This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Easy beef enchilada tator tot casserole recipe is a family favorite. You get all the flavor of easy beef enchiladas without all the work! This is one amazing tator tot casserole that your entire family is going to love.
Easy Beef Enchilada Tator Tot Casserole Recipe:
Mexican food is one of my favorite types of meals. Plus we are big fans of tator tots, so I decided to combine two of my favorite foods and make this Easy Beef Enchilada Tator Tot Casserole.
The combination of the taco seasoning mixed the ground beef and cheese and then topped with tator tots, makes this an very tasty meal. If you love my Cheeseburger Tator Tot Casserole Recipe then you are going to go crazy over this easy recipe.
When you think of enchilada’s you think about ground beef or chicken wrapped in a flour tortilla or corn tortillas or putting tortillas on top. But we decided that it is always good to change things up, so tator tots it was. We are so happy with this change.
You may also love this Chicken Tater Tot Casserole Recipe or Totchos.
The right casserole dish!
Now before you start, make sure you have a nice 9ร13 casserole dish. You can always make it in a smaller pan and freeze the other half.
Or if you want to make clean up a breeze try using one of these foil pans. They are great because you just throw them away when you are done. We use them often so help out on those crazy busy nights.
Easy beef enchiladas in a fun tator tot casserole!
We love making casseroles. Everything is cooked together and can always be served by itself or with some tasty sides. This beef enchilada casserole was so fun to make and even my daughter was impressed how easy and fun this casserole was to put together.
I started layering the casserole with ground beef that was mixed with the taco seasoning, rotel and enchilada sauce. Then I topped the beef mixture with cheese and then the tator tots.
What made this very easy was I already had the ground beef frozen, so all I had to do was heat it up and dinner was in the oven in no time.
Ingredients:
- Ground Beef
- Rotel
- Taco Seasoning
- Garlic Salt
- Red Enchilada Sauce
- Tator Tots
- Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
How to make Beef Enchilada Tator Tot Casserole recipe:
- Preheat oven – Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your 9×13 pan.
- Brown the ground beef – Cook your ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. When I am making a meal with ground beef, I like to double the amount of meat I am browning so I can freeze for later. You can add in some onion and cook with the meat.
- Mix in Seasoning – Stir in the taco seasoning, garlic salt, and the can of Rotel.
- Add in Sauce – Mix in a can of Red Enchilada sauce. Did you know that you can make Homemade Enchilada Sauce. It is so easy to make. Get the recipe here.
- Place in baking dish – After the meat is cooked and mixed with the seasoning and sauces, place at the bottom of the greased 9×13 baking pan.
- Top with cheese – Spread out about a cup of cheese over the ground beef. A couple of my kids do not like a lot of cheese. You can definitely top one half that is light on the cheese. That is what we do.
- Top with Tots – Place one layer of tator tots over the casserole. My daughter helped with this part. We used Frozen Tator Tots. So you do not need to cook them before baking this casserole.
- Time to Bake – Baked at 375 degrees for 25 minutes uncovered.
- Top with Cheese – Sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese and put back in the oven until melted.
- Serve and Enjoy – Serve immediately with your favorite enchilada toppings.
- Add your favorite Toppings – We love green onions, sour cream and tomatoes.
What to serve with Tator Tot Casserole:
We like to keep things simple around my house. When serving this meal here are some of the easy sides that we like:
- A Big Green Salad
- Easy Crock Pot Refried Beans
- The Best Crock Pot White Cheese Dip
- A great way to get my family to eat my vegetables is to make a vegetable tray. When I make a heavy meal like this casserole, I like to have a vegetable tray.
Tator Tot Topping Ideas:
- Sour Cream
- Green Onions
- Salsa
- Tomatoes
- Cilantro
Variation Ideas:
We love recipes that you add some variation too. This recipe is great because there are many things to add to this recipe.
- Toss in some corn
- Mix in some black beans
- You can serve over rice for a beef enchilada tator tot bowl
- Add in some jalapeno’s for a little spice to the casserole
How to Freeze Beef Enchilada Tator Tot Casserole:
In case you love freezer cooking like me you are going to love that this tator tot casserole recipe is completely freezer friendly.
You simply make the casserole as directed. Go ahead and add the Monterey Jack cheese on top before cooking. Then instead of cooking, cover with foil and freeze.
How to store:
If you have leftovers that are going to be eaten within a few days, then I would store in the refrigerator. Just place in an airtight container and it will be good for 3-5 days.
This casserole makes the perfect lunch the next day.
How to reheat Tator Tot Casserole:
When you are ready to cook, allow it to thaw completely. Then baked for 30 minutes until heated and the cheese is melted.
If you do not want to thaw it, cook it covered for 1 hour and then uncover and cook for 20 minutes. It is that easy
Crowd Pleaser!
We love having our friends and family over for the big game or just to hang out. We usually serve a big pot of chili or soup. But I had all the ingredients needed for the Beef Enchilada Tator Tot Casserole.
Since I already had the ground beef cooked, it was so easy to make this casserole. Everyone could put their favorite toppings on their casserole and everyone loved the change.
So next time you need a meal that has easy ingredients and that makes a lot, I would recommend this casserole. You can’t go wrong with a Mexican Casserole mixed with some crispy tator tots.
Print the recipe below:
Easy Beef Enchilada Tator Tot Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- (1) 10 oz. can of Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilis)
- 1 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- (1) 10 oz. can of Red Enchilada sauce
- (1) 32 oz. bag of tator tots
- 8 oz shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 12 oz shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Brown the ground beef and drain off any excess grease.
- Stir in the taco seasoning, garlic salt, and the can of Rotel.
- Mix in a can of Red Enchilada sauce.
- Place this mixture at the bottom of the greased 9×13 baking pan.
- Spread out half of the shredded cheddar cheese over the ground beef.
- Place one layer of tator tots over the casserole.
- Baked for 25 minutes uncovered.
- Sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese and the remaining cheddar cheese on top. Bake for 3-5 more minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately with your favorite enchilada toppings.
No they are not spicy
are green chilis spicy or hot thanks
I leave them frozen. Thank you!
Is the tot thawed or frozen
Thanks Linda, I corrected that in the printable version.
In the printed recipe the 32 oz bag of tator tots is not listed.
Very good. Substituted chicken for the beef.