This family favorite turkey tater tot casserole is loaded with protein, potatoes, and veggies, all baked in one dish or skillet for an easy weeknight casserole. It’s also a fantastic way to use up leftover turkey meat from Thanksgiving!
Looking for an easy one-pan meal the whole family will love? Try this turkey casserole! This delicious dish is the perfect comfort food for families on the go. And it’s sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy one-pan meal
Skillet meals are one of the best ways to cut back on dishes. It’s especially nice if the skillet is also an oven-safe pan, like cast iron. - It’s an easy way to add some extra veggies into your family’s diet.
Ground turkey meat and crispy tater tots are covered in melted shredded cheese. No one will even notice those sauteed veggies.
Everything comes together for a dish that’s full of protein and nutrients. You can feel good about serving this comfort dish to your family. - Time-saving, 30-minute meal.
Simply cook your ground turkey and veggies, then layer them with tater tots and cheese. Then bake until the tater tots are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Love tater tots and turkey?
Be sure to check out our other recipes with tater tots, like this tater tot green bean casserole, or one of our game day food favorites, loaded tater tots (aka tachos).
If you’re craving meat more than the potatoes, we’ve got you covered! Consider making roasted turkey tenderloins in oven or the comfort food of champions, slow cooker turkey tetrazzini!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Lean ground turkey- or use up your leftover holiday turkey
- Tater tots- great for that crispy, savory flavor
- Green beans – frozen or fresh, try broccoli for a different taste!
- Onion, chopped
- Garlic, minced or pressed
- Cream of mushroom soup –use any of Campbell’s condensed cream soups, like cheddar cheese soup, cream of celery, cream of asparagus, or cream of potato, to customize this tater tot casserole recipe.
- Cheddar cheese
- Salt and black pepper to taste
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Use up your leftover turkey meat from the holidays by substituting 3 cups of shredded or chopped turkey meat for the ground turkey!
How To Make Tater Tot Turkey Casserole
Prepare. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Cook the ground turkey. Brown ground turkey in a 10-12″ large skillet over medium heat.
Add green beans, chopped onion, and garlic to the skillet. Cook until the onions are translucent. Drain any fat from the pan.
Mix in the vegetables. Stir in the cream of mushroom soup and mix it into the turkey and vegetable mixture. If your skillet is oven-safe, you can continue on to the next step. But if it’s not, you can add the mixture to a round baking dish or oblong casserole dish.
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Layer the tater tot and cheese. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese over the top of the dish. Then add a layer of frozen tater tots. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
Baking the tater tot casserole. Bake uncovered dish at 375º for 30 minutes until the cheese and tater tot topping is golden brown, and the edges of the casserole are bubbly.
Ready to Serve. Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead Instructions
Save some time by assembling everything a few days ahead of time! Just follow steps 1-3 in the instructions below, then cover and refrigerate the casserole for up to 3 days.
When ready to bake, let the casserole sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven. Then proceed with step four and bake as directed.
You can also freeze this easy tater tot casserole recipe. Let it cool completely, then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake as directed above.
Serving Suggestions
To serve, garnish with sliced green onion or parsley and pair with pork chop Instant Pot. There are some veggies baked in already, but if your family loves them, you can serve extra vegetables with the turkey tater tot casserole-carrots, peas, and corn are delicious options.
Recipe FAQs
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to four days. To reheat, bake in a 350ºF. oven until warmed through. You can also reheat this dish in the microwave, covered, on 50% power for three to four minutes stirring once halfway through.
Before removing the casserole from the oven ensure it is cooked through-look for a lightly golden top and a bubbling center. If the center of casserole isn’t done but it’s getting brown on top, you can cover with foil until cooked through.
A hotdish is a casserole but with a more limited definition, it is always a hearty main course and not typically a side dish or breakfast. Hotdish is a common term in Minnesota but more widely known as a casserole dish elsewhere.
Consider Making These Other Casserole Recipes…
- Crack Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
- Ground Beef Tater Tot Hotdish
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Hashbrown Casserole with Cream of Chicken
If you tried this tater tot turkey casserole recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Turkey Tater Tot Casserole
Equipment
- 10-inch cast iron skillet - or other oven safe pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey or turkey sausage (can substitute 3 cups of shredded, cooked turkey meat)
- 12 ounces (about 3 cups) frozen or fresh green beans chopped into 1" pieces
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 can (10 oz.) cream of mushroom soup (see notes for soup variations)
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese grated or shredded, divided
- 16 ounces frozen tater tots (smaller sized bag or 1/2 of a larger bag)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Brown ground turkey in a 10-11" skillet over medium heat. Drain fat from the pan. Add green beans, chopped onion, and garlic to skillet and saute until onions turn translucent.
- Stir in cream of mushroom soup and mix into the turkey and vegetable mixture. If your skillet is oven-safe, continue on to the next step. Otherwise, add the mixture to a round or oblong casserole dish.
- Sprinkle half the grated cheese evenly across the top. Then top the casserole with a layer of tater tots and the rest of the cheese.
- Bake at 375º uncovered for 33-35 minutes until the cheese, and tater tot topping is golden brown and the edges of the casserole are bubbly.
- Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with sour cream, sliced green onion, or parsley.
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Garry says
We love this recipe thank you for sharing it with us, we didn’t know what to do with the ground turkey and the whole bag of tater tots and this recipe was a winner
Lisa Ridgway says
Tastes good but needs a little something else – Worcestershire sauce maybe.
Sheri says
I made mine a Mexican casserole.I added taco seasoning to the meat. Mixed in black olives,lime cilantro rice (or any rice u want),green onion and salsa.