


Drain off the excess fat, if you like. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the soup, milk, salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper mix until smooth. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no pink pieces remain, 6 to 8 minutes. Step 3 Add the onion to the skillet with the grease and cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes.Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the grease in the skillet. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and extra crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Step 2 Heat a large skillet over medium heat.Remove the tater tots from the freezer to let them thaw slightly while you prepare the filling. When ready to bake, heat the filling on the stovetop over medium heat until warm, then top with tater tots and cheese and bake as directed. You could make the entire filling a day ahead, let it cool, then refrigerate. Tater tots help lock in the moisture of the meat mixture, but you'll want to leave them exposed so that they can get nice and crunchy on top. The time required in the oven is relatively short when compared to other hearty casseroles because of the precooked filling. For this cowboy casserole, you'll want to forgo the foil. Should a casserole be covered when baking?

Just about any creamy condensed soup will work in this casserole. What can I use instead of cream of mushroom soup? The final step? A sprinkle of crispy bacon and chives on top! Then it bakes in the oven until the tots are crisp and golden brown. Once the filling is done, you add it to a casserole dish, top with cheddar cheese, a layer of tater tots, and parmesan on top. It gets its creaminess from a can of cream of mushroom soup and milk. The filling is made with ground beef, chopped onion, garlic, spinach, and corn. Now, saddle up for this cowboy-approved easy casserole! After all, any recipe that starts with crisping bacon then cooking onions in the bacon fat is bound to be delicious! Thanks to easy prep and the convenience of frozen tater tots, this ground beef recipe can be on the table in less than an hour. Bonus: Because there's corn and spinach in the filling, there's no need for any additional sides. With a creamy beef filling and a cheesy tater tot topping, this skillet dinner is sure to make a regular appearance in your weeknight rotation.
