Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
This Mexican Tater Tot Casserole was a hit with my family! It was spicy, hearty and tasty. Comfort food for the win.
I originally intended to make a hashbrown casserole, but that did not pan out. Do you know how hard it is to find shredded hashbrowns in Canada? To me, it feels impossible!
I checked every single store in my area and came up empty. They only had the diced hashbrowns. Then I saw the Tater Tots and a new idea was born. Scrap the hashbrown casserole idea and hello Tater Tot casserole. It was a huge hit!
Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
I’m sure you’ve seen Tater Tot casseroles before and probably have even made them yourself. This was my first attempt. I decided to give mine a Mexican flair using taco seasoning, peppers and queso. Hello Mexican Tater Tot Casserole!
The bottom layer is a mixture of spicy ground beef, peppers and onions. It tastes like you would expect – the filling for a taco. Then I topped it with an entire jar of queso.
Queso is basically melted cheese sauce with chiles. Look for it in the chip aisle with the tortilla chips and salsa. The one I used was Tostitos brand.
Frozen Tater Tots covered the top of the casserole dish. Don’t worry, they will thaw and cook in the oven. During the last five minutes of baking, I added shredded cheese. If you had this at the beginning, it will burn. You only want it to melt on the top.
It’s a little spicy, hearty and a yummy comfort food to fill your belly. John told me it’s one of his favourite meals I’ve made. I’ll be adding this recipe to our meal plan regularly! I may try other combinations to experiment a little. If I find any good ones, I’ll share the recipe, pinky promise.
How to Make Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
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To start, you’ll want to cook the ground beef, onions and peppers. Add them to a large skillet over medium heat to cook for about 7 to 8 minutes.
I like to use a Meat chopper to break up the ground beef. It makes the job effortless.
Once you’ve got the ground beef and veggies cooked, stir in the taco seasoning. I used a whole packet. You can also use 2 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning instead.
Time to assemble the casserole! Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread the ground beef mixture on the bottom. Top with Queso and then cover with frozen Tater Tots.
Bake the casserole for 40 minutes at 400F. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes for the cheese to melt.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Can You Freeze Mexican Tater Tot Casserole?
Yes, you can freeze Mexican Tater Tot Casserole. Just make sure it’s covered and eaten within 3 months. No one likes freezer burn!
Tater Tot Casserole Recipes
We love Tater Tot Casseroles! In fact, I have a couple different varieties shared here in my recipe box.
- Tater Tot Casserole: A classic comfort food casserole your family will love! It has a layer of ground beef mixed with a creamy veggie sauce and topped with crispy Tater Tots and melted cheddar cheese.
- Lasagna Tater Tot Casserole: Easy, delicious comfort food! This casserole is one of my family’s favourite weeknight meals.
- Pizza Tater Tot Casserole: This comforting casserole has three layers of goodness. Use your favourite pizza toppings to create the perfect family meal.
- More Tater Tot Casserole Recipes: A list of 20 mouthwatering recipes to enjoy.
- Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole: Made with sloppy joe beef topped with crispy tater tots and melted cheddar cheese, it’s a quick and easy family recipe everyone enjoys.
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole: Perfect for breakfast or brunch, this easy and hearty breakfast recipe is made with simple ingredients like eggs, breakfast sausage, cheese, bacon and, of course, tater tots! Kids love this delicious breakfast that will soon become a family favorite.
If you are looking for more comfort food casseroles, try my Slow Cooker Beef Enchilada Casserole, Slow Cooker Ham & Potato Hash, Santa Fe Chicken Tortellini Casserole and Spaghetti Pie. I also have a Casserole Pinterest board.
You’ll also like Mexican Spaghetti, Mexican Meatballs, Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Fish Tacos, Pico de Gallo, Taco Casserole, garden salsa and Mexican Stuffed Peppers.
Do you make Tater Tot casserole?
Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 orange pepper chopped
- 1 yellow pepper chopped
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 jar queso 394 ml jar
- ¾ of a 1 kg package of frozen Tater Tots
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, peppers and ground beef. Cook until beef is no longer pink and onions and peppers are softened, about 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread the beef mixture on the bottom evenly. Pour queso on top and spread to cover beef mixture. Cover with Tater Tots. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.
Video
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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I’ve made this many times, and it’s always delicious. I love the way the tater tots absorb some of the spicy liquid, and it all tastes so good together!
Mucho Goodo
Why not just say
Use a 28 oz bag of tater tots. (I’d probably use a 32 oz bag,)?
Why not add a can of Hat h chilies, top?
And I woukd suggest Mexican 4 Cheese Blend rather than cheddar
We love tater tots and thought these were delicious. I wasn’t sure about using the queso, but it turned out to be perfect. Definitely one I’ll be making again.
I made this on May 17th, 2023 for my brother who is dealing with cancer family for supper, with garlic bread and brownies for dessert, they loved it! I am making it again today May 18th for my daughter’s family (all men) for supper. Easy to prepare and really yummy.
HI STACIE, WHAT IS QUESO SAUCE? WHAT CAN YOU USE INSTEAD?
CANADA DOESN’T HAVE MANY MEXICAN RECIPE STUFF. I HAVE LOOKED BEFORE & CAN’T FIND THESE PRODUCTS. THANK YOU, GAIL WILSON
I’ve seen it at Walmart and Metro here in Ontario. This is what it looks like: https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/Tostitos-Salsa-Con-Queso/6000159563128 You could also use cheez whiz that you’ve melted and add some salsa in it to give it some spice.
I have fixed this several times. It’s really good. I use the round tater tots and also throw in a can of green chilis. Add a package of Uncle Ben’s Spanish rice and a salad you have a great meal. Thanks for sharing.
why 40 minutes when the tator tot package says 20-30?
To get crispy tater tots and ensure the other ingredients in the casserole are cooked, it does take the 45 minutes.
I make this recipe weekly and absolutely love it! My family loves it as well, my 4 year old requests it for dinner 🙂
I would love to feature this recipe in a blog post with a link to your website, with your permission of course ♡
Thank you for coming up with this amazing recipe!
Happy easter!
I’m glad you liked it! I would love for you to link to the recipe on your blog. Thank you!
This is a huge hit in our house. I’ve got two picky eaters and they always ask for seconds when I make this. Thanks for such a great family that the kids love.
When you add the taco seasoning, do you add the water to it as per the instructions on the packet?
I just use the taco seasoning by itself with no water.
What kind of queso? In Meijer there are tostitos dip salsa con queso medium, tostitos dip queso blanco, meijer white salsa con queso, on the border salsa con queso, chi chi’s salsa con queso, herdez queso blanco and so on.
Oh wow lucky! I think we only have one variety here. I used Salsa Con Queso Medium. Any one of them would be fine though!
If made ahead and frozen, do you thaw prior to cooking and if so, how long do you cook?
Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Then, to reheat, bake at 350F in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes.
This was a HUGE hit with my whole family as well as at the office for Cinco de Mayo! This should be illegal!
I’ve made this dish twice now and each time my family loved it. The only thing I do differently is leave out the onions, I’m allergic, but otherwise it’s the perfect meal for a family of five
1 kg of tator tots? You mean one lb?
It’s this size of bag https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/great-value-tater-puffs/6000001838098
This sounds so good. I am going to make it tonight. I’m going to add sliced black olives and sliced jalapeño peppers on top of the qeso dip
Could not find hashbrowns?!? Potato + grater!
My husband really liked it. Next time I’m adding jalapeno and putting chips on top when serving. Thank u for the recipe!