Cowboy Casserole

Cowboy Casserole is a hearty, family-friendly dinner made with seasoned ground beef, creamy sauce, sweet corn, melted cheese, and a crispy golden topping of tater tots. It's an easy comfort food casserole that's perfect for busy weeknights, potlucks, and feeding a hungry crowd.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword cowboy-casserole, cowboy-casserole-recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 572kcal

Ingredients

olive oil
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 medium onion diced
1 medium jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
3-4 medium cloves garlic minced
1 14 oz can corn kernels drained
1 14 oz can pinto beans drained
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel)
1 10 oz can cheddar cheese soup or spicy nacho cheese soup
2 Tbsp dark chili powder
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemon pepper
3 cups pepper jack cheese or colby jack cheese divided use
1 32 oz bag tater tots
chopped fresh cilantro for garnishing

Instructions

Drizzle a large skillet with olive oil. Cook ground beef, onion and jalapeno pepper over medium-high heat until no pink remains and juices run clear. Add garlic, cooking for 1-2 minutes longer. Drain excess grease from the pan.
To the skillet add corn, pinto beans, tomatoes. canned soup, chili powder, seasoned salt, cumin and lemon pepper. Stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray one 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Pour 1/2 of the ground beef mixture into the prepared dish. top with 1 cup of pepper jack cheese. Pour the remaining ground beef mixture over the cheese and then top with the reserved 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese.
Arrange the tater tots on top. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown and the casserole is bubbling around the edge.
Let stand a few minutes, then serve garnished with cilantro.

Notes

Protein Substitutions - You can use ground turkey, ground pork or ground chicken in this casserole recipe.
Tater Tots - You can use classic tater tots or crispy crowns, the round tots for this recipe.
Soup - If you prefer, you can use cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup or cream of onion soup in place of cheddar cheese soup. Plain cheddar cheese soup will lend a milder cheesy flavor to the casserole overall.
Salsa - You can use mild salsa, medium salsa or hot salsa in place of Rotel tomatoes, depending on your preference. The amount of salsa would be around 1 cup.
Beans - You could use black beans or light red kidney beans in place of pinto beans. Drain and rinse black beans prior to adding them to the beef mixture.
Spices - You could use a packet of taco seasoning to speed up assembling the filling. When doing so, you may still want to add a teaspoon of chili powder and salt to your taste.
Peppers - You can use red pepper, poblano pepper or green bell peppers in place of jalapenos for less spice.
Cheese - They sky’s the limit with cheese. You could use a shredded Mexican cheese blend, sharp cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese or monterey jack cheese for a milder flavor.
Cilantro - If you don't care for cilantro, you could use fresh parsley, chives or green onions for garnishing.
Condiments and Toppings - You can serve this casserole topped with sour cream, a drizzle of crema, crumbled queso fresco, hot sauce or salsa.
Cornbread Topping - You can use this filling to make a cowboy casserole with a cornbread topping. See my Mexican Cornbread Casserole here.

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