Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole has all the flavors of Sloppy Joes but with a crunchy and cheesy tater tot topping. It’s a quick and easy dinner the kids will love!
Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole is an economical meal and one of my favorite ways to stretch a pound of ground beef into a meal that will serve a whole family. The sloppy joe mixture itself is a little sweet and tangy and made with onion, green bell pepper, tomato sauce, ketchup, a little brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder.
Reader Comment
Helen says- “I came across this while searching for new tater tot recipes, and I must say it’s one of the best ones I’ve ever made! The sloppy joe sauce was delicious, with a sweetness I don’t usually find in this kind of dish. Definitely will be making it again!” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quick and Easy Recipe
This easy family casserole takes only a few minutes to prep. You’ll cook the ground beef, onion, and pepper in a nonstick skillet and then add the sloppy joe sauce ingredients. Spread the mixture in a 9×13-inch pan. Top with half the cheese, the tater tots, and then the rest of the cheese. Then bake for 25 minutes or until the tater tots are golden and crispy. So wonderfully delicious!
How To Make
(More detailed instructions in recipe card below.)
- Brown the ground beef and veggies. Brown and crumble the ground beef with the onions and peppers.
- Make the sloppy joe mixture. Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and pepper. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes. (Note: You can do this step up to 48 hours in advance.)
- Spread sloppy joe mixture in bottom of casserole dish.
- Layer of cheese. Sprinkle a little more than half the cheese on top of the sloppy joe mixture.
- Layer of tater tots. Spread tater tots on top of cheese.
- One more layer of cheese. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
- Bake. Place casserole in 400 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes.
TIPS FOR MAKING SLOPPY JOE TATER TOT CASSEROLE
- You can use either regular shaped tater tots or tater tot rounds. I like to use the tater tot rounds as I find they get a little crispier.
- You will use most of a 30-ounce bag of tater tots. It’s up to you how heavy you want to go on the tater tots.
- I like using an 8-ounce block of cheddar cheese and shredding it myself. It tastes so much better. In a pinch, you can use a bag of pre-shredded cheese. If you go this route, try using a bag of Mexican shredded cheese for a slightly milder flavor than cheddar cheese.
Make It Spicy
If you want to make this casserole spicy, add 1/4 to 1/3 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the sloppy joe filling.
Storage
Leftovers will keep for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Best reheated in the oven.
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Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium yellow or sweet onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (8-ounce) package sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 (30-ounce) package Frozen tater tots, you will only use 2/3 of bag
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Add ground beef, onion, and bell pepper to a large nonstick skillet. Cook, breaking apart ground beef with a wooden spoon, until it is cooked through and onions and peppers are soft.
- Drain any fat. Add tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir to mix. Bring to a simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Spread mixture in bottom of prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle a little more than half the cheese on top of the sloppy joe mixture.
- Sprinkle tater tots (using about 2/3 of the bag) on top and sprinkle remaining cheese on top of them.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until tater tots are golden brown.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Haven’t made but was looking for recipe for ground beef and had some left over tater tots in freezer. will make tonight,,,,,sounds Yummy!!! Going to rate the recipe as think will be a winner especially for me…
Made this for dinner tonight. My family loved it. Will definitely make it more often
I found this a bit too sweet for my liking. If I made it again, I would taste before adding the brown sugar, and then taste after each bit of brown sugar to prevent it from getting too sweet for me. Otherwise, had the consistency of sloppy joes that I know.
You could always make it with a sloppy joe mix or can of manwich
It was ok for a kids lunch.