Craving beef, beans, cheese and potatoes with a little spicy kick? Saddle up and make this delicious Cowboy Casserole! This savory and comforting meal is incredibly easy to whip together on busy weeknights and can even be assembled ahead of time to bake whenever you're ready. Creamy, filling, and topped with crispy tater tots, this stick-to-your-ribs, Tex-Mex family dinner is also kid-approved!
Cowboy tater tot casserole, is one of those tasty recipes I find myself making again and again. It's so easy to throw together and makes a complete, satisfying meal--all in one dish.
Honestly, I think I could layer just about anything with a ton of cheese and crispy tater tots and it would be a winner here. Have you seen my recipes for Big Mac Casserole and Cracked Hamburger Hash Casserole?
But for me, the best part of this easy cowboy casserole recipe are the Tex-Mex ingredients. Ground beef, chili and onion powder, crumbled bacon, hearty red kidney beans, corn and green bell pepper take this dish to the next level when mixed with a can of cream of celery soup.
Top it with shredded Colby Jack cheese and frozen tots, pop it in the oven, and dinner is done!
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🥘Ingredients
Please note that not all ingredients are pictured.
- lean ground beef, cooked and drained--I often use extra lean; with all the other flavors, you won't miss the extra fat and calories from a higher fat percentage
- chili powder and onion powder--provide a nice savory, spicy kick to the browned beef
- green bell pepper, diced --may substitute with any color pepper; I like green for the flavor and color variety in this dish
- bacon--I use real bacon crumbles (bought in a bag) to save time
- red kidney beans--their hearty, robust flavor is a great addition to this recipe
- thawed frozen corn--feel free to use canned corn or fresh corn instead; you could also use defrosted or canned mixed vegetables
- cream of celery soup--I like using reduced fat for this recipe
- shredded Colby Jack cheese--I use reduced fat
- frozen tater tots-- do NOT defrost--they get golden crisp on top when baking and taste delicious
See recipe card for quantities.
🤔What is cowboy casserole and why does this recipe have tater tots in it?
There are many different versions of Cowboy Casseroles out there, though almost all have ground beef, bacon, onion, corn, beans and cheese.
The variation mainly comes from the choice of starchy topping. While some are topped with biscuits or cornbread, most cowboy recipes use some form of potato. I like using tater tots because they get golden crisp on top and taste so good with the Western/Tex-Mex ingredients in this recipe.
🔪Instructions
- Step 1: Cook beef with pepper and seasonings; drain. Mix beans, corn, bacon, and soup.
- Step 2: Add beef mixture to the bowl, along with half the cheese; mix.
- Step 3: Transfer mixture to a greased 13x9 casserole dish; sprinkle on remaining cheese.
- Step 4: Top with tots and bake.
Hint: To save time, while I'm browning the ground beef, I dice the pepper, drain the beans, defrost the corn and preheat the oven.
🥣Substitutions
Protein: Feel free to use ground turkey instead of beef.
Bacon: You can cook 3-4 strips of bacon instead of using crumbles.
Condensed soup: You can use cream of mushroom, potato, chicken, or asparagus.
Cheese: You can use shredded cheddar or pepper jack.
📖Variations
Mexican Cowboy Casserole: Add a can of black beans and diced green chiles. Top with green onions and jalapeños when serving.
Spicy Cowboy Casserole: Add 1 diced jalapeño to the casserole filling, along with 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a splash of hot sauce.
For another delicious variation, see Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole!
🍽Equipment
- skillet with lid
- meat chopper
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- colander
- large mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- sturdy mixing spoon
- 13 x 9 casserole dish, lightly greased
🍶Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within five days.
Reheating instructions: Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until the tater tot casserole is heated through.
You may also freeze this for up to 2 months (just add the tots before baking). If never cooked, thaw completely and follow original baking instructions. If cooked and then frozen, thaw completely and then bake covered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.
***You can also assemble this casserole earlier in the day (minus the tater tots), refrigerate, then top with tots when ready to bake (it usually bakes for close to an hour if you chose this option).
💭Top tip
For the ultimate cowboy tater tot casserole, arrange your frozen tots in a single, tight layer without overlapping them. This ensures the heat circulates evenly so every single tot gets golden and crispy, preventing a mushy center!
🗨️Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole FAQ
The most common cause of a soggy casserole is excess moisture from the ground beef or vegetables. To ensure a crispy finish, always drain the fat thoroughly after browning your beef and avoid overfilling the dish with extra liquid. Most importantly, keep the tater tots frozen until the very moment they go into the oven!
Yes, you must fully brown and drain the ground beef before assembling the casserole. If you add raw meat, the fat and juices will release during the baking process, making the filling greasy and the tater tot topping mushy instead of crispy.
Absolutely! You can assemble the entire casserole (except for the tater tot topping) up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator. When you're ready to eat, add the frozen tater tots and bake. Note that you may need to add 10–15 minutes to the baking time if the dish is going into the oven cold.
While both use a tater tot topping, a "Hotdish" (popular in the Upper Midwest) typically uses a base of ground beef, canned cream soup, and green beans. Cowboy Casserole leans into Western flavors by adding hearty ingredients like beans, corn, bacon, and often chili powder or taco seasoning for a Tex-Mex twist.
Yes, this is a fantastic freezer meal! You can freeze it before baking (tightly wrapped in foil and without the tater tots on top) or freeze individual leftover portions. For the best texture, thaw the casserole in the fridge overnight before reheating it, add the tater tots (if it hasn't already been cooked) and bake it in the oven.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite desserts to serve with Cowboy Casserole:
📋Recipe with step-by-step instructions
Cowboy Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean or extra lean ground beef cooked and drained
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 medium green bell pepper diced
- ½ cup real bacon crumbles may substitute 3-4 cooked bacon strips
- 1 can red kidney beans drained, but not rinsed
- 1 cup defrosted frozen corn may substitute canned corn or fresh corn
- 1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of celery soup may use cream of mushroom, potato, chicken, or asparagus
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack Cheese can substitute with shredded cheddar or pepper jack
- 28 oz frozen tater tots do not defrost
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet; drain.
- Add diced pepper, chili and onion powder to the skillet; mix. Cook until peppers are soft, usually 10 minutes or less.
- Place the drained kidney beans, defrosted frozen corn, bacon crumbles and soup in a large bowl; mix.
- Then add the cooked beef mixture to the bowl. Stir in half of the shredded cheese; mix.
- Transfer mixture to a greased 13x9 casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the beef mixture.
- Top with frozen tater tots and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until tater tots are golden crisp and filling is bubbling. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- For leftover storage, reheating, and make ahead options, see the above post.
Notes
- To save time, while I'm browning the ground beef, I dice the pepper, drain the beans, defrost the corn and preheat the oven.
- I sometimes add a can of black beans and diced green chiles to give this more of a Mexican flare.
- When arranging the frozen tater tots on top, pack them in single file style--no overlapping, or the casserole won't bake evenly!
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional information is provided by a third party service and is intended for guidance purposes only. KitchenReadyBetty.com makes no claims to its accuracy.
Kathy M. says
Such a hearty casserole! I really enjoyed the flavors and the kidney beans in this!
Kitchen Ready Betty says
Thank you! Believe it or not, a lot of cowboy casseroles don't have kidney beans in them, but I think they are so good and totally add to the flavor profile.