Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- ½-pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1-½-pounds lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. steak seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 10.75-ounce can cheddar cheese soup, plus ½ can milk
- 1 8-ounce sour cream
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup dill pickles, diced
- 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
- 3 cups Colby jack or cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 32-ounce package hash brown potatoes or crispy crowns
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
To prepare casserole:
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
- Brush the bottom and sides of a 12-inch cast iron skillet, or other baking dish, with olive oil: set aside.
- Cook bacon, on the stove top, in a large skillet until crispy.
- Remove to paper towels to drain, then crumble.
- Reserve 3 tbsp. drippings in skillet.
- Cook ground beef and onion in bacon drippings, over medium-high heat, until no pink remains.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer; drain excess fat from pan.
- To the beef, add Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning, salt and pepper; mix well and remove from heat.
- Add soup, plus ½ soup can of milk, sour cream, ketchup, dill pickles, mustard and ½ cooked bacon; mix until fully combined.
To assemble casserole:
- Arrange ½ tater tots on bottom of skillet and top with ½ shredded cheese.
- Spread ground beef filling over cheese.
- Sprinkle with remaining bacon and cheese.
- Arrange reserved tater tots on top.
- Place in oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until bubbly around the edges and tater tots are golden.
- Serve immediately garnished with green onion.
Notes
When assembling this beef casserole, reserve enough tater tots to finish the top as you desire.
The ground beef filling can be prepared in advance and chilled to expedite assembly.
To add a kick, substitute nacho cheese soup and pepper jack cheese, in place of cheddar cheese soup and shredded cheddar cheese.
Baking this casserole in a my cast iron skillet is my preference; however, you can make it in any similar size oven safe skillet or baking dish.
Use a quality steak seasoning for the best flavor; use more or less, to your taste.
Steak seasonings vary in the amount of sodium and garlic; adjust amounts according to the brand you choose to use.
Any brand of tater tots will do; use more than one 32-ounce package, if your prefer.
