Finish your day with a healthy serving of this Cowboy Casserole recipe. It’s a hearty dish filled with ground beef, corn, beans, and topped with crispy tater tots.
This Cowboy Casserole recipe is the ultimate comfort food that’s packed with bold, down-home flavor. Made with seasoned ground beef, a creamy, savory sauce, and plenty of melted cheese, it’s all topped with crispy, golden brown tater tots for the perfect combination of textures. This rustic, no-fuss dish is easy to throw together and ideal for busy weeknights, potlucks, or feeding a hungry crowd.
For more family-friendly weeknight dinners you have to check out my Sausage and Rice Skillet, Big Mac Tacos, and Pulled Pork Enchiladas.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Cowboy Casserole
- It takes less than an hour to put it together, making it great for busy weeknights!
- This Cowboy Casserole is hearty and makes enough to fill you up and have dinner the next day.
- It’s filled with simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry.
Recipe Ingredients
Tater Tots – A crisp topping for this Cowboy Casserole.
Cream of Mushroom Soup – A flavorful and creamy element to bind all the ingredients together.
For a full list of ingredients and amounts see the recipe card below.
Variations
Protein – If you don’t have ground beef on hand you can also use ground chicken, or even ground turkey.
Spices – Other spices you can add into this casserole would be salt, garlic, paprika or even a packet of taco seasoning.
Cheese – You can swap out cheddar cheese for Colby jack cheese, Monterey jack or any cheese you prefer just note a stronger or tangier cheese could change the overall flavor of this dish.
How to Make Cowboy Casserole
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large skillet cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until browned. Remove any excess grease.
Step 3: Next, add in the corn, black beans, cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup of shredded cheese, milk, sour cream, onion powder, black pepper, and cooked bacon to the skillet and stir until combined.
Step 4: Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish in an even layer and sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese on top of the mixture.
Step 5: Then line up the tater tots across the top of the dish until the whole dish is covered.
Step 6: Bake uncovered in the oven for 40 minutes. Then, remove and sprinkle ½ cup of cheddar cheese over the top of the tater tots.
Step 7: Bake in the oven for 5 more minutes for the cheese to melt then sprinkle with green onions if preferred and enjoy!
FAQs
With this being a hearty meal, I like to serve it with something light like a Pear Salad, Oven Roasted Broccoli, or even a Fruit Salad.
I like using green onions, but other toppings I would recommend would be diced jalapeños, sour cream, or even some salsa.
Storage Information
You can store any leftovers of this Cowboy Casserole in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days. For longer storage you can freeze this casserole in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator then you can reheat in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or in the microwave until everything has warmed through.
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Cowboy Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 can corn - 15.25 oz can; drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans - 15 oz can; drained and rinsed
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup - 10.5 oz can
- 2 cups cheddar cheese - shredded and divided
- 1/2 cup bacon - cooked and crumbled
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 32 oz frozen tater tots
- green onions - optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until browned. Remove any excess grease.
- Next, add in the corn, black beans, cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup of cheese, milk, sour cream, onion powder, black pepper, and cooked bacon to the skillet and mix until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese on top of the mixture.
- Then line up the tater tots across the top of the dish until the whole dish is covered.
- Bake uncovered in the oven for 40 minutes then remove and sprinkle ½ cup of cheddar cheese over the top of the tater tots.
- Bake in the oven for 5 more minutes for the cheese to melt then sprinkle green onions on top if preferred and enjoy!
