This Healthy Tater Tot Casserole is an upgraded comfort food recipe made with simple, real-food ingredients to keep the whole family nourished and satisfied. We’ve incorporated canned lentils and frozen veggies for more nutrition in the most convenient ways. With minimal prep time and a total time of about an hour, it’s a hearty casserole dish that can easily be stored for later and reheated when you need a quick meal.
![White bowl filled with tater tot hotdish topped with fresh herbs and melted cheese.](https://therealfooddietitians.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tater-Tot-Casserole-6-683x1024.jpg)
This post was created in partnership with the Northern Pulse Growers Association.
Recipe Highlights: Healthy Tater Tot Casserole
Sure to become a fast family favorite, this tater tot hotdish is a recipe you’ll want to keep on hand because it:
- Boasts 6 grams of fiber per serving and 28 grams of protein per serving thanks to nutritious ingredients like lentils, ground beef, and vegetables
- Requires minimal prep time and cooks quickly in one baking dish
- Can easily be stored or frozen and reheated at a later date
- A great way to sneak more nutrient-rich foods like pulses and veggies into your diet
- Is free of highly processed, high-sodium ingredients like cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, or other canned soups
What Is Tater Tot Casserole Made Of?
Here’s what you’ll need to make this healthy casserole recipe today:
- Avocado oil – may sub olive oil
- Yellow onion – you’ll need one yellow onion; may sub white onion
- Ground beef – look for 90-93% lean ground beef; may substitute ground bison, ground turkey, or ground chicken
- Diced mushrooms – you’ll need 8 ounces of mushrooms. White button, cremini, or baby bella mushrooms all work well in this tater tot casserole recipe
- All-purpose flour – may sub all-purpose gluten-free flour for a gluten-free version
- Chicken broth – either store-bought chicken broth or homemade bone broth will work
- Seasonings – you’ll need salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper
- Lentils – feel free to use brown or red lentils; for quick assembly, use canned lentils
- Frozen mixed vegetables – use a 12-ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables
- Cauliflower rice – use store-bought cauliflower rice, or make homemade cauliflower rice
- Cheddar cheese – we recommend buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself for the best melty results. Sharp cheddar cheese is another great option
- Frozen tater tots (crispy crowns) – you’ll need one 28-ounce package of tater tots. You can use shredded hash browns, though we find that tots work best for crispy tater tots in this hotdish
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make a Tater Tot Casserole
- Preheat your oven, and grease a baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then, add part of the oil and onions, and sauté until the onions start to become fragrant. Add the ground beef, and break it into pieces as it cooks.
- Drain the mixture, and transfer it to the prepared baking dish.
- Add the remaining oil and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft. Add the flour, stirring to coat the mushrooms. Then, add the broth one cup at a time, stirring constantly. Simmer until the mixture thickens to a gravy-like texture.
- Pour the mushroom mixture into the baking dish over the beef mixture. Add the cooked lentils, frozen mixed vegetables, frozen cauliflower rice, and part of the shredded cheese. Stir to combine, and spread the mixture evenly across the baking dish.
- Layer the tater tots on top, pressing down lightly. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
- Bake until the casserole is bubbly and the tater tots are golden brown on top.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
How to Store
Store leftover tater tot casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Or, freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months.
To freeze before baking: To keep the tater tots crisp, we recommend assembling the casserole and freezing it before baking. To eat, allow the casserole to thaw in the fridge overnight, and bake in the oven as directed in the recipe card.
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Healthy Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Lentils
Get those comfort-food flavors and coziness, but infused with nutrition from the addition of lentils, ground beef, and plenty of veggies. This high-protein, high-fiber version of tater tot casserole is free of highly processed ingredients and it’s family friendly, too.
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons avocado oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb lean ground beef (we use 90/10 or 93/7)
- 3 cups diced mushrooms (8 oz package)
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (use gluten-free flour if needed)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can cooked lentils (or 2 cups cooked lentils)
- 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 (28-ounce) package frozen tater tots or crispy crowns
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Mist a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add one teaspoon of oil and onions. Sauté for 2 minutes then add the ground beef. Break into small pieces as it cooks through, about 8-10 minutes.
- Drain the cooked onion-ground beef mixture, if needed, and transfer it to the prepared baking dish.
- To the same skillet, add the remaining 2 teaspoons avocado oil and the mushrooms. Cook over medium heat for 2-4 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. Add the flour, stirring to evenly coat the mushrooms. Slowly add the broth one cup at a time, stirring constantly to avoid flour lumps. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until thickened. Add the salt, garlic and onion powders, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Pour the mushroom mixture into the baking dish over the ground beef mixture. Add the cooked lentils, frozen mixed vegetables, frozen cauliflower rice, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Stir well.
- Stir and spread the mixture out evenly in the baking dish.
- Layer the tater tots over top of it in an even layer and press down very lightly. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese on top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly and the tater tots are golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/9th of casserole
- Calories: 390
- Fat: 20 g
- (Sat Fat: 8 g)
- Sodium: 676 mg
- Carbohydrate: 29 g
- (Fiber: 6 g
- Sugar: 4 g)
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 58 mg
Dietary
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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To make this vegetarian do you think it would work to replace the burger with more lintels and veggie broth?
Hi JoAn, we have not specifically experimented with that method so we can’t say for sure how that would turn out. If you give it a try and have success let us know!
My family loved this, including my three kiddos, and I loved feeling good about giving them this with all the sneaky health benefits! We’ll definitely be making it again!
Fantastic Stephanie! We are thrilled this will be a repeat on the menu. Thanks for the feedback and 5-star review!
Much more nutritious version of the classic dish is midwesterners love!
Absolutely Katie! Thanks for the great feedback and 5-star review!
Amazing! We love tater tot hot dish and this one is sooooo much better than the one with canned soup. All 3 kids loved it too!
Amazing feedback Renee! Thank you for the 5-star review!
I would love to try this – it sounds delicious! Do you have any suggestions for a substitute for the cheese or a brand of dairy free cheese that you like?
Hey Amy! Aldi dairy free cheese melts very nicely and is budget-friendly (Earth Grown Vegan)
Follow Your Heart dairy-free cheese is delicious and melts nicely!
Daiya is an easy-to-find dairy-free cheese.
Otherwise, you could leave the cheese out of the recipe, and it will still turn out great!