Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole
Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole is a quick and easy recipe that combines classic burger ingredients in the filling and then is baked with tots on top.
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Calories: 613kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or other ground meat
- 5 slices bacon chopped, ham works too
- 1 small onion chopped or 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic optional
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons dry onion soup mix about ½ a package, optional
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon pickle relish or 1 diced medium pickle
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced, or hot sauce to taste
- 1 14-ounce can canned diced tomatoes drained, or 1 large ripe tomato, diced
- 2 cups shredded cheese divided, more or less to taste
- 1 28-ounce bag frozen tater tots you will have extra
- butter or cooking spray for greasing
For Serving
- 6 iceberg lettuce leaves
- 1 small tomato
- sliced pickles
- 1 green onion thinly sliced, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Prepare an 8 x 8 inch or 9 x 9 inch deep cake pan lightly coated with cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium high heat 5 to 7 minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble or dice and set aside. Reserve some bacon to sprinkle on top of casserole, at the end, if desired. Do not discard grease.
- In the same large skillet, with bacon grease, over medium heat, cook ground meat and onion together, stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink. Drain if desired and return to skillet, (I never drain it.)
- Sprinkle with flour and stir until flour is absorbed and blended in.
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce, pepper, garlic and onion soup mix. Once blended in remove from heat.
- Add 1 cup shredded cheese, canned tomatoes, bacon, ketchup, mustard, and relish and jalapeno. Taste and add salt pepper as needed.
- Spoon mixture into prepared casserole dish and flatten until even and smooth.
- Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese across the top, if desired.
- Arrange the partially thawed tater tots in an even layer over flattened mixture. A 9 x 9 inch pan will need 63 tots or about ½ of a 2 pound bag.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining bacon and then ½ cup cheese (or add even more) on top of the tater tots.
- Change oven temperature to broil.
- Return pan to the oven for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
- Let casserole stand for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve with a sprinkling of green onions, pickles and tomatoes on a piece of lettuce or bed of lettuce, if desired.
Notes
- If necessary, rotate your pan halfway through the cooking process to ensure it heats evenly and all of the tater tots are crispy.
- Store leftover casserole in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the casserole and freeze it tightly covered in plastic wrap for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 613kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 1324mg | Potassium: 795mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 629IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 256mg | Iron: 3mg