Cowboy Casserole
This savory and comforting cowboy casserole is incredibly easy to make and is great for busy nights.
Seasoned ground beef, crumbled bacon, kidney beans, corn and green bell pepper take this dish to the next level when mixed with cream of celery soup.
Simply top it with shredded Colby Jack cheese and frozen tots, pop it in the oven, and dinner is done!
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 or click HERE.
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!