Spicy tater tot casserole with ground beef, hot sauce, cheddar cheese, homemade cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, spicy seasoning, and jalapeños to give a nice kick to this family favorite dish.
Tater tot casserole is a classic, savory family casserole many love. It’s perfect for feeding a large crowd and easy to throw together.
I decided to try to put a spicy spin on the hamburger tater tot casserole recipe because my family loves spice.
I added hot sauce to the meat and a layer of jalapenos on top of the cheese. They sure liked it and now I am making it this way every time.
I leave half of the casserole without jalapenos because not everyone in my family likes them, but we all like Frank’s Red Hot sauce in the hamburger.
It gives it a special flavor!
What ingredients are in tater tot casserole?
There are many variations for tater tot casserole.
A traditional tater tot casserole has ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheddar cheese, and tater tots.
Spicy Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients
- Frozen Tater Tots
- Ground Beef
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Frank’s Red Hot sauce
- Jalapeños
- Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
- Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup (Recipe is included below!)
- Sour Cream
- Cumin
- Cayenne Pepper
- Black Pepper
- Salt
Variations of Tater Tot Casserole
- Green Beans
- Corn
- Peas
- Onion
- Cream of Chicken Soup in place of Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Ham
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Garlic
How to Make Spicy Tater Tot Casserole
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes until tater tots are golden brown and cheese is bubbling.
How do you layer spicy tater tot casserole?
From bottom to top:
- Ground Beef + Worcestershire + Salt & Black Pepper
- Cream of Mushroom Soup + Sour Cream + Hot Sauce + Cumin + Cayenne Pepper + Salt & Black Pepper
- Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
- Jalapeños
- Frozen Tater Tots
Can you freeze tater tot casserole?
Yes! If you plan to freeze it, layer it in a casserole dish that you can store airtight.
Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. It can be kept frozen for 3 months.
You can also bake it and then freeze it, and follow the same directions for thawing.
It can be refrigerated for 24 hours before baking.
Recommended Recipes
- 20 Easy Make-Ahead Freezer Meals
- Baked Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Instant Pot Hamburger Helper
- Maid-Rite Copycat Recipe
- One-Pot Chicken & Rice
- Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie Casserole Dish
- Shepherd's Pie with Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Spicy Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 30 oz Bag of Frozen Tater Tots
- 2 lb Ground Beef
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 2 teaspoon Frank’s Red Hot Sauce or your favorite hot sauce
- 2-3 Jalapenos sliced or a 16 oz Jar of Sliced Jalapenos
- 2 cups Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
- 8 oz Sour Cream
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 3 tablespoon Butter
- 12 oz Sliced Mushrooms
- ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
- [1 cup Half & Half]
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Spray 13" x 9" casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Brown ground beef in a large pan over medium-high heat for about 7-8 minutes. Drain the grease from the pan. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add the ground beef to the bottom of the 13" x 9" pan and spread evenly.
- To make cream of mushroom soup, melt butter in the same large pan. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Coat mushrooms with flour. While continuously stirring, slowly add half and half until well blended and smooth. Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes as it thickens.
- Stir in sour cream, hot sauce, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pour cream of mushroom soup mixture on top of the ground beef and spread evenly. Add a layer of all the cheddar cheese, followed by jalapenos, and a single layer of frozen tater tots on top.
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until tater tots are golden brown and cheese is bubbling.
Todd says
I’ve made this several times and make it a little different each time. I use ground venison , add a gar of diced jalapeños, add onions. mix the meat, soup, add cheese to the mixture. Pour it into a casserole dish more cheese on top then the Tater Tots, oh I added corn to this time as well. It’s one of my go to meals when I’m cooking for myself. It’s really good. Thanks for the recipe
Steve S says
This was very very good and have made it several times. First time as posted, then subbing the jalapeños for t jar of pickled hot and sweets. Often use pepper jack instead of the cheddar. Very good, very quick, very adaptable
steve s says
I did cheat and used canned cram of mushroom soup.