Description
Comfort meets creativity in this pizza tot casserole that brings together the best of two beloved dishes for a quick weeknight dinner. Crispy tater tots, zesty pizza sauce, and melty cheese combine into a crowd-pleasing meal your family will devour in minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 bag (32 ounces) frozen tater tots
- 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 ½ cups pizza sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 20 slices pepperoni
Vegetable Ingredients:
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 1 bell pepper (diced)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
Seasoning Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- Olive oil (for sautéing)
Instructions
- Warm your oven to 400°F and coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté your diced onion and bell pepper for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add 1 pound ground beef to the skillet. Break the meat into small crumbles while cooking over medium heat until no pink remains.
- Pour 1 ½ cups pizza sauce into the meat mixture. Stir in 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add sliced mushrooms if you prefer.
- Transfer the seasoned meat mixture to your prepared baking dish. Spread it evenly across the bottom.
- Sprinkle 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese over the meat layer. Arrange 20 pepperoni slices across the cheese.
- Create a neat arrangement of the entire 32-ounce bag of frozen tater tots on top of the cheese and pepperoni.
- Slide the casserole into the 400°F oven. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until tots turn golden brown and cheese bubbles.
- Remove from oven and let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Optional: Garnish with fresh chopped basil.
Notes
- Use lean ground beef to reduce excess fat and keep the dish lighter.
- Customize toppings by swapping pepperoni for ham, bacon, or vegetarian alternatives like plant-based sausage.
- For a crispy top, arrange tater tots in a single layer without overcrowding the baking dish.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pizza sauce and checking seasoning ingredients for hidden gluten.
- Prep Time: 10-12 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 497 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 770 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg