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Home » Recipes » Main Course

Kickin’ Creole Tater Tot Casserole

Stacey – March 11, 2021 – 19 Comments

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This post is sponsored by my friends at Tony Chachere’s, but all opinions expressed are my own – just as always.  Thanks for supporting the brands that support my family and me.  

Scoop of Creole Tater Tot Casserole

Ok, in an effort of full disclosure, I’m relatively new to the whole “Tater Tot Casserole” thing. It just wasn’t something that we ever had when I was a kid. But I became an instant fan of the cheesy casserole as soon as I had it in my early 30s. (Yes, it took me until my 30s before I had it. Call me deprived, I guess.) 

And, in all honesty, I have no idea why this gooey, delicious combination of ground beef, onions, cream of mushroom soup, and tater tots hadn’t entered my life before then. But, Lord, I’m sure glad it did. 

Baking dish of Creole Tater Tot CasseroleTater Tot Casserole, sometimes called Tater Tot HotDish in the upper midwest, is classic comfort food. It requires only a handful of ingredients, can be made pretty quickly, and can easily be adapted to suit any family’s particular food peculiarities. I’m looking at you, picky eaters!

All of these things combined makes this dish perfect for those busy weeknights. And we all can use more easy weeknight supper ideas, right? 

Creole Tater Tot Casserole on a plateNow, many of the Tater Tot Casseroles I’ve had in the past were a bit on the dry side. If I’m going to eat a casserole, I want super gooey, cheesy deliciousness. You know what I mean? 

So when my friends from Tony Chachere’s asked me to kick up a traditional tater tot casserole recipe and give it a creole flair, I knew we also had to amp up the gooeyness and cheesiness. So that’s exactly what I did. 

 The Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning is the perfect spice blend to add tons of zing to something that can sometimes be a bit boring in the flavor department. 

Scoop of Creole Tater Tot Casserole

A few things to keep in mind…

When it comes to the cheese, I went with pepper jack. The thing is, it can often be a little harder to find it pre-shredded in the bags at the grocery store. So you can buy an 8-ounce block of pepper jack and run it over the box grater to grate it yourself, or you can opt for another type of cheese like Colby-Jack or Monterey Jack. Either should work just fine in this dish. 

When you only have a few ingredients in a recipe, you want to make sure you add in as much flavor with each of those ingredients as possible. With that in mind, I used onion tater tots rather than the regular potato-only variety. Regular tots work just fine though if you can’t find the onion ones.  

I really like the texture and flavor of the tots when they’re crunchy. With this casserole, it can be hard to get them that way without a little extra help. To do that, I turn the oven on broil and return the casserole to the oven to toast the tots for 3 to 5 minutes. Just watch them carefully or they’ll burn. No one wants burned tots! 

Y’all enjoy!

Scoop of Creole Tater Tot Casserole
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Recipe Card

Kickin’ Creole Tater Tot Casserole

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Cajun, Creole, southern
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Author Stacey Little | Southern Bite

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground chuck
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, plus more for topping
  • 2 (10.5-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained
  • 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
  • 3 to 4 cups frozen onion tater tots

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Brown meat and onion together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off fat.
  • Return meat to the skillet over low heat and add ketchup, Worcestershire, Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, mushroom soup, and drained tomatoes and chilies. Stir to combine and allow to heat through. Spread evenly into the prepared dish. Top with pepper jack cheese.
  • Cover top of mixture with tater tots. Sprinkle a little more Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning over the top of the tots.
  • Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until tater tots are browned and heated through. (If the tots aren't cripsy to your liking, a few minutes under the broiler should crisp them right up.)
Scoop of Creole Tater Tot Casserole
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Scoop of Creole Tater Tot Casserole 

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Stacey Little of Southern Bite

Hey, y’all! I’m Stacey…

Feeding people makes me happy. Few things in this world delight me more than my family and friends gathered around my table enjoying a meal. Pull up a chair and join us! Read more…

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  1. Tonya

    June 20, 2022 at 10:04 am

    What can I replace the Worcestershire and ketchup with?

    Reply
    • Stacey

      June 21, 2022 at 8:59 am

      You can leave them out but you’ll be missing out on some flavor!

      Reply
  2. Jerry

    March 28, 2022 at 7:46 pm

    Tried the recipe for the first time and loved it. Will have to check out your other recipes.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      April 4, 2022 at 10:02 am

      Please do! So glad this recipe worked for you!

      Reply
  3. Jennifer

    February 15, 2022 at 6:02 am

    Hi. I want to make this delicious dish, but my Kroger doesn’t carry onion tater tot’s. Where do you buy your’s? Thanks, Jennifer

    Reply
    • Stacey

      February 16, 2022 at 10:22 am

      I typically grab them at Publix or even Walmart sometimes. Regular tater tots will work, too.

      Reply
  4. Helen R Watson

    July 27, 2021 at 7:30 am

    Can I use Cream of Chicken instead of Mushroom?

    Reply
    • Stacey

      July 27, 2021 at 10:54 am

      Yes, you can. The flavor will be a bit different, though.

      Reply
  5. Karhryn Smith

    May 15, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    Loved the recipe , however a little too spicey ! We added sliced avacados & sour cream .Kept the spice but toned it down . Win-win – ????????????

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 17, 2021 at 12:09 pm

      Sounds like a great way to make it even more delicious! Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  6. Tina Bassett

    March 19, 2021 at 8:09 am

    I will use ground turkey instead of the ground beef. Same meaty taste with less fat and cholesterol.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      March 19, 2021 at 10:43 am

      Sounds great! Enjoy!

      Reply
  7. Lisa

    March 17, 2021 at 1:20 pm

    You can use Crispy Crowns instead of tots, they’re smaller and cook quicker.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      March 17, 2021 at 4:53 pm

      Great tip! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Susan W Tolbert

        April 1, 2021 at 2:32 pm

        Can I make it without ground beef?

        Reply
        • Stacey

          April 5, 2021 at 1:05 pm

          So just sauce, cheese, and tots? I don’t see why not.

          Reply
        • Vicki Hagebusch

          April 30, 2021 at 8:36 pm

          You can make with ground turkey. I haven’t used ground beef in years and my tater tot casseroles are always delicious.

          Reply
          • Stacey

            May 6, 2021 at 1:20 pm

            Thanks for sharing, Vicki!

    • Tina Bassett

      March 19, 2021 at 8:10 am

      I love the crispy crowns. I use them all the time.

      Reply

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Stacey Little of Southern Bite

Hey, y’all! I’m Stacey…

Feeding people makes me happy. Few things in this world delight me more than my family and friends gathered around my table enjoying a meal. Pull up a chair and join us! Read more…

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