We’re back with a little spin on one of our classic recipes! This Easy Tater Tot Casserole is not only packed with protein and made with super simple ingredients, but it’s also perfect for meal prep. If you liked our Loaded Tater Tot Slow Cooker Chicken, you’re going to love this one. Make it ahead, enjoy it all week long, and stay fueled with this cheesy, delicious recipe.

Question of the day! If made perfectly, are you going tots, wedges, fries, hash browns, or something else? Drop your choice in the comments below.

Start this one by taking out and adding in a tablespoon of oil into a large stovetop pan over medium heat. Unless I’m using a higher heat, I typically stick with olive oil.

After it heats up, choose your vegetables. Today, I’m going with a chopped up green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, and 1/2 a red onion. You can use whatever vegetables you think would pair well with this easy tater tot casserole recipe. Here are some of my other favorites:

• Mushrooms
• Broccoli (crunchy texture!)
• Spinach
• Zucchini (more mild)
• Asparagus
• Corn (more sweetness added)
• Cauliflower
• Green Beans (a classic!)

I should also mention that vegetables are completely optional however I prefer them for both texture and taste in this one.

You don’t want anything to burn so make sure to keep everything moving for a couple minutes.

Next, choose your lean ground meat. I went with a 96/4 beef but ground turkey or chicken work great too. If you’re using anything under 85/15 you may want to consider draining it after browning.

Break your ground meat up and let it cook until browned over medium heat.

While it’s browning, add in 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of some Italian seasoning. For a kick in your easy tater tot casserole you could add in a little chili sauce or crushed red pepper.

Mix everything together as it continues to brown.

Cream of Substitute

Once browned, drop your heat to low and add in a can of 98% fat free cream of mushroom or chicken. If you don’t have access to these, you can use a can of gravy as a substitute.

Ideally you want to choose the thickest gravy you can find. If your gravy appears to be too thin you can quickly thicken it up with either of these methods:

1. The quickest? Add in 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum per 1 cup of gravy.
2. Create a slurry by mixing together 2 tablespoons of corn starch or flour and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Add that “slurry” into your gravy or low heat until you reach your desired consistency.

From here, take out at least a 2 quart baking dish and add that mixture into the bottom of it. Keep in mind that if you double or triple the recipe you’re going to need a much bigger baking dish!

Top that bottom layer with 1 pound of frozen tater tots followed by 3/4 cup of your choice shredded cheese. Use a cheese you like that fits your macros, it all works great.

Put that into the oven on 350F/176C for around 35-40 minutes or until your tots have turned golden brown.

Reheating tips? To keep it crispy I’ll throw a piece of mine in the air fryer for around 5-7 minutes on 350F/176C. If I’m looking for speed, a minute in the microwave does the trick.