixture to a greased 9×13 inch casserole dish. Make sure to push it down a little so you have a flat surface and an even layer in the dish.
Then, top the hamburger mixture with shredded cheese. Finally, add the tater tots on top of the cheese. I’ll be honest, I don’t always layer the tater tots so neatly… Sometimes you just have to throw them on there and call it a day, but it does look much nicer with them arranged like this.
Then bake the casserole in the hot oven for 35 minutes. At this point, the tater tots should be golden and the filling bubbling up around the edges.
Add more cheese on top, and also sprinkle on some more bacon. Return to the oven for 5-5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.
I like to let the casserole sit on the counter for 5 minutes before scooping it to serve – that way the juices can settle a little and it’s easier to get it out of the dish in one piece.
Make ahead tips
Make ahead: You can make the filling up to 3 days ahead. Just spread it in the casserole dish, let cool for 15 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.
When ready to bake, top with cheese and tater tots and bake as directed in the recipe. You may need to bake the casserole for closer to 40-45 minutes as the filling is cold from the fridge.
Freezer: Fully assemble the casserole, but don’t bake it (do not add the cheese and bacon on top!). Wrap the prepared casserole first with plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil. Label with the name and use-by date, then freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to cook from frozen, both foil and plastic. Heat oven to 350°F and let casserole sit on the counter as the oven preheats. Bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes or until the filling is bubbly all the way through and the tater tots are golden. Top with cheese and bacon and finish baking for 5-6 minutes.
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Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole
This Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole is so quick and easy to put together – then you just have to put it in the oven and dinner is ready in a snap!
Ingredients
For the casserole
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced bacon, cooked (OR real bacon bits), divided
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons mustard
- 1/3 cup diced pickles (optional)
- 1 teaspoon EACH garlic and onion powder
- seasoning salt, to taste
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese blend, divided
- 1 (28-oz) bag frozen tater tots, may not need all
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400F and lightly grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
Brown ground beef and onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up the meat. - Remove the pan from the heat and drain if you like. Stir in 3/4 cup bacon, ketchup, mustard, pickles and seasoning until well combined.
- Place beef mixture in prepared casserole dish and sprinkle with 2 cups shredded cheese. Evenly top with tater tots.
- Bake casserole in the hot oven for 30 minutes, then carefully remove and top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese and remaining 1/4 cup of bacon. Finish baking for 5-10 minutes, until top is golden and bubbly.
- Let casserole sit on the counter for 5 minutes, then serve with additional pickles and ketchup, if you like.
Notes
Make ahead: You can make the filling up to 3 days ahead. Just spread it in the casserole dish, let cool for 15 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.
When ready to bake, top with cheese and tater tots and bake as directed in the recipe. You may need to bake the casserole for closer to 40-45 minutes as the filling is cold from the fridge.
Freezer: Fully assemble the casserole, but don’t bake it (do not add the cheese and bacon on top!). Wrap the prepared casserole first with plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil. Label with the name and use-by date, then freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to cook from frozen, both foil and plastic. Heat oven to 350°F and let casserole sit on the counter as the oven preheats. Bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes or until the filling is bubbly all the way through and the tater tots are golden. Top with cheese and bacon and finish baking for 5-6 minutes.
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