Easy Tater Tot Hot Dish Recipe

We are big fans of this tater tot hot dish recipe. Our family has lived in North Dakota for several years and this recipe originated in Minnesota, our neighbor state. We serve this comforting casserole as a quick weeknight dinner, on our holiday table, or bring it to a friend’s potluck. It’s so versatile and a recipe that both kids and adults love.

The best part is it’s made with all approachable ingredients that we like to keep stocked in our kitchen on any given week. I can assemble it in the morning and store it in the fridge during the work day. When we are ready to eat, all I have to do is add the frozen tater tots on top and bake. It’s really that easy. We’ve even customized the recipe with ground chicken or turkey instead of beef, and stirred leftover vegetables into the sauce as a way to use them up. If you love a comfort food recipe, our slow cooker beef stroganoff and cheeseburger casserole are two other delicious recipes you should try.

Close up image of tater tot hot dish. — 📸 Photography by **Nicole Wood**

Why you’ll love this recipe

Easy to assemble. This hot dish recipe is super simple to make! It’s made all in one pot, then transferred to a baking dish and topped with cheese and frozen tater tots.
An elevated casserole recipe with no condensed soup. My tater tot hot dish uses sour cream and heavy cream to achieve an irresistibly creamy sauce! No canned soup necessary! Not only is canned soup extra salty but it’s full of processed ingredients.
Meal prep perfection. You can make the filling a day ahead of time, then just top with cheese and tots when you’re ready to bake!

Tips for Busy Cooks

This is a great casserole to meal prep and pop into the freezer to have as an emergency dinner during a hectic week. I give you the instructions of how to assemble the hot dish and freeze it to bake at a later date in the storage section of the post.

What is tater tot hot dish?

Hot dish is another name for a casserole with a protein smothered in a creamy sauce, typically combined with vegetables and a starch. It’s popular in Minnesota and North Dakota, among other states in the Midwest.

Living in North Dakota now for many years, tater tot hot dish is my favorite version, with a beefy gravy-like filling, plenty of melted cheese, and crispy tots on top for crunch. It’s the ultimate comfort food for kids and adults alike.

Ingredients for tater tot hot dish which include ground beef, sour cream, cheese, tater tots, mixed vegetables, heavy cream, and spices.

Key Ingredient Notes

Ground beef – I recommend at least 80 percent lean ground beef. Drain the excess fat as needed. For a healthier alternative, try ground turkey or shredded chicken.
All-purpose flour – Flour acts as a thickener so the cheese sauce doesn’t separate. It keeps the sauce silky smooth and creamy!
Sour cream – Sour cream helps thicken the cheese sauce without the need for condensed soup. Condensed soup is excessively salty and full of processed ingredients! This version tastes better and it’s better for you.
Heavy cream – For an ultra creamy cheese sauce.
Mixed vegetables – Frozen green beans, corn, peas, and carrots taste delicious in the cheesy sauce. I don’t recommend canned veggies for this one. You can use only frozen peas or green beans if you prefer.
Shredded cheese – I used shredded cheddar, but any melting cheese works great. Try Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, Mexican, Italian, or a combination.
Frozen tater tots – You need one 32 ounce bag. This is a tater tot hot dish after all!

How to make this tater tot hot dish recipe

Before you begin, preheat your oven to 400°F. And grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

1. Cook the meat

Cook the ground beef and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once all the meat is cooked, drain the excess fat.

2. Prepare the casserole mixture

Stir in the flour and spices to the meat mixture.
Add the sour cream and heavy cream and stir until well combined.
Add ½ cup of the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Save the remaining cheese for the top!
Add the frozen mixed vegetables and stir to combine.

Four photos which show ground beef with spices and flour, ground beef with sour cream, ground beef with shredded cheddar cheese, and ground beef with frozen vegetables all in a skillet.

3. Assemble and bake the casserole

Carefully pour the cheesy beef and vegetable mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of cheese evenly over the casserole.
Arrange the frozen tater tots on top in a single layer.
Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. The foil prevents the tater tots from browning too quickly. Carefully remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the tots are golden brown and crispy.

beef and vegetable casserole with cheese and tater tots on top.

Expert Tips:

Make sure you brown the beef well before building the sauce. We like to use 80/20 ground beef for this recipe to give the sauce richness in flavor and moisture from the fat. You could also use ground turkey or shredded chicken.
No need to thaw the tater tots or frozen veggies prior to adding them into the hot dish. The veggies will thaw in the sauce and the tater tots will bake and crisp in the oven.
Shred the cheese yourself rather than using pre-shredded. The already grated cheese in the bag has a powder on it that prevents it from melting as nicely. It’s so worth it to grate the cheddar cheese on your own.
Great recipe to use leftover vegetables. Feel free to stir in roasted broccoli, even cauliflower, sweet potato, or butternut squash. All are so delicious!
If you want to lighten the sauce up, you can swap half and half for the heavy cream, and Greek yogurt for the sour cream.

Storage

To store leftovers, allow the dish to come to room temperature. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Reheat in the microwave on a heatproof plate until hot throughout. Or you can reheat leftovers in the oven in a baking dish covered with foil at 350ºF. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

When it comes to prepping in advance, you can assemble this hot dish recipe up to a day ahead of time. Don’t top with shredded cheese or frozen tater tots. Instead, wrap the casserole dish in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. Top with cheese and tater tots right before you pop it in the oven!

If you want to freeze the casserole before baking to cook at a later date, that works well too. Just assemble the hot dish as directed, wrap in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.

FAQs:

What is a hotdish?

A hotdish is a type of casserole with protein, veggies, potatoes or a starch, and a creamy irresistible sauce! All hotdishes are casseroles, but not all casseroles are a type of hotdish. Hotdish originated in Minnesota and is a popular meal served in the upper Midwestern states.

What is tater tot hotdish made of?

Tater tot hotdish is made of ground beef and mixed vegetables in a cream sauce topped with shredded cheese and frozen tater tots. The hotdish is baked until the cheese is melty and the tots are golden brown and crisp!

What should I serve with tater tot hotdish?

Hotdish is a meal on its own, but I like to serve it with biscuits or dinner rolls and a big salad with crunchy greens and vegetables. A fruit salad, biscuits, or a mixed green salad would be great too!