30-Minute Shepherd’s Pie Tater Tot Casserole
30-Minute Shepherd’s Pie Tater Tot Casserole is the perfect weeknight meal. This comes together with only 10 minutes of prep. The ground beef, cream of mushroom, frozen veggies and the tater tots will have you making this “hotdish” again and again.
Who doesn’t love something they can throw together quickly on a work night? Fast meals during the week are what keep things running smoothly. Some days you just don’t have time to dedicate to slaving away in your kitchen. Or maybe your children are being especially uncooperative. Either way, quick dinners are always great to have in your back pocket. Meals like Quick Jalapeño Popper Smothered Chicken Breast and New England Style American Chop Suey are life savers!
This Casserole is going to become a favorite weeknight hero dinner. This meal comes out of the oven hot and ready-to-go in just half an hour. You read that correct… in less time than it takes me to wrangle Dylan and Vivianna upstairs for bedtime or listen to Aidan complain about the current political climate in the world today, you could be eating your dinner!
This is a dish that’s very popular in the Upper Midwest. Originally traveling to us from Minnesota, it’s known as a “hotdish”. A hotdish is traditionally an easy and quick meal. Your hotdish will consist of meat, veggies, tater tots and a creamy canned soup. In my household, we refer to it as a Shepherd’s Pie Tater Tot Casserole. This dish is the less fancy and dressed up cousin of your typical shepherd’s pie. It’s less work but manages to come out equally as delicious.
My favorite part of this dish is of course, the tater tots. I mean, honestly as an adult, how often do you even get the chance to eat tater tots anymore? I forgot how much I loved them until I started making this casserole. They’re crispy on the outside and soft and pillowy and airy on the inside. Plus, kids love tater tots so it’ll be easy to convince even your pickiest eater to give this a shot.
Casseroles and sheet pan suppers are always a good idea if you need to feed a big family and/or are pressed for time. They’re both fantastic ways to stretch your ingredients to make sure everyone gets a nice big serving at dinner. Easy Weeknight Roasted Sausage, Pepper and Onion Sheet Pan Supper is one of my favorites!
What can be used in place of the ground beef?
I love ground beef but it’s not for everyone. So if you find yourself not a fan of ground beef or ground beef-less for the evening, swap it out with one of the below options. I would recommend sticking with a ground meat for this dish to yield you the quickest dinner result.
-Chicken
-Pork
-Veal
-Turkey
-Sausage
-Lamb
Can I use canned vegetables instead of frozen?
Absolutely! I use frozen mixed vegetables because I like the mixture of corn, carrots, green beans and peas. You can opt for a bag of frozen corn only or just peas or whatever your preference is. Canned veggies can 100% be used in place of the frozen ones that this recipe calls for. Your meal will cook the same and turn out perfectly delicious.
Must I use canned cream of mushroom soup?
You mustn’t. You may use the creamy canned soup that your heart desires. I love cream of mushroom myself but there are plenty of other excellent options that you could use in its place. As long as it’s creamy, then it’s a winner. Try one of the cream canned soups below. Any would make a great substitution.
Cream of:
-Chicken
-Celery
-Broccoli
-Onion
-Potato
-Bacon
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pan sprayed skillet on medium heat. Add ground beef, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and garlic powder. Mix together and brown for 10 minutes until cooked through.
Preheat oven to 400°F. To the skillet, add cans of cream of mushroom soup, frozen mixed vegetables, milk, butter, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes until everything is creamy and combined.
In a pan sprayed 13×9 baking pan, add the creamy ground beef mixture and evenly disburse. Cover the mixture completely with the frozen tater tots. Lightly cover the tater tots with the shredded cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the top. Bake for 18 minutes. Broil for an additional 2 minutes.
If you love quick dinners as much as I do, don’t forget to give my Quick Thai Steak and Asparagus Stir-Fry a shot. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite quick weeknight dinner is. As always, thank you for your support!
30-Minute Shepherd’s Pie Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 Ounces ground beef
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 + 1 Teaspoon salt
- ½ + ½ Teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 22 Ounces cream of mushroom soup (canned)
- 8 Ounces frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 Cup milk
- ⅓ Cup butter
- 32 Ounces frozen tater tots
- ⅓ Cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 Teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan sprayed skillet on medium heat. Add ground beef, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and garlic powder. Mix together and brown for 10 minutes until cooked through.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. To the skillet, add cans of cream of mushroom soup, frozen mixed vegetables, milk, butter, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes until everything is creamy and combined.
- In a pan sprayed 13×9 baking pan, add the creamy ground beef mixture and evenly disburse. Cover the mixture completely with the frozen tater tots. Lightly cover the tater tots with the shredded cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the top. Bake for 18 minutes. Broil for an additional 2 minutes.
