Cowboy Casserole is a family favorite made with seasoned ground beef in a creamy sauce, corn, cheese, and topped with crispy tater tots. It’s irresistible! If you love easy casserole recipes, also try this Tuna Rice Casserole and this Chicken Divan Casserole.
Tater Tot Casserole
This is a tried and true family favorite. When you need a quick and easy recipe that everyone will love, this is the answer. From the creamy ground beef sauce all the way up to the crispy tater tots, this recipe is as deliciously cozy as it gets. It takes less than 15 minutes to assemble, so you always have time to make a homemade meal for your family. Trust me, they’ll love this one!
What is a Cowboy Casserole?
Cowboy casserole is a true crowd-pleasing recipe. It’s made by layering a creamy ground beef sauce, sweet corn, and cheddar cheese into a casserole dish. Then it’s topped with tater tots and baked until the casserole is bubbly and the tots are nice and crispy. It’s pretty hard to resist.
What do you Need To Make Easy Cowboy Casserole?
Ground beef: lean is best. Onion and garlic: flavor! Diced tomatoes: we use canned as the juices help create the sauce. Sour cream: makes the sauce so creamy. You can sub plain yogurt if you’d like. Corn: we use frozen corn but canned corn works, too. Cheddar cheese: Use aged for the best flavor. Or try a mix of white and orange cheddar. Tater tots: the crispy topping that is the best part about a cowboy casserole.
Time to Make a Casserole!
This really is such an easy recipe!
Variations to Try
Protein: Swap the ground beef with ground chicken. Beans: Add some black beans. Topping: Use curly fries instead of the tater tots. Seasoning: Add some taco seasoning for a Tex-Mex version!
Can this Casserole Be Made Ahead Of Time?
Yes! This casserole can be prepared and assembled 24 hours in advance. Cover and store it in your fridge until you’re ready to bake it. You’ll want to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Tips for Making the Best Cowboy Casserole
You might notice that the oven temperature in this recipe is quite a bit higher than some other cowboy casserole recipes. There’s a good reason for that! We bake our casserole at the temperature that’s recommended for cooking tater tots. This ensures that the tots get nice and crispy because nobody wants soggy tater tots. So if you want the best cowboy casserole, crank up the heat!
More Casserole Recipes to Try
Makeover Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Casserole Easy Sausage and Rice Casserole Pesto Alfredo Chicken Casserole Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole Turkey Mediterranean Casserole
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.