Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
This sloppy joe tater tot casserole is a cheesy, one-pan comfort dish made with saucy ground beef, melty cheddar, and crispy tater tots. It’s an easy, kid-friendly weeknight dinner with big flavor and minimal effort.Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- 10-inch Cast Iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- ½ small green bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp yellow mustard
- ½ tsp coarse salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 48 tater tots (about half of a 28-ounce bag)
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Warm olive oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (or similar 10-inch oven-proof skillet) over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, and bell pepper, breaking up the meat into crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes until the beef is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Drain off grease.
- Stir in tomato paste until thoroughly combined. Add in ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine.
- Gently simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened.
- Sprinkle ½ cup cheese over the top.
- Top with the tater tots.
- Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup cheese.
- Transfer skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the tater tots are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. (Watch carefully and tent with foil the last 10 minutes of baking only if the tots are over-browning.)
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with a bit of fresh chopped parsley. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so before digging in. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Swap proteins or cheeses.
- Use a baking dish if you don't have an oven-safe skillet.
- Adjust heat level with or without red pepper flakes.
- Fresh parsley is optional, but it brightens the dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 960mg | Potassium: 666mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 401IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 3mg