This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole with gravy is a great weeknight meal! A delicious ground beef and gravy filling is topped with crispy tater tots. It’s an easy casserole recipe that will satisfy a craving for comfort food.
Easy Tater Tot Casserole
This hamburger tater tot casserole recipe is so easy and a great classic comfort food. It’s a ground beef casserole with tater tots on top – we love some crispy tater tots around here!
Many casseroles call for canned soup (like my leftover turkey casserole), but it’s a tater tot casserole without cream of chicken soup! Instead of soup, I use gravy. The gravy adds the perfect texture and flavor, plus you can use leftover gravy, homemade, or store-bought.
Cheesy tater tot casserole is great for weeknight dinners, but you can also assemble it the day before for dinner the next day. We absolutely love this recipe for a quick comfort food dinner.
Ingredients in Ground Beef Casserole
- Ground Beef: Or use ground turkey – your choice. I prefer using lean ground beef (96/4 but you can use anything you like).
- Spices: Onion powder, Garlic powder, Kosher salt, Ground black pepper
- Gravy: This is the PERFECT recipe to make with leftover gravy! That’s right: it’s a tater tot hotdish without condensed soup!
- Stock: Use beef or chicken stock to thin out the gravy.
- Frozen Peas: Or use your favorite frozen vegetables.
- Frozen Tater Tots: Needed since it’s Tater Tot casserole!
How to Make Tater Tot Casserole with Hamburger
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook the seasonings with the meat, breaking it up while it cooks until the ground beef is no longer pink.
- Drain the excess fat from the skillet, and then add the gravy and stock. Stir until the sauce is smooth.
- Mix in the peas and then transfer the ground beef mixture to a 9×9” baking dish.
- Top the filling with the tater tots – they should be in a single layer in the casserole dish.
- Bake the gravy tater tot casserole for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tots are crispy and the filling is hot.
Variations
- You can make this casserole recipe with hamburger, ground turkey, or ground chicken!
- Add one to two cups of shredded cheddar cheese or mozzarella on the top!
- Any kind of stock will work like chicken stock, beef stock, or vegetable stock. You can even use water if you don’t have stock on hand.
- This is a great way to use up leftover vegetables! Use your favorite frozen veggies or leftover fresh vegetables. We love this tater tot casserole with green beans or with corn.
- Make this tater tot casserole easy and use store-bought prepared gravy. It’s also a great way to use up homemade gravy. Any gravy flavor will work, too.
Expert Tips
- I have a recommended amount of stock to use in this recipe, but you may need to adjust it depending on how thick your gravy is. You want the sauce mixture to be thick but not too thick, so add up to a ½ cup of extra stock to thin it, if needed. On the other hand, reduce the amount of stock if the gravy you use is thinner.
- Want to make it low-carb? I love to use caulitots instead of tater tots to make the casserole lighter. They work great!
- Have leftovers? Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
FAQs
Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of hamburger.
Yes, frozen hashbrowns will work great! Layer them on to off the filling before baking the tater tot casserole.
If you want to freeze gravy tater tot casserole, wait to bake it. Assemble it as instructed, and then cover the pan tightly with foil. Freeze the casserole for up to three months. Thaw it in the refrigerator and then bake it as instructed.
Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole with Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups prepared gravy
- ¼ cup beef or chicken stock see note
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas see note
- 48 tater tots about 1 ¼ pounds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up into small pieces, until cooked through. Drain any excess fat.
- Add gravy and stock and stir until gravy melts into meat, then stir in peas. Remove from heat and place in a 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Top with an even layer of frozen tater tots. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tater tots are golden brown and meat mixture is bubbly.
- Serve hot. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Can use ground beef or chicken or turkey
- This is a great use for leftover gravy. Need gravy? Make my homemade recipe
- The amount of stock you use will depend on how thick your gravy is. My leftover gravy recipe is very thick and needs to be diluted a bit. Use up to ½ cup stock if needed. You want the mixture to be thick but not as thin as stew.
- You can use beef, chicken, vegetable stock or water
- Use any flavor gravy
- Use any kind of vegetables – frozen or leftover
- Low carb? Use caulitots!
Recipe Nutrition
What goes with tater tot casserole?
Serve this recipe with some simple sides:
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Garlic Green Beans
- Parmesan Roasted Zucchini
- A simple salad!
