Satisfy your hunger with this mouth-watering cowboy casserole recipe. Packed with hearty ingredients like ground beef, beans, and corn, this dish will surely become a family favorite. This is quick and easy comfort food at its best.
My family loves this easy dish made with frozen tater tots and simple ingredients. This family favorite is comfort food at its best, made without canned soup. This all-inclusive casserole with meat, potatoes, and veggies is a filling meal on its own, but if guests are coming, I love to serve it with sweet potato cornbread, corn muffins, or cheddar drop biscuits.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.
- Frozen tater tots: I like Ore-Ida, but you can use any brand.
- Ground beef: You can substitute ground turkey, pork, or chicken.
- Taco seasoning: Use store-bought or homemade.
- Cheese: cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican blend.
- Sour Cream: For the best flavor and texture, use full-fat sour cream.
How To Make Cowboy Casserole
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- Prebake the tator tots.
- Brown the ground beef and onions over medium heat. Reduce the heat and add the garlic. Cook for a minute.
- Add the taco seasoning, black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, and diced green chiles to the hamburger mixture and simmer.
- Stir in half the shredded cheese and sour cream.
- Layer the tater tots over the dish and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake until the cheese melts.
Preparation Tips For Cowboy Casserole
- If you don’t like an ingredient, substitute something else. For example, if you don’t like corn, try green beans or peas.
- Add a little minced jalapeno, cayenne pepper, green chilies, or more red pepper flakes for a kicked-up spicy flavor.
- I like to prebake the tater tots on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. This crisps them up a bit and improves the overall texture.
Recipe Variations
- Spicy: Add minced jalapeno at the same time as the garlic, and use shredded pepper jack cheese.
- Meats: To switch up the ground meat, try ground turkey, sausage, pork, chicken, or any combination.
- Italian: Add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the hamburger mixture, skip the other spices, and substitute shredded mozzarella for the Cheddar and Monterey Jack.
More Casserole Recipes
Cowboy Casserole Recipe
A fun and easy tater tot Cowboy Casserole with ground beef, onions, green beans, corn, tomatoes, and plenty of Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese.
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 508kcal
Ingredients
- 1 bag 32 ounces frozen tater tots
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can can whole kernel corn drained
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 (7 ounce) can green chiles
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- ½ cup sour cream warmed to room temperature for 40 minutes
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425
- Spread the tater tots over a large baking sheet. Bake the tater tots in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Brown the ground beef in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. About halfway through the browning process, add the chopped onions. Continue cooking until the ground beef is browned and the onions are soft. Drain any excess grease. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Add the taco seasoning, black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, and diced green chiles to the hamburger mixture. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar and the sour cream. If you are not cooking this in an ovenproof skillet at this time, transfer the contents to a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Layer the tater tots on the top of the hamburger mixture in the skillet. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 12-15 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze in a sturdy freezer container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until warm. Or in the microwave at 70% power for 3-4 minutes or until warmed.
Nutrition
Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 816mg | Potassium: 511mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 466IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 245mg | Iron: 2mg
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Hadley
I have been looking for more easy, oven-forward dinner ideas! This cowboy casserole was delicious and easy. Thank you, Beth!
Beth Pierce
You are welcome, Hadley!
Rhian
I wonder if tater tots are like mini hash browns here as we don’t get tater tots in the UK. Looks like a tasty dish though x
Melanie E
Sounds like a really tasty dish that can be easily altered to allow for taste and meat preferences. It’s a great options when you want something hearty and warming with this cold weather we are having.
Karen
The casserole was delicious…All the delicious flavors, so good! I will be doing the cowboy casserole monthly moving forward. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Karen!
Ben
This is probably my favorite recipe from your site so far. I made it last night, and I’m already looking forward to making it again.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Ben! So happy that you liked it.
AJ
This is a great addition to family dinners! Absolutely delicious and no leftovers or crumbs! Served with some strawberry lemonade and can’t get any better!!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, AJ! So happy that you liked the cowboy casserole.
Jen
I’m a huge fan of casseroles! This one is so tasty and easy to make. It quickly became a family favorite. Hats off to you, Beth!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Jen! So glad that you liked it!
Julia G
I loved the casserole! It was so tasty and hearty. It was perfect for my boys! They have hearty appetites and they loved it!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Julia! So glad that they liked it.
Yvette
I tend to use ground beef in dishes like chilli or bolognaise so making this cowboy casserole would be a lovely change. We love sweet corn too so this really does sound like a lovely comforting dinner.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Yvette! Enjoy!
Rhian S
I love casseroles and dishes like this to warm you up, a good time of the year to have before it gets too warm. We don’t really have tater tots in the UK but there must be an alternative
Beth Pierce
What about hashbrowns? Do you have them?