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Short-Order Kitchen

Single-Serving Taco Tater Tot Casserole

By Wes Ellis1 min read
A yellow basket of crispy tater tots topped with cheese and a ranch drizzle on checkered paper.
Recipe card
Servings
1
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
20 to 25 minutes
Method
Oven
Heat
350°F
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 8 of the thread Out of the casserole dish

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • A single serving in a ramekin or small baking dish.
  • Tots go on frozen, in one layer, on top of the cheese.
  • 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tots are golden.
  • Reheat leftovers in the oven or air fryer, never the microwave.
THE RECIPE · SINGLE-SERVING TACO TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Ingredients

Toppings (optional)

You'll need

  • Small skillet
  • Ramekin or small oven-safe dish

Directions

  1. Brown the meat in a small skillet over medium heat and drain any fat.
  2. Stir in the taco seasoning and a splash of water and simmer on low 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in the tomatoes and chiles.
  4. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  5. Spoon the meat into a small oven-safe dish, cover it with the cheese, then arrange the frozen tots in a single layer on top.
  6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the tots are golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.
  7. Let it cool a minute, add your toppings and eat.
Notes Best fresh, since the tots soften as they sit. If you do have leftovers, reheat in the oven or air fryer. Roughly 398 calories and 33 g protein, give or take.

wesellis.com/blog/taco-tater-tot-casserole/

Tater tot casserole usually comes in a 9x13 for a crowd. This is the one-person version: a quarter pound of meat, a ramekin, and a cup of tots. It's a good answer on a night you're only cooking for yourself.

Layer order matters

Meat on the bottom, cheese in the middle, tots on top. The cheese acts as glue and keeps the tots from sinking into the wet meat. And the tots stay frozen when they go on. Thawed tots get soft and never crisp up in the oven.

Tip

Drain the tomatoes and chiles a little before stirring them in. Too much juice and the bottom of the tots goes soggy.

One layer, no stacking

Tots crisp where hot air touches them. A single flat layer means every tot gets a golden top. Pile them two deep and the bottom layer steams. It's the same logic that makes Tater Tot Hash Browns work on the griddle.

Try this

Feeding more than one? Four-Ingredient Enchilada Casserole makes a whole pan with about the same effort. And if you like the taco-shell crunch more than the tots, Lighter Chalupas at Home is the drive-thru-style option.

LINKED FROM2 notes

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