Sloppy Joe tater tot casserole is a sloppy joe with no bun to fall apart, baked under a golden layer of crispy tater tots. Ground beef gets browned and drained, then cooked with onions and simmered in a quick homemade sauce of BBQ sauce, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar, with diced bell pepper stirred in at the end. It all goes into a 9×13 dish with freshly shredded Cheddar and frozen tater tot rounds, then bakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the tots are crisp and the cheese on top is melty. It feeds eight and takes about 50 minutes start to finish. It’s a budget-friendly sloppy joe casserole with tater tots that kids actually get excited about.
When my kids were young, they always enjoyed helping me in the kitchen, and this was one of the recipes I used to teach them how to cook. It was easy enough for them to handle at the stove: brown the ground beef, then stir in the sauces and seasonings. They all loved cheese and tater tots, so of course that’s what went on top, and it became a kid favorite at our house. Feeding six kids, I was happy it was easy on the grocery budget, too.
Main Ingredients Needed For Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
- Ground beef: This is the heart of the filling. Brown it until it’s crumbly and there’s no pink left, then tip the pan and drain off the extra grease before anything else goes in. That one step keeps the filling thick and hearty instead of greasy, and a good browning gives the whole casserole a deeper flavor.
- Onions: Chopped onions go into the pan right after you drain the beef and cook until they’re just slightly translucent.
- BBQ sauce: Sweet Baby Ray’s is my go-to here, but use whatever BBQ sauce your family likes best. It gives this homemade sloppy joe sauce its sweet barbecue flavor.
- Ketchup: The classic sloppy joe base. Plain ketchup is all you need.
- Brown sugar: A little brown sugar rounds out the tang from the two mustards.
- Cheddar cheese: Half goes under the tots and the other half melts on top at the end, so you get cheese in every bite. I always shred my own from a block. Bagged shredded cheese has a powdery coating to keep it from sticking together, and I’ve found it doesn’t melt as well.
- Tater tot rounds: I use the round tater tots, and honestly, the store brand is just as good as the name brand. Regular tater tots work too if that’s what you’ve got in the freezer. If your crew loves a tot-topped casserole as much as mine does, my Original Tater Tot Hotdish is another good one to try.
How To Make Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
Every bite of this one gets a little crispy tot, a little melty Cheddar, and that sweet, tangy sloppy joe filling underneath.
Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Bake Variations and Tips
I’ve made this one enough times to learn a few things:
- Brown the beef well: That bit of browning is where a lot of the flavor comes from.
- Go easy on the sauce: Too much makes the casserole watery and keeps the tots from crisping up. You want the filling thick and hearty.
- Let the sauce cook down: A few minutes in the skillet before it goes in the dish lets the flavors blend and thickens it up.
- Let it rest: Once it comes out of the oven, give it a few minutes so it scoops more easily.
- Feeding a bigger crowd: I’ve doubled this one, but you’ll need two 9×13 dishes to keep the tots in a single layer. Tap the 2x button on the recipe card below, and it will show you the doubled amounts.
Once you’ve made it the classic way, have fun with it:
- Add corn: I’ve stirred corn into the meat mixture, and it fits right in.
- Make it spicy: This one’s my favorite. Swap the Cheddar for freshly shredded pepper jack, or add a few drops of hot sauce to the filling, because a little bit of spice is good here.
- Pile on the cheese: If you’re a more-cheese-is-better family, go ahead and add extra.
Love sloppy joes in casserole form? My Sloppy Joe Casserole With Cornbread Topping is another way to turn sloppy joes into dinner in one dish.
How To Prep This Sloppy Joe Bake the Day Before
You can do all the skillet work the day before, so the messiest part is done before anyone walks through the door. Cook the beef and sauce just like the recipe says, spread it in your greased 9×13 dish, cover it, and put it in the fridge. When you’re ready, add the first half of the cheese and the frozen tots, and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes, since the filling is starting out cold. Once the tots are crispy and everything’s heated through, add the rest of the cheese and bake about 5 more minutes until it’s melty. Your kitchen’s already clean, dinner’s in the oven, and you can actually sit down and visit when company comes. I like to set out a big bowl of my Apple Cabbage Slaw alongside it, because that fresh crunch is so good next to all those cheesy tots.
Questions When Making Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
Yes, it’s already an easy one, and it gets even easier with home-canned sloppy joe meat. When I’m short on time, I grab a jar of my Home-Canned Sloppy Joe Meat and skip the browning and sauce steps completely. I still stir in the diced bell pepper, then add the cheese and tots and bake it the same way.
No, they go on straight from the freezer. Lay them in a single layer so they cook evenly, and bake the casserole uncovered. That’s what lets the tots get crispy on top instead of soft and steamed, while the filling gets hot and bubbly underneath.
Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cup onions, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, freshly shredded, divided
- 16 ounces tater tot rounds, bagged, frozen
Instructions
Get Started
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease the baking dish with cooking spray.Nonstick cooking spray
Cook the Filling
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it into crumbles, until no pink remains.1 pound ground beef
- Tip the pan and drain off any excess grease.
- Add the onions and cook until slightly translucent, meaning soft and starting to look see-through.½ cup onions
- Sprinkle in the salt, paprika, dry mustard, and black pepper, and stir to combine.½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon dry mustard, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar, and stir well.2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce is thick, not runny, and coats all the beef.
- Stir in the bell pepper.1 bell pepper
Assemble the Casserole
- Spread the beef mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle half of the Cheddar over the beef.2 cups Cheddar cheese
- Arrange the frozen tater tots in a single layer over the top.16 ounces tater tot rounds
Bake
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the tots are golden and crispy and the filling is heated through.
- Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar over the tots.
- Bake about 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Let rest 3 to 5 minutes so the filling can thicken and scoop more easily.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- Brown the beef well for deeper flavor.
- Keep the sauce light so the filling stays thick and the tots can crisp.
- Cook the filling, spread it in the greased dish, cover, and refrigerate until the next day.
- When ready, add half the cheese and the frozen tots, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes, until the tots are crispy and everything is heated through.
- Add the remaining cheese and bake for about 5 more minutes.
- Regular tater tots work in place of the rounds.
- For a little heat, swap freshly shredded pepper jack for the Cheddar.
- Stir corn into the meat mixture.
- Add a few drops of hot sauce to the filling.
- Add extra cheese.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Use the oven or air fryer to keep the tots crispy.
- The microwave works but may soften the tots.
Equipment
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Showing Hospitality With Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
A Kids in the Kitchen Night is a fun way to have another family over, and this sloppy joe tater tot casserole was made for it, since the jobs kids love most are sprinkling the cheese and lining up the tots. Let the grown-ups handle the skillet and the oven, then hand the kids a bowl of shredded Cheddar and the bag of frozen tots and let them build the top themselves, crooked rows and all, while everybody else sets the table. Tie an apron on every little helper and put a strip of tape with their name on it at their spot, so each one knows where the chef sits. When the casserole comes out of the oven, let the kids be the ones to holler that dinner’s ready, because they’ll be prouder of that pan than anything else. I love how Jesus told His disciples to let the little children come to Him and not hinder them, and giving kids a real part in welcoming people is one small way we show them they belong at the table too. So pull up a few extra chairs, y’all, and let the kids take a bow.
Made this one for your family? I’d love it if you’d leave a star rating below so other folks can find it, too.