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Pizza Tater Tot Casserole – the classic tater tot casserole you grew up with gets a makeover! A fun and easy casserole recipe that has all the flavors of your favorite pizza.
Did you grow up eating tater tot casserole? I lived in Minnesota until I was almost 10 years old, so at my house it was tater to hot dish. But you know what I am talking about, right? Ground beef with cream of mushroom soup, tater tots, cheese, and some kind of vegetable in it.
My mom always made it with corn. My husband’s mom always made it with green beans. One thing we have in common is neither of us liked it!
Pizza Tater Tot Casserole
I think we probably had it once every 2 weeks, and every time I was not a happy kid. I am sure I complained, but there wasn’t much of a choice, whatever mom made you ate. Thankfully she at least left the Kraft Singles off my portion. To this day, I know my mom makes it a couple times of year for my dad, because he loves it. I can’t remember the last time I had it, at least 20 years.
Today we are giving the classic tater tot casserole recipe a makeover that my family loved. No cream of anything soup, no fake cheese, and all flavors my family loves. I used a mix of Italian sausage and pepperoni for the base of my casserole. You could add mushrooms, green peppers or any of your favorite pizza toppings. My family kind of has a thing for things that taste like pizza, but aren’t. Pizza Pasta Skillet is one of our favorites.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Italian Sausage
- Onion
- Garlic
- Pepperoni
- Pizza Sauce
- Tater Tots
- Mozzarella Cheese
How to Make Tater Tot Casserole
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Start by browning the Italian sausage and onions together. break up the sauce and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the meat is cooked and the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute until you can start to smell it. Drain away any extra fat or grease.
- While the meat is cooking, arrange the tater tots on a baking sheet and start toasting them.
- Remove the sausage from the heat and stir in the pizza sauce, about half of the cheese and the pepperoni slices until everything is well combined.
- Pour the sausage mixture into your casserole dish, and top with the partially cooked tater tots.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the tater tots are crispy and the sauce is bubbly and hot.
- Top with the remaining cheese and bake for just a few minutes until it is melted.
- Remove from the oven and add your favorite toppings to serve.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Our favorite pizza is Italian sausage and pepperoni, so that is the flavor I went with here, but you can get super creative with whatever you like. If you like bell peppers or mushrooms, add them with the meat to cook them.
- I like the tater tots to be extra crispy, so I start to bake them while the meat cooks. This step is optional and not part of the classic prep of the original tater tot casserole.
- I like to throw a few black olives and basil on top to serve, but you can use anything you like or leave it off!
- If you have leftovers store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Another super fun way to use up tater tots….Totchos! Tater Tots and Nachos come together for a delicious treat!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Salisbury Steak
- Copycat KFC Bowls
- Hawaiian Chicken
- Marry Me Chicken
- Enchilada Pasta Casserole
- French Onion Pork Chops
Pizza Tater Tot Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Pepperoni slices, chopped
- 1 14 oz jar pizza sauce
- 1 28 oz package tater tots
- 2 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non stick spray. Set aside.
- Optional – arrange tater tots on a baking sheet and place in oven to start cooking while you prepare the rest.
- In a large skillet, brown sausage and onion together until onions are tender and sausage is cooked. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat, and pour into a large bowl. Mix in pepperoni slices, pizza sauce, and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Pour into prepared baking dish.
- Top evenly with tater tots. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until tater tots are crispy and everything is hot. Top with remaining cheese, and bake for 5 minutes until melted.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My family would really enjoy this! Sounds like a good fun meal for once in a while.
I never heard of tater tot casserole before!! Yes, whatever mom made we used to eat and you know what, I’m sure she would love your tasty version!!
This is truly better than take-out!
So great for our weekend dinners!I want to try this asap!