Tater Tot Casserole Without Cream Soup

This tater tot casserole without cream soup replaces the two cans with a five-minute sauce made in the same skillet as the beef: butter, flour, whole milk and beef broth, finished with a spoon of Worcestershire.

It tastes like beef gravy instead of a can, and you decide how much salt goes in.

Ground beef, onion, mushrooms and frozen mixed vegetables go under a layer of sharp cheddar and a full bag of tots, then the whole dish bakes at 400°F (200°C) until the tots are brown and crisp.

Start to finish it takes about 70 minutes, and most of that is oven time.

Why You’ll Love It

• No canned soup, just butter, flour, milk and broth
• One skillet for the filling, one 9×13 dish for baking
• Six dinner-sized servings from one pound of beef
• Frozen vegetables go in straight from the bag, no thawing
• Assembles up to 2 days ahead and bakes from the fridge
• Mushrooms are optional, so picky eaters can skip them

Ingredients

For the Filling

1 pound 85/15 ground beef

1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)

8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, chopped (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn and green beans), about 2 1/2 cups, straight from the freezer

For the Cream Sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder

For the Topping

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (an 8-ounce block, grated)

1 32-ounce bag frozen tater tots

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or chives (optional)

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and set a 9×13-inch baking dish next to the stove.

2. Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high, add the ground beef, onion, salt and pepper, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking the beef into small crumbles with a meat chopper or wooden spoon until no pink remains and the onion is soft.

3. Add the mushrooms (if using) and the garlic and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the pan is nearly dry again.

4. Tip the skillet and spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat, leaving the beef and vegetables in the pan.

5. Lower the heat to medium, add the butter, and once it melts sprinkle the flour over everything and stir for a full minute so the flour coats the meat and loses its raw smell. That minute matters, because flour that hits liquid before it is coated in fat clumps and tastes pasty.

6. Pour in the milk and broth about 1/2 cup at a time while stirring with a heat-resistant silicone spatula, then add the Worcestershire, thyme and mustard powder and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

7. Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables, taste the sauce and add salt if it needs it, then scrape the filling into the baking dish and spread it level.

8. Scatter 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar over the filling, then arrange the frozen tots in a single tight layer on top, lining them up in rows so every scoop gets tots.

9. Bake uncovered on the middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tots are deep golden and the filling bubbles at the edges.

10. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar over the tots and bake 5 more minutes, just until it melts.

11. Let the casserole rest 10 minutes before scooping, so the sauce thickens back up and holds together on the plate, then top with parsley if you like.

Helpful Tips & Substitutions

Grate the cheddar from a block with a box grater, because pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch and melts into a grainy layer instead of a smooth one.

Keep the tots frozen until the moment they go on top, since thawed tots turn soft and stick together instead of crisping.

The dry mustard does the job the canned soup’s seasoning used to do, adding a sharpness that keeps a milk-based sauce from tasting flat, and you will not taste mustard in the finished dish.

If you skip the mushrooms, use a full teaspoon of thyme, because the mushrooms carry a lot of the savory depth that stands in for the can.

Ground turkey works, but it is lean enough that there will be almost no fat to spoon off, so skip step 4 and add the butter as written.

If the sauce seizes up before all the liquid is in, which happens when the milk goes in too fast, keep stirring and add another 1/4 cup broth until it loosens.

Half-and-half can replace the milk for a richer sauce, and 2% milk works but gives a thinner result, so simmer it a minute longer.

Measure the milk and broth together in a 2-cup glass measuring cup so you can pour them in with one hand while stirring with the other.

A 10-ounce bag of frozen peas and carrots or a 14.5-ounce can of drained cut green beans can stand in for the mixed vegetables.

For extra-crisp tots, broil for 2 minutes right before the final cheese goes on, and watch the whole time because they go from brown to black fast.

Serving Ideas

Scoop it with a large spoon rather than slicing, so each plate gets filling, cheese and a layer of tots.

Something sharp on the side cuts the richness, and tangy vinegar coleslaw (no mayo) does that well and comes together while the casserole bakes.

Garlic parmesan green beans or a plain green salad with a sharp vinaigrette round out the plate without adding another heavy dish.

A dash of hot sauce or a spoon of ketchup on top is how a lot of Midwestern tables serve this, and both work with the beef gravy base.

If you are feeding more than six, make two dishes rather than doubling into a deeper pan, because a thick layer of filling keeps the tots from crisping.

Make-Ahead & Storage

To assemble ahead, cook the filling, let it cool for 20 minutes, spread it in the dish with the 1 1/2 cups of cheese, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days without the tots.

Add the frozen tots right before baking, and add 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time because the filling starts cold.

Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container or covered in the baking dish.

Reheat portions in a 375°F (190°C) oven or air fryer for 10 to 15 minutes to bring the tots back, since the microwave heats them through in 2 to 3 minutes but leaves them soft.

To freeze, assemble the unbaked casserole in a foil pan with the tots on top, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.

Bake it from frozen at 400°F (200°C) covered with foil for 40 minutes, then uncovered for another 25 to 30 minutes until the center bubbles, because the foil keeps the tots from burning before the middle heats through.

Baked leftovers also freeze for 2 months, but the tots lose their crunch on the second trip through the oven, so freezing the unbaked version is the better route.

If you cook ground beef in batches, the filling fits right into a week of ground beef freezer meals to make ahead, since it freezes well on its own in a zip-top bag and can be thawed and topped with tots on the day.

The sauce thickens as the casserole rests, so if it looks loose when it comes out of the oven, give it the full 10 minutes before judging it.

The roux adds about 5 minutes over the canned version, and all of that time is at the stove, where you are already standing to brown the beef.