Sound the alarm: Tater Tot Casserole (or Hotdish as my neighbors to the north in Minnesota like to call it!) has been officially updated – make that UPGRADED – to skillet meal status! Oh yes, what you see here is saucy, seasoned ground beef and vegetables topped with the king of the frozen foods aisle – tater tots of course – and everything is simmered then oven-crisped in just one skillet. Comfort food does not get easier than Skillet Tater Tot Casserole!
Tater Tot Casserole is a Midwest classic. Eating it is like getting a big hug from your Mom. Satisfying and comforting. Plus, like the time I shared my Mom’s Maid Rite recipe, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a whole bunch of you who have never even heard of it before! You’re welcome. Go forth and spread the good word.
What’s Inside?
Tater Tot Casserole usually calls for condensed soup mixed with ground beef and frozen vegetables which are piled into a casserole dish then topped with tater tots and baked. I’m ditching canned soup because it’s usually not gluten-free plus it’s full of unnecessary ingredients. PLUS my homemade version tastes way better.
I’ve also updated the classic to be cooked then baked in just one skillet. From browning the ground beef, to making the flavorful sauce, to crisping up the tots in the oven, all you need is an oven-safe skillet. I use this 10-1/4″ cast iron skillet from Le Creuset – it’s my all-time favorite all-purpose skillet and will literally outlive me.
Skillet Tater Tot Casserole is a meat and potatoes dish that’ll stick to your ribs but since it’s made with mostly homemade ingredients you can feel good about feeding it to your whole family. We scrape the skillet clean anytime I make it for dinner!
How to Make This Recipe
First thing’s first – pretend this is the orange, oven-safe cast iron skillet that you’re going to see in the rest of the pictures. The one time I made this dish with the intent to photograph the steps I was doing approximately 49 other things, including peeling hummus-slathered turkey off the kitchen floor courtesy of Lincoln letting know he was done with dinner. Good times!
Start by browning ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper then drain and set aside.
Next, melt butter in the skillet over medium heat then add sliced mushrooms and chopped shallot. Saute until the mushrooms are slightly tender, 3-5 minutes, then add minced garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Sprinkle in gluten-free or all-purpose flour (dish will not be GF if using AP flour) then whisk while cooking for 1 more minute.
Now slowly stream in chicken broth and milk (I use skim or unsweetened almond milk) while whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
Add gluten-free tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using traditional soy sauce), ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, plus smoked paprika then turn the heat up slightly to bring the mixture to a bubble. Turn the heat back down to medium then simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened. Resist the urge to let the sauce reduce down too much as it will reduce in the oven. It will feel watery but trust me – it’s just right!
Stir the ground beef back into the sauce then remove the skillet from the heat and layer frozen tater tots on top. The precise amount will depend on how deep and wide your skillet is. You’ll want at least a 10″ skillet, but I also tried it in our big 12″ cast iron and it worked great too. Like I said, since the sauce is thin the tots will sink down a little bit but it’s fine!
NOTE: If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet you could pour the mixture into a baking dish at this point, top with the tots, and then bake.
Pop the skillet into the oven then bake according to the time/temp indicated on the bag of tater tots. Let the dish sit and cool for about 5 minutes before serving up hot. This dish will be a smash hit with the whole family – the kids (and kids at heart) will adore the crispy tater tots, while the rich and flavor-packed sauce is unbelievably satisfying. Enjoy, enjoy!
More Cozy Skillet Dinners
- Cheesy Chicken Burrito Skillet
- Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
- Cheesy Gnocchi Florentine
- Beef & Veggie Enchilada Skillet
- Homemade Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper
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Skillet Tater Tot Casserole (No Condensed Soup!)
Description
Skillet Tater Tot Casserole is an updated childhood classic made in one skillet and without condensed soup! This gluten free dinner recipe is always a smash hit.
Ingredients
- 1lb ground beef
- salt and pepper
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons gluten-free or all-purpose flour (dish will not be GF if using AP flour)
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk (I use skim)
- 2 Tablespoons gluten-free tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce)
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2lb bag tater tots
Directions
- Preheat oven according to tater tot bag instructions. Brown ground beef in a very large, oven-proof skillet (at least 10" - cast iron works great) seasoning with salt and pepper over medium-high heat. Drain then set aside.
- Turn heat down to medium, melt butter in skillet, and then add mushrooms and shallots. Season with salt and pepper then saute until mushrooms start to soften, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic then saute for 1 more minute. Sprinkle in flour then whisk to combine and cook for 1 minute. Slowly stream in chicken broth and milk a splash at a time, whisking to avoid lumps. Add tamari/soy sauce, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and smoked paprika, turn heat up slightly to bring mixture to a bubble, then turn heat back down to medium and simmer until just slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat then stir in ground beef and arrange tater tots on top. Place skillet on top of a baking sheet (or place one on the rack below) then bake according to tater tot bag instructions. Let sit and thicken for 5 minutes before serving.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
This is so good! Easy to make, and my whole family loved it! Thank you!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Stacia! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Made this for the first time last night (I made all in one pan; added the garlic and mushrooms close to end of hamburger and onion being cooked) and yum! I even heated the leftovers tonight in the microwave and just as good! I may have to try the hamburger mix ‘gravy’ over mashed potatoes next time (which was a staple growing up)!
That sounds amazing – would be so good! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This was so delicious! Much better than the version I grew up with – can’t wait for my lunch leftovers!
Why chicken not beef broth for the tater tot casserole?
Just curious. Thanks
Chicken broth is usually what I have on hand, but I’ve made this plenty of times with beef stock/broth and it’s delicious too. Whatever you’ve got on hand works! :)
Grew up on Tater Tot casserole and needed an easy dinner to make and take a warm container for my son after BB practice. My husband wanted to go GF again to see if felt better but forgot and added 1 can of Cream o soup then added GF flour. BUT they do make organic GF cream soups!!! And my son turned 16 this week, this is what he asked for dinner. Never grow out of the comfort foods!
Fabulous, Cindy! You’re right – classics never go out of style. I’m so glad you all enjoyed this!
Hello! Wanting to make this for my meal swap groups, do you think it would handle being made in advance and frozen well? Thanks!
Best tater tot casserole ever. This is my go-to recipe! The flavors are amazing. Such a comfort dish. Making it again tonight and realized I haven’t made a comment. FIVE STAR recipe! Yummm!
Made it tonight, substituted coconut almond milk for milk, added peas & corn for the hubby. I only used 1 tbsp ketchup and it was a hit! Thank you for a great recipe!!!
Love the peas and corn additions, Denise! So glad it was a hit!!
I have made a cheeseburger casserole. Instead of soup, I use ketchup and minced onion with the meat. Squirt some mustard and diced dill pickles on top. Then a layer of shredded cheese. Top everything with tatertots.
Sounds amazing – love the cheeseburger spin!
I was able to purchase La Choy soy sauce that is labeled gluten free.
Yes, soy sauce that is labeled gluten free is fine (I always double check the ingredients list if there’s no GFCO certification logo on it!)
This is a STAPLE in our house! We make this pretty frequently and my husband requests it all the time. We add extra veggies before throwing in the oven
Awesome!! I have taken to adding LOADS of frozen cauliflower rice to ours too!
California checking in – love this hot dish! I’ve got one in the oven right now. The recipe is so forgiving, I’ve scaled up both times for left overs which are absolutely great. So glad I found this!
Looks delicious! Probably worth noting that not all brands of Worcestershire sauce are not gluten free. Something that Celiac/allergy folks probably know, but for those avoiding gluten it’s one of those sneaky things!
Is there any way I can make this low Fodmap?
Yes! We skip the mushrooms and use green onions instead of shallots. Fody makes a low fodmap ketchup (can be found online although some grocery stores now carry it) and Trader Joe’s tator tots are low fodmap as well! If you want some garlic flavor (I always do!) you can use a little garlic infused olive oil (also from Trader Joe’s) while browning the ground beef.
Good luck! Low fodmap can be tricky, but this recipe is delicious and with a few tweaks, my husband can enjoy it without feeling sick!
Oops! I also forgot a broth suggestion. Massel 7’s stock cubes are low fodmap and can be found on Amazon. Most broth in the grocery store contains onion and garlic.
Made this tonight…VERY flavorful and my family loved it. I added frozen corn and pees just before putting the tators on top and it made it colorful and tasty. This will be in our rotation for sure! Great easy and fast recipe!
This was delicious and so easy! My toddler has been a bit picky lately but ate every bite of this. It reheated really well in the oven too.
Thrilled to hear that, Maggie! My kids all happily gobble this up, too!
My daughter requested tater tot hotdish-and said this was the best dinner ever. I used less milk, tomato paste instead of ketchup and skipped the soy sauce. Great for the whole family and more flavorful that typical Midwestern hotdish.
I’m so glad you all loved it, Mackenzie! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
what is a good side dish to go with this
This is delicious! I love the flavor! It’s definitely a “make again recipe!” I might add some mixed veggies to it next time.
This looks delicious! I don’t have a cast iron skillet- could I use my Dutch oven instead?
Hi Amanda! I would actually transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish then top with the tots!
This is a great recipe. I substituted coconut milk for the milk and used cassava flour. Tastes amazing. Next time I’ll add water chestnuts!