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You are here: Home / Recipes / Main Dishes / Mexican Tater Tot Casserole – Tots never go out of style on the dinner table!

November 3, 2019 by Cindy Gordon

Mexican Tater Tot Casserole – Tots never go out of style on the dinner table!

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Mexican vegetarian tater tot casserole is a fun dish that the entire family will love. Spice up taco night and have this meatless tater tot casserole instead.

Bowl of Mexican Tater Tot Casserole

Vegetarian Mexican Tater Tot Casserole

Depending on where you live, you might want to call this mexican tater tot casserole recipe a hotdish instead of a casserole. “Vegetarian Tater Tot Hotdish” has a certain ring to it that I like! The traditional tater tot hot dish comes from the Midwest, specifically Minnesota.

There, a hotdish would include tater tots, ground beef, and a vegetable. This hot dish is, of course, vegetarian, and gets its protein from black beans instead of meat.

Tater Tots never go out of style on the dinner table. Did you know that? It’s true! You can dress up a tater tot in so many ways. For this vegetarian tater tot casserole recipe, we decided that we’d put a Mexican spin on our tots, so we created a Mexican Style Tater Tot Casserole.

What I love about this tater tot hotdish recipe is that it’s classic comfort food. It’s a simple vegetarian recipe instead of beef mixture and it has such a delicious flavor. (If you wanted to add in meat to brown the ground beef up – you could, we just don’t eat meat in our home)

This tater tot casserole with cheese is seriously going to be a favorite in your home.

spoonful of Mexican Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserol

It is the tots that our entire family loves, including adults and kids. But it takes the flavor up a notch. It adds a Mexican inspired flare to this comfort food dish.

What’s In Vegetarian Mexican Tater Tot Casserole?

The base of this recipe is packed with tasty and filling vegetables. We mixed:

  • sauteed onions
  • black beans
  • corn
  • traditional Mexican taco fixings
  • gluten-free enchilada sauce ( to make the top layer of the casserole).

Sauteed Onions in a dutch oven for Mexican Tater Tot Casserole.

Onions

Onions create a great flavor base for this dish. Aside from being delicious and versatile, did you know that they pack a big punch of nutrition? Onions provide vitamins C and B6 as well as Folate and various necessary minerals.

I love to cook onions in a skillet over medium heat and toss in a little garlic powder as well. Really, really good and versatile to add to almost any recipe.

Black beans and sauteed onions in a dutch oven

Looking for more Kid Friendly and Allergy Friendly recipes?

  • Try Kid-Friendly Tofu Bites
  • Kid-Friendly Pasta Salad
  • Easy Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Black Beans

Black beans are one of my favorite beans to cook with, and I almost always use them when I’m making tacos or enchiladas. Fun bean facts: Black beans are actually a variety of kidney bean, and are called “turtle beans” in some places.

Corn mixture for Vegetarian Tater Tot Mexican Casserole.

Corn

Mexican style tater tot casserole would not be complete without corn. Corn adds bulk and sweetness to this somewhat spicy dish. Corn, like black beans, is a crop that is native to the Americas. This is why you see it in Mexican and South American dishes so often.

enchilada sauce being poured into dutch oven

Mexican Tater Tot Casserole – A Simple Recipe

This is such a simple dish to put together. Just place your frozen tater tots in your baking dish, and spoon the veggie mixture on top. Throw it in a preheated oven to bake for about 40 minutes.

A large skillet would work as a baking dish too. I love making casseroles in cast iron pans.

My kiddos love to help put down the layer of tater tots as well, so that is always their job to do. Once you get that oven to 350 degrees, you know it’s time to rock and roll and get to cooking!

Tater tots lined in bottom of casserole dish

Such a simple recipe, isn’t it?

black bean, corn, and onion mixture on top of tater tots in casserole

 

As a final touch, add cheese and chopped black olives and bake just until the cheese starts to melt. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

Make this recipe vegan by swapping out the cheese for a non-dairy cheese. I like Daiya or So Delicious shredded cheese. You could also leave out the cheese entirely and this meatless tater tot casserole would still be delicious.

What sides go with this meatless tater tot casserole?

This really can be a meal on its own. But if you want a side dish to go with this Mexican vegetarian tater tot casserole a salad or other veggie-packed side dishes go great with it.

You could serve this Tomato Cucumber Salad or a Mixed Berry Fruit Salad to lighten things up a bit. 

Can I freeze this vegetarian tater tot casserole?

I actually have not tried freezing this recipe, but I think it would work well. It would be a delicious make-ahead meal that you could pop in the oven. I would, however, package the cheese, olives, and cilantro in their own container so you can throw those ingredients on at the end.

Do I need to thaw the tater tots for this casserole?

Nope! And actually, I wouldn’t recommend it. The tots would get mushy and start to fall apart if you let them thaw too much. Just put them in frozen. They will cook perfectly that way.

Mexican Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole is a fun dish that the entire family will love! Spice up Taco Night and have this meatless tater tot casserole instead!

Looking for more Kid Friendly and Allergy Friendly recipes? All of our recipes are gluten-free and nut-free! 

Mexican Tator Tot Casserole

Mexican Tator Tot Casserole

Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

Mexican Tater Tot Casserole – Tots never go out of style on the dinner table!

Mexican Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole is a fun dish that the entire family will love! Spice up Taco Night and have this meatless tater tot casserole instead!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Tater Tot Casserole
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 152kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup onion diced
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup enchilada sauce
  • 1/2 bag of tator tots 8 oz
  • 1 cup shredded cheese Mexican blend
  • 3 oz of diced black olives

Instructions

  • Heat over in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft.
  • Add corn, beans and sauce to the skillet. Stir to mix.
  • Put frozen tots into a lightly oiled 8X8 square dish.
  • Pour skillet mixture on top of tots.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes (covered).
  • Remove from oven. Top with shredded cheese and olives. Place back into over until cheese is melted.
  • ENJOY!

Notes

What sides go with tater tot casserole?

This really can be a meal on its own. But if you want a side dish to go with this Mexican vegetarian tater tot casserole a salad or other veggie-packed side dishes go great with it.
You could serve this Tomato Cucumber Salad or a Mixed Berry Fruit Salad to lighten things up a bit. 

Can I freeze this tater tot casserole?

I actually have not tried freezing this recipe, but I think it would work well. It would be a delicious make-ahead meal that you could pop in the oven. I would, however, package the cheese, olives, and cilantro in their own container so you can throw those ingredients on at the end.

Do I need to thaw the tater tots for this casserole?

Nope! And actually, I wouldn’t recommend it. The tots would get mushy and start to fall apart if you let them thaw too much. Just put them in frozen. They will cook perfectly that way.

Nutrition

Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 691mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 450IU | Vitamin C: 4.8mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 0.6mg


All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.

Does your family love casseroles? Check out our favorite casserole recipes!

Please pin this vegetarian tater tot casserole for later.

Mexican Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole is a fun dish that the entire family will love! Spice up Taco Night and have this meatless tater tot casserole instead!

Take a peek at the older pictures of this recipe, we didn’t want to delete them!

Mexican Tator Tot Casserole #glutenfree @vegetarianmamma.comMexican Tator Tot Casserole @vegetarianmamma.com #glutenfree

 

Filed Under: Main Dishes Tagged With: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Vegetarian

About Cindy Gordon

This is Cindy Gordon’s website. You might also know her as Vegetarian Mamma. Cindy is an author, recipe developer, social media and content marketer. In addition to her digital roles, Cindy’s interests are gluten-free vegetarian foods, food allergies, gluten-free travel and wellness. Want to know more? Click the ABOUT tab at the top of your screen!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. landofoz says

    July 15, 2015 at 10:08 pm

    i would add a salad to it.

    Reply
  2. Amanda says

    July 16, 2015 at 9:31 am

    Love tater tots, but not a huge fan of black beans. Would probably replace them with other veggies like peppers!

    Reply
  3. pab52760 says

    July 16, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    Looks yummy, am definitely going to have to give this a try.

    Reply
  4. Alyson Wissingerlyson says

    July 16, 2015 at 1:32 pm

    My husband would love this!

    Reply
  5. Lori Jean Williams says

    July 16, 2015 at 4:13 pm

    This look delicious!! I have not tried a recipe like this before but I sure will now. Especially since we are so trying to not eat meat. Thank you!!

    Reply
  6. christina says

    July 16, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    I’ve never tried anything like that but looks delicious going to try it my husband loves tater tots!

    Reply
  7. Haley says

    July 16, 2015 at 5:30 pm

    I’ve never tried this, but I will now!

    Reply
  8. Bethany says

    July 16, 2015 at 10:27 pm

    This looks really interesting. I bet it’s yummy!

    Reply
  9. Kate M. says

    July 17, 2015 at 10:40 am

    That is such an awesome idea. I am going to make it for lunch/dinner tonight.

    Reply
  10. Brenda Haines says

    July 17, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    I have a similar recipe for sloppy jo’s. Sloppy Jo Tater Tot cups. I know i will love this one too. There’s just something about tater tots 🙂

    Reply
  11. Hannah Sandefur (@hsantafur) says

    July 17, 2015 at 3:27 pm

    I love tater tots, so this looks totally delish! My mom used to put green beans with them and pour white gravy on it!

    Reply
  12. Natalie says

    July 17, 2015 at 6:33 pm

    I would love to add tater tots to an egg bake!

    Reply
  13. Lo says

    July 17, 2015 at 9:53 pm

    Love everything about this except olives so I would leave those out. I might add in some fajita veggies, red onions and pepepers.

    Reply
  14. Anita L says

    July 19, 2015 at 11:14 am

    I’ve never heard of a recipe like this but it sounds tasty! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  15. Nancy says

    July 19, 2015 at 10:43 pm

    I agree with some of the other comments about putting in fajitas veggies. I also thought you could change it up and use rotel tomatoes with green chili’s instead of the enchilada sauce. Just a thought! Looks yummy as is too!

    Reply
  16. Caitlin says

    July 20, 2015 at 12:49 am

    This looks great. I’ll definitely add it to my to-try list!

    Reply
  17. adriisa says

    July 20, 2015 at 2:49 am

    I have never tried thisthis would love to.

    Reply
  18. Charlotte says

    July 20, 2015 at 1:40 pm

    I’ve seen so many tater tot casserole dishes lately on Pinterest, but I’ve never tried to make one myself. I love tater tots so I am definitely giving this a go. I think I might add some chilli pepper or jalapenos for an extra kick.

    Reply
  19. jeani b says

    July 20, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    i’ve tried tater tot casserole but not like this! this looks much better and healthier for my family. i love olives and black beans and corn! yum!

    Reply
  20. stuff4yall says

    July 20, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    I will be trying this with a side salad.

    Reply
  21. bonbon @ Farmhouse40.com says

    July 20, 2015 at 5:47 pm

    I have never cooked with tater tots. I must admit this looks really good.

    Reply
  22. Eileen Rhoadarmer - 2nd Generation Allergy Mom says

    July 21, 2015 at 11:45 am

    We haven’t had tater tots in a long time! My husband would heartily approve.

    Reply
  23. Shayla Roberts says

    July 21, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    No, but it looks really yummy!! I love tater tots!!!!

    Reply
  24. Farrah says

    July 22, 2015 at 9:00 am

    I’ve never tried making tater tots on my own, but I love em’! This looks super good!

    Reply
  25. Kristen says

    July 22, 2015 at 12:00 pm

    I’ve never had a tater tot casserole, but I am absolutely sure that my family would gobble it up. I’d just top it with a little dollop or sour cream…yum!

    Reply
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