Description
Whip up pizza tot casserole for a crowd-pleasing dinner that combines crispy tater tots with classic pizza flavors your family will devour. Melted cheese, zesty sauce, and golden tots make this comfort dish a total winner on busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 (24 oz) bag frozen tater tots
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza Toppings:
- ½ cup pepperoni slices
- ¼ cup diced green bell peppers
- ¼ cup diced onions
Seasonings:
- 1 (15 oz) can pizza sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 425°F and coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Cook 1 lb ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, carefully breaking meat into small crumbles.
- Drain all excess fat from the beef and return meat to the skillet.
- Mix 15 oz pizza sauce, 1 tsp oregano, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper into the beef.
- Spread the seasoned beef mixture evenly across the bottom of your prepared baking dish.
- Scatter ¼ cup diced green bell peppers and ¼ cup diced onions over the beef layer.
- Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese uniformly across the beef and vegetable layer.
- Create a single layer of frozen tater tots across the entire dish, covering the cheese completely.
- Top the tater tots with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese for extra melty goodness.
- Distribute ½ cup pepperoni slices across the cheese-covered tots.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until tots turn golden brown and crisp around the edges.
- Allow casserole to rest for 5 minutes before serving to help it set and cool slightly.
Notes
- Use lean ground beef to reduce excess fat and keep the dish lighter.
- Swap pepperoni for turkey pepperoni or vegetarian pepperoni if watching calories or avoiding pork.
- Chop vegetables finely to help them distribute more evenly throughout the casserole.
- For a gluten-free version, verify that your pizza sauce and tater tots are certified gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 470 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg