Looking for an easy dinner that will feed & fill a hungry crowd? This cheeseburger tater tot casserole with crescent rolls is quick & easy, and delicious down to the last bite! This is one classic hot dish dinner the whole family will enjoy, so don’t count on having any leftovers.
This cheeseburger & tater tot casserole is what evolved from a lunch for the boys on a day they were home from school that was incredibly cold, when I had pulled hamburger meat out for, you guessed it, hamburgers for lunch and then realized I had no buns or sandwich bread.
In theory I could’ve introduced them all to the square hamburger bun from the pack of Wonder bread. The kind my Mom always served us kids growing up.
Looking back, maybe I should’ve welcomed back my old friend- but it didn’t occur to me at the time! Thankfully, because this casserole is definitely a new family favorite.
It’s everything you love about the classic cheesy burger combo, including the crispy spuds, but combined and cooked in a single casserole dish. Making it cheaper, and easier on busy parents.
It was the perfect comfort food to warm us all up and put a smile on everyone’s face. There were no leftovers, which is always a good sign!
Ingredients Needed
(FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM OF POST)
- Ground Beef – I recommend lean ground beef since you won’t want any excess grease getting into your crescent roll crust and preventing it from crisping up.
- Crescent Rolls – the canned kind in the refrigerated biscuit section. You can use full fat or the reduced fat variety.
- Onion – A medium sweet onion, diced. My favorite variety is vadillia, but any yellow onion will work.
- Garlic
- Shredded Cheese – 2 cups of shredded cheese. We used a Mexican cheese blend, but you can use any variety as long as it’s something you’d enjoy on or with a burger.
- Tater Tots – a 32 oz bag of the frozen variety. Traditional shape or the rounder shaped crowns will both work.
- Ketchup
- Mustard – plain old yellow mustard, nothing fancy
- Salt & Pepper – To your taste preference, and if watching salt intake it is totally optional
How To Make
Making a basic tater tot casserole is easier than you’d think! For this hot dish recipe, start with the beef.
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet until cooked through, crumbling it as it cooks. When done, add the meat to a colander and drain off all the grease.
Add the meat back to the skillet, and add the onions stirring to fully incorporate. Allow the meat and onion mixture to sauté another 2-3 minutes, just until the onions have begun to soften.
Add the ketchup, mustard, and half the cheese stirring until evenly incorporated. Allow the skillet to remain on the burner, just until the mixture’s heated through. Remove it from the heat and set aside.
At this point, season your mixture with salt & pepper to your own tastes. You can omit completely if you’d prefer.
Be careful when tasting the hot beef mixture though to prevent burning your mouth!
Spray a 9×13″ baking dish liberally with non stick spray.
Open the crescent rolls and lay them out flat in the bottom of the prepared dish. Press the seams together to remove and gaps, and so that it’s a solid layer of crust that will cook as one piece.
Add the cheesy meat mixture to the dish, and spread out in an even layer over the crescent roll dough sheet. Top this evenly with the frozen tater tots.
Bake the cheeseburger casserole at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes, or until the tater tots are cooked through and golden brown and crispy on the outside. If unsure, you can carefully pluck one off the top and cut it open to check it for done-ness.
Remove the cooked casserole from the oven, and sprinkle the remaining cup of shredded cheese evenly out over the top.
Bake the dish another 5 minutes, until the cheese is nicely melted.
Remove the cheeseburger tater tot casserole from the oven, carefully, and let it rest for 5 FULL minutes. This will give everything a chance to set up nicely making serving much easier.
Because of the crescent roll crust on the bottom, use a knife to cut the tater tot hot dish into slices or squares then serve using a spatula.
UP-ing The ‘Cheeseburger’ Flavor Factor
If you’re really a cheeseburger lover, then you may want a way to really play on those traditional flavors. And I have some suggestions my family enjoys!
- Reserve 2 tbsp of the burger grease, and stir it into the meat mixture. The small amount will retain the flavor in well drained beef without letting anything get soggy.
- Also, you could stir in some crisp crumbled bacon or 1 tbsp of bacon grease/drippings.
- You may not be a fan of pickles on burger, but they do add flavor- stir 1 tbsp pickle relish and a teensy bit of juice into your meat mixture.
- Use a blend of your favorite burger cheeses.
- To really make the flavor pop and add an unami factor, add 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire or 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce to the ground beef. The liquid will cook off, but the flavor will remain.
Can I Add Canned Vegetables To Make It A Full Meal?
Adding vegetables to a casserole are a great way to flesh it out into a full meal. We recommend canned green beans or canned corn for this dish.
Simply drain the canned vegetables and then stir them into the hot meat mixture before adding it to the casserole dish.
Now you’ve got a one stop dinner, with sides included, and zero extra dishes.
Can I Freeze The Leftovers?
I don’t recommend storing or freezing any leftovers from a dish the contains cooked tater tots. The tots get soggy, and even when reheated never crisp up properly again.
Soggy fries are never fun for anyone.
Instead, if you want to make life easier- you can make this dish ahead of time, and freeze the whole thing without baking.
Let the assembled casserole cool completely- then cover it in cling wrap, and then a layer of foil and freeze.
When ready to enjoy, pull it out and remove the cling wrap and foil. Bake as instructed, checking for doneness when the time allotted has passed.
How Do I Make Sure My Tater Tots Get Nice & Crispy?
The tater tots will crisp no matter what, but the real trick is in ensuring almost the entire tot crisps and not just the top.
To ensure the best results, when adding the frozen tots to the top of the casserole do not press them into the mixture. Instead place them, nestled against each other so they’re just resting on top of the dish.
TIPS & TRICKS
- Use lean ground beef for best results. If you have to use fuller fat beef, make sure to strain as much fat off as possible.
- Don’t like beef? Ground turkey or chicken both make delicious substitutes.
- Get extra veggies in by adding a drained can of corn and/or green beans to the meat mixture.
- Want to add a little spice? Add a 4 oz can of drained diced green chiles to the meat mixture.
Other Tater Tot Casseroles To Try
This cheeseburger tater tot casserole is an easy family favorite, that embraces the cheesy, meaty combination and bakes it in a single dish with crispy golden brown ‘fries’ right on top. It’s a perfect family dinner, but also great for bringing to parties & potlucks.
There are never any leftovers whatever the occasion we serve it for!
Looking for other dinner dishes that use tater tots? Check these out:
If you’ve tried this CHEESEBURGER TATER TOT CASSEROLE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Cheeseburger Tater Tot Hot Dish with Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese divided
- 1 32 oz pkg frozen tater tots
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 3-4 tbsp mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown ground beef until cooked through. Drain.
- Return to skillet, add in onions and saute 2-3 minutes.
- Add in ketchup, mustard, and 1 cup of cheese. Stirring until heated through. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish, or coat with non stick spray.
- Lay crescent rolls out flat to cover the bottom of the dish like a crust. Press seams together so there aren’t any gaps.
- Spread hamburger mixture evenly over the crescent rolls.
- Top evenly with tater tots.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until tater tots are done.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese over the top of the casserole.
- Return to oven cooking 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use lean ground beef for best results. If you have to use fuller fat beef, make sure to strain as much fat off as possible.
- Don't like beef? Ground turkey or chicken both make delicious substitutes.
- Get extra veggies in by adding a drained can of corn and/or green beans to the meat mixture.
- Want to add a little spice? Add a 4 oz can of drained diced green chiles to the meat mixture.
Nutrition
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