Cowboy Casserole brings together creamy sauce, savory beef, smoky bacon, and a crunchy crown of golden tater tots in every bite. It is the kind of one-pan meal that turns dinner into a full-blown tug-of-war for seconds.
Made with simple ingredients, our hearty casserole shows that you don’t need fancy ingredients to create deliciousness that your whole family will love.
Our Cowboy Casserole recipe is a classic tater tot casserole that you’re whole family will love. It’s all about comfort and convenience when a can of cream of mushroom soup, a bag of frozen tater tots, and a little beefy magic come together to save dinnertime.
It’s the kind of family-style, one-dish meal built for busy nights, hungry bellies, and anyone who believes a bubbling casserole in the center of the table is just about as good as life gets.
Packed with bold, familiar flavors, cowboy casserole is something that even picky eaters will love.
Built entirely from pantry staples, there’s a good chance you already have everything you need to get cooking right now.
For more meals that turn an ordinary night into something unforgettable, try my Million Dollar Chicken Casserole and my Spaghetti Pie. These easy favorites are made for bringing everyone together, sparking good conversation, and making the kind of memories that outlast the meal itself.
Ingredients for Cowboy Casserole
Let’s start by gathering the necessary ingredients to prepare our cowboy casserole recipe. Culinary professionals refer to this as mise en Place, which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I Change Up the Recipe?
We made this Cowboy Casserole recipe with lean ground beef, but you can swap in ground turkey or ground chicken if you like.
For extra flavor, cook the bacon first, then sauté the onions and garlic right in the bacon fat before browning the beef.
Toss in extra veggies like green beans, black beans, or bell pepper to stretch the dish without losing any flavor.
For a little kick, stir green chilies into the beef mixture or swap the cheddar for pepper jack cheese.
How to Make Cowboy Casserole
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make our cowboy casserole in your home kitchen.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Drain and rinse the corn and pinto beans.
- Place a cast-iron pan (or large oven-safe skillet) over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and the chopped onions to the pan.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and soft.
- Add the garlic to the pan.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, until it becomes fragrant.
- Add the ground beef to the mixture.
- Stir to break up the big pieces of the meat as it browns.
- Season the beef mixture with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and cumin to the mixture. Stir to combine and continue to cook until the ground beef is browned.
- Add the corn and pinto beans to the mixture.
- Stir until well combined.
- Add the mushroom soup, half of the cheddar cheese (1 cup), the cooked bacon, and sour cream to the ground beef mixture.
- Stir until well combined.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Smooth the mixture with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top of the mixture. (Tip: If you like it extra cheesy, add a little extra shredded cheese here!)
- Arrange the tater tots in a single layer on top of the cheese. Start from the outside and work your way in towards the center.
- Continue placing the tots until the top of the mixture is covered. Then place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake until the tater tots are golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.
The internal temperature should be at least 165°F.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes to set before serving.
One bite of this Cowboy Casserole and it’ll feel like it’s been part of your dinner lineup forever, and it’s guaranteed to become one of your favorite casserole dishes.
Our Cowboy Casserole is so good that pretty soon, the kids will be asking for it by name, and you’ll wonder how you ever got through a busy week without it.
Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container or well covered in plastic wrap for 3-4 days.
Reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through to help the tater tots crisp up again. You can microwave it if you’re short on time, but the topping will be softer.
Freezing is not recommended because the creamy sauce and tater tots will turn mushy after thawing.
Recipe FAQs
Sure. After browning the beef in the skillet, transfer everything to a greased baking dish before layering on the tater tots. It works just as well for getting that golden perfection on top.
You can, but it works best if you slow-cook just the beef base. Bake or air fry the tater tots separately so they stay crispy. You can either serve the crispy tots on the side or pile them on top when it’s time to eat. Rather than sprinkling the cheese over the top, stir it into the beef base a little at a time just before serving to keep everything rich and creamy.
Absolutely! You can assemble the beef base up to a day ahead, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it. Wait to sprinkle the cheese and arrange the tater tots until just before baking, so the topping stays crisp and golden.
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Cowboy Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef lean
- 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese -shredded – divided
- 1 cup sour cream -room temperature
- 8 slices bacon -cooked and chopped
- 10.75 ounces cream of mushroom condensed soup 1 can
- 15 ounce corn 1 can (or frozen) – drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce pinto beans 1 can -drained and rinsed
- 28 ounces tater tots 1 bag (28-32 ounces)
- 1 cup sweet onion -chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic -finely minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Drain and rinse the corn and pinto beans
- Place a cast-iron pan (or large oven-safe pan) over medium-high heat; When the pan is hot, add the olive oil.
- Add the chopped onions to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the ground beef to the mixture. Stir to break up the big pieces of the meat as it browns.
- Add the salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and cumin to the mixture. Stir to combine and continue to cook until the ground beef is browned.
- Add the corn and pinto beans to the mixture and stir until well combined.
- Add the mushroom soup, half of the cheddar cheese (1 cup), the cooked bacon, and sour cream to the ground beef mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Smooth the mixture with a rubber spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top of the mixture.
- Place the tater tots on top of the cheese in a circular pattern, starting at the outside of the pan. Continue placing the tots until the top of the mixture is covered.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake until the tater tots are golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. *The internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees F.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes to set before serving.
- Serve as a side or a main dish just make sure you make enough of it, this delicious dish will go fast!
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