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Cowboy Casserole

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This cowboy casserole recipe comes together in about an hour (most of that is hands-off baking time!) and is made with simple ingredients you probably already have in your fridge and pantry! It’s a playful twist on the classic tater tot casserole, adding taco seasoning, beans, corn, and salsa into the creamy, cheesy casserole.

Ingredients

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Garnish:

  • sliced green onion
  • sour cream
  • sliced jalapeno
  • fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
  3. Add onion along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes.
  4. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 30 seconds or so.
  5. Add raw ground beef and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high, and cook the beef, crumbling it with a spatula until cooked through.
  6. Add taco seasoning and stir until well combined. Add a splash of water if it seems too dry. 
  7. Stir in black beans, corn, salsa, sour cream, and half the shredded cheese until well combined.
  8. Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese. Add tater tots in a single layer.
  9. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the tater tots are cooked through and crisp and the casserole is bubbly around the edges. Broil for 1-2 minutes to get the tater tots extra crispy on top. 
  10. Let rest for a few minutes. Then garnish with green onion, sour cream, jalapeno, and cilantro and enjoy!
  11. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Equipment

Notes

    • Switch up the beans and veggies to suit your family’s taste! Switch out the black beans for pinto beans and try diced green chilies or Rotel tomatoes instead of corn if you want. This is the perfect “clean out the fridge” meal to use up whatever you’ve got on hand.

    • Switch up the protein! Use ground turkey in place of the ground beef if you like. Just be aware that it’s a bit more lean so it’s not going to have quite as much flavor as beef. You could also use leftover shredded rotisserie chicken in place of the ground beef!

    • Shred your own cheese. Freshly shredded cheese melts better than pre-shredded cheese. Shredded cheese from the grocery store is coated in cellulose to prevent it from clumping but that also keeps it from melting well.

    • Spice it up if you want! Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or chipotle powder to add some heat or smokiness. You can also use pepper jack cheese instead of sharp cheddar if you’re looking for a little extra kick.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/cowboy-casserole/