Mexican Style Tater Tot Hot Dish (Casserole)
Mexican Style Tater Tot Hot Dish (Casserole)
This Mexican-style tater tot hot dish layers seasoned ground turkey with corn salsa and a Monterey Jack/Cheddar cheese blend, then finishes with a single layer of frozen tater tots baked until brown and crispy. It serves about 10.Why you'll love this:
- Hearty, family-style casserole that feeds a crowd
- Simple skillet-to-baking-dish method
- Uses pantry-ready ingredients like corn salsa and frozen tater tots
- Includes a step-by-step video for follow-along guidance
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Spray or oil a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
- Preheat a 12” inch skillet over medium high heat with your avocado oil. When the oil is hot, add your ground turkey, chili powder, ground cumin, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Give this all a stir and cook for 7-8 minutes until the ground turkey is cooked through. Now, shut off the heat and stir in your salsa. Now, pour this mixture into your casserole dish, top with your shredded cheese and finally your tater tots (make sure the tots are in a single layer). Bake on the middle rack in your oven for 20-25 minutes until the tots are brown and crispy. Enjoy!
- Note: This is a bit spicey. Eric and I like spice. If you like your food a bit milder, choose a mild corn salsa. We used the brand Cowboy Caviar by Trader Joes.
- You can drain off extra liquid before adding the salsa if you feel that your turkey gave off too much fat while browning. I just drained off a few tablespoons.
Video
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!What is a tater tot hot dish (and how a Mexican style tater tot casserole fits in)
“Hot dish” is a Midwestern term for a one-dish casserole built from a savory filling topped with a starch and baked until hot. A Mexican style tater tot casserole follows that pattern: a seasoned meat-and-salsa filling is finished with cheese and a single layer of frozen tater tots that crisp into a crunchy, comforting topping.
Tips for best results
- Why a single layer matters. Keeping the tater tots in a single layer exposes each tot to hot oven air, which helps them brown and crisp instead of steaming under trapped moisture.
- How cooking and stirring the turkey helps texture. Cooking the ground turkey until it’s done and stirring as it browns yields small, even pieces so the meat spreads uniformly beneath the cheese and tots.
- Why you might drain excess liquid. Removing a few tablespoons of excess fat or liquid before adding the salsa prevents the filling from becoming too wet, which helps the tater tots crisp during baking.
- Baking on the middle rack. Placing the dish on the oven’s middle rack positions it where heat is most even, which supports uniform browning of the topping during the specified bake time.
Watch Dr. J Make Mexican Style Tater Tot Hot Dish
Watch Dr. J make Mexican Style Tater Tot Hot Dish and see how it comes together.
