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!
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. Maybe I can convince her to use this Creamy Mushroom Soup instead of the canned stuff next time she makes it.
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.
How to Make Tater Tot Casserole
You can really make tater tot casserole in any flavor you like. But it starts with some kind of meat that is browned and places in the bottom of a casserole dish. Then you mix in the flavor! This version uses pizza sauce. The one I grew up with was condensed soup. Top with tater tots and then bake!! I like to add a little cheese at the end after everything is cooked to make it extra special.
This easy tater tot casserole gives you all the flavors of pizza in a fun and easy recipe. Pizza tater tot casserole is super easy to throw together. Whatever meat or veggies you want to use just get mixed with some pizza sauce and cheese. Then top with tater tots and bake. I like to start baking the tater tots while I am working on browning the sausage and assembling everything. That way I make sure my tater tots are extra crispy!
So take your family back to what it was like when you were a kid, but with something they will like! Pizza tater tot casserole is definitely something the whole family will love. If you are looking for another fun way to mix up easy Tater Tot Casserole check out The Girl Who Ate Everything’s Taco Tater Tot Casserole. I saw her version and was totally inspired to make this one.
Pizza Tater Tot Casserole
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 9x13 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.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
5Serving Size
1Amount Per ServingCalories 596 Total Fat 45g Saturated Fat 19g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 28g Cholesterol 109mg Sodium 1366mg Carbohydrates 13g Fiber 1g Sugar 3g Protein 33g
Erin S
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Dorothy at Shockinglydelish says
May 2, 2018 at 6:40 pmI am always looking for new dishes I know my kiddo will enjoy. They will love this!
Dee says
May 2, 2018 at 9:19 pmMy family would love this casserole, and I love that it doesn’t use any cream soups!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
May 3, 2018 at 4:53 amThis looks SO delish! My family would LOVE it!!
Des says
May 3, 2018 at 8:00 amA great way to switch up pizza night! Pinning for later!
Abeer says
May 3, 2018 at 12:12 pmPizza is always a great idea for dinner!
Allyson Zea says
May 3, 2018 at 2:14 pmThis looks so comforting! Going to make it for the kids without olives! YUM!
Krista says
May 4, 2018 at 7:21 amKids are going to go crazy over this! I love it!
Demeter says
March 28, 2019 at 12:22 pmThis is pure comfort food! Such a great family friendly option.
Melanie Bauer says
March 29, 2019 at 12:41 amLooks spectacular! Definitely everyone will love this, can’t wait to give this a try!
Chrissie Baker says
March 29, 2019 at 12:55 amWhat a genius idea LOL. Combing two of delicious foods to make a big awesome one.
Bee says
March 29, 2019 at 12:56 amMy family would really enjoy this! Sounds like a good fun meal for once in a while.
Lora says
March 29, 2019 at 4:11 amI 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!!
Jade Manning says
March 29, 2019 at 5:14 amThis is truly better than take-out!
Catalina says
March 29, 2019 at 7:02 amSo great for our weekend dinners!I want to try this asap!