We have taco Tuesday, and we love take-out Fridays, but now we can start a tater tot Thursday! Slow cooker John Wayne casserole with tater tots is a crockpot dinner recipe for families that everyone will enjoy, no matter how picky.
A tater tot casserole is a great option for family dinners. It is an even better option when there is more to it than just tater tots and some meat. In fact, you can make this slow cooker John Wayne casserole with tater tots recipe and really elevate those tots.
Your family will love this recipe as well. You may even end up adding this recipe to your monthly rotation of recipes. Crockpots get a lot of praise for being so easy to use and making dinner even easier. However, this recipe is a little different.
For example, you dump the ingredients in many crockpot dinner recipes and set your crockpot to low, medium, or high, and that is it. You will need to do a little more than that for this recipe. There is ground beef in this slow cooker John Wayne casserole with tater tots.
That means you will need to brown the meat before you toss it in the crockpot. Luckily, the crockpot cooking time is lessened because of that. This recipe may not be as simple as others, but it is well worth the extra effort.
John Wayne Casserole with Tater Tots Ingredients
John Wayne casserole is made up of a lot of little things, just like any other casserole. Some of the stuff is easy to find but some will require some prep work before you get to cooking. The frozen tater tots will be easy, and you can easily find a can of diced tomatoes.
But the yellow onion, green bell pepper, and shishito peppers will need to be diced. The ground beef will also need to be browned and drained before you toss it in the crockpot. But the little extra effort will help make this dish a family favorite.
Slow Cooker John Wayne Casserole with Tater Tots Directions
Spray your crockpot with non-stick spray. Add tater tots to the bottom of the crockpot and evenly spread them out.
Brown the hamburger, onion, bell pepper & shishito peppers in a cast-iron skillet or pan. When the meat is brown, drain the fat.
Add diced tomatoes to the meat mixture and combine.
Pour the meat mixture over the tater tots creating a layer.
Mix sour cream, salt, pepper & onion. Add approximately 4 oz of cheese (save the remainder of the cheese for the top layer at the end).
Spread the sour cream layer over the meat mixture.
Cover and cook on low for approximately 4 to 4 1/2 hours. (Keep lid closed during the cooking time).
After cooking is done, add the remaining cheese over the top for a final layer.
Cover for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
When ready to serve, you can top your slow cooker John Wayne casserole with tater tots with salsa, green onions, or a topping of your choice.
John Wayne Casserole with Tater Tots
Ingredients
- 32 oz Bag of Tater Tots Frozen, not thawed
- 1 Lb Ground Beef
- 1 Small Yellow Onion Diced
- 1 16 oz Can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Green Bell Pepper Diced
- Shishito Peppers The version in the pics used 3 but you can adjust for heat preference
- 1 1.3 oz Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning Mix
- 16 oz Sour Cream
- 8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese Shredded
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
Instructions
- Spray your crockpot with non- stick spray. Add tater tots to the bottom of the crockpot and evenly spread out.
- Brown the hamburger, onion, bell pepper & shishito peppers in a cast iron skillet or pan. When the meat is brown drain the fat.
- Add diced tomatoes to meat mixture and combine.
- Pour the meat mixture over the tater tots creating a layer.
- In a small bowl mix sour cream, salt, pepper & onion. Add approximately 4 oz of cheese (save the remainder of the cheese for the top layer at the end).
- Spread the sour cream layer over the meat mixture.
- Cover and cook on low for approximately 4 to 4 1/2 hours. (Keep lid closed during the cooking time)
- After cooking is done add the remaining cheese over the top for a final layer.
- Cover for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- When ready to serve you can top with salsa, green onions or a topping of your choice.
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Beef Stroganoff Crockpot Recipe with Golden Mushroom Soup | Beef stroganoff is a dish that tastes better than it sounds and is easy to make.
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