Taco Tater Tot casserole is a hearty layered dish that combines the flavors of a taco with the comforting texture and convenience of a casserole. The base consists of seasoned taco meat (I highly recommend my recipe), on top of that a thick layer of melted cheese and finally crispy seasoned tater tots. The crispy tots replace the shell and it’s a combination you never knew you needed in your life.
Take full liberty topping your taco tater tot casserole with whatever fixings you like. We do chopped lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa and sometimes queso. I recommend serving the casserole without toppings and allowing everyone to build their own. This keeps the tots from getting soggy and everyone is happy when they can customize to their liking. It also makes reheating much easier.
The recipe calls for 2 pounds of taco meat. If you find yourself with leftover taco meat and want to put it to good use in this recipe, but you don’t have enough for a 9×13 pan, do an 8×8 or 9×9 version! I do that all the time and it comes out great!
Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Taco Meat cold
- 16 oz Shredded Cheese
- 1 Bag Tots (I used 63 crispy crowns, not quite a full bag)
- 1 Seasoned Salt, Cumin, Paprika (didn’t measure)
- Avocado Oil
- Taco Fixings
Instructions
- Add taco meat to a 9x13 baking dish. Top the meat with shredded cheese. Top the cheese with 63 crispy crown tater tots.
- Lightly spray the top with avocado oil and season with seasoned salt, cumin and paprika.
- Bake 425 for 30-35 min uncovered. Broil if needed.
- Serve and top with your favorite taco fixings.