This Philly Cheesesteak Tater Tot Casserole is a combination of ground beef, onion, and green bell pepper layered with provolone cheese and potato tater tots. A great option for a fast dinner idea on busy nights that is kid friendly!
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Whether or not a cheesesteak has bell peppers in it is a debate, but I personally love it and have included it here in this gluten free Philly Cheesesteak Tater Tot Casserole. You are also going to find both provolone and cheez wiz in Philly, but I am told the locals go with provolone. I love using the flavors of a Philly cheesesteak in different recipes! Find more Philly cheesesteak inspired recipes here!
I am a big fan of potatoes and the idea for tater tot casseroles came to me randomly one day. I figured, why not layer some favorite foods and flavors with a bunch of delicious, golden, tater tots?! A cheesy beef casserole seemed like a great variation. You can find more tater tot casseroles here!
I also use a smaller baking dish that is approximately 6×9 inches instead of the larger, “typical” size. This is because the meat to tot ratio would be very different. You can use a larger dish and double up the beef part of the recipe to keep the ratio, or bake in any other smaller dishes like a square dish or loaf pans. Or just use a larger dish but don’t pack the tots in as much.
If you are not a fan of provolone cheese, or do not have any on hand, mozzarella is a great substitute! Slices of cheese help prevent the tater tots from getting soggy when cooking as they act as a sauce barrier. But either shredded or sliced cheese of any kind will work! This Philly cheesesteak casserole is versatile to whatever you have.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 8 ounces provolone cheese (or 2 cups shredded mozzarella)
- 1 pound tater tots more or less
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef until cooked through, approximately 7-10 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Add the onion and green bell pepper. Cook until softened, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to the meat. Stir until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock. Stir to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Pour the meat mixture into a 6x9 inch baking dish. Lay out half of the cheese slices across the meat (or if using shredded cheese, sprinkle 1 cup across the meat).
- Layer the tater tots in rows across the top, using approximately 1 pound of tater tots (1/2 standard bag). Lay the remaining cheese slices across the top of the tater tots (or sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese).
- Bake the casserole until the tots are cooked through when inserting a fork and the cheese is melted, approximately 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
No way was this was done in 15 minutes. That’s not enough time for the tater tots to cook!! They take 25 minutes to bake by themselves. Something I’m not getting?? Do they Taters bake before adding them to the recipe???
Hello Bopps,
I have made this several times and they are always ready in about 15 minutes when I put them on top frozen. My guess would be that because you are putting them on top of hot food, and not a cold pan, it jump starts the cooking.