Mexican vegetarian tater tot casserole is a delightful dish that the whole family will enjoy. Add some excitement to taco night by serving this flavorful, meatless twist on a classic favorite.
Vegetarian Mexican Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
Depending on where you live, you might want to call this Mexican tater tot casserole recipe a hot dish 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 to 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 without beef, 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.
For a fun Mexican meal, make these easy Mexican Sugar Cookies for dessert!
Our entire family loves the tots, from adults to kids. This recipe elevates the flavor with a Mexican-inspired flair.
What's In Vegetarian Mexican Tater Tot Casserole?
The base of this recipe is packed with tasty and filling vegetables. We mixed:
Tater Tots - shredded potatoes are a must for this casserole. Frozen tater tots do the job perfectly. Always check ingredients to ensure the bag does not contain allergens.
Sauteed Onions - These give a warm, home-cooked base flavor to the casserole. We love Vidalia onions for their sweetness. Yellow onion also works.
Black Beans - Black beans are our vegetarian protein for this dish. Use canned beans to save time.
Corn - Frozen corn is one of my favorite ingredients to have on hand. It's just as delicious as fresh corn, but much less expensive and easier to work with.
Traditional Mexican Taco Fillings - I'm using shredded Mexican cheese blend, black olives, and cilantro.
Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce - Adds tons of flavor as the top layer of the casserole.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below, and I will get back to you ASAP!
HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN TATER TOT CASSEROLE
- Sauté onions in oil over medium heat.
- Add corn and beans to the skillet, stir to mix.
- Add enchilada sauce to the skillet and mix well.
- Place frozen tater tots into a lightly oiled casserole dish.
- Pour the bean mixture over the tots. Bake as directed in the recipe below.
- Top with shredded cheese and olives, and bake again until the cheese is melted.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
VEGAN MEXICAN TATER TOT CASSEROLE
Make this recipe vegan by swapping out the cheese for a non-dairy cheese. I like Daiya or Violife 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 Caesar salad or a Fruit Salad to lighten things up a bit.
Can I freeze this vegetarian tater tot casserole?
I haven't 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, since you add those ingredients 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 the freezer. They will cook that way perfectly.
Looking for more kid-friendly recipes?
Try Kid-Friendly Tofu Bites, which are sweet and slightly crispy and perfect for little fingers.
Kid-Friendly Pasta Salad is a super simple cold pasta salad that has kid-friendly veggies mixed in.
This potato casserole is a crowd-pleaser, and your kids will be asking for more!
Looking for more kid-friendly and allergy-friendly recipes? All of our recipes are gluten-free and nut-free!
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Mexican Tater Tot Casserole – Tots never go out of style on the dinner table!
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup enchilada sauce
- ½ bag of tator tots 8 oz
- 1 cup shredded cheese Mexican blend
- 3 oz of diced black olives
- 1 tablespoons cilentro add as needed for taste
Instructions
- Heat over in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft.
- Add corn and beans to the skillet. Stir to mix.
- Add sauce to skillet and 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
Can I freeze this vegetarian tater tot casserole?
I haven't 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, since you add those ingredients 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 the freezer. They will cook that way perfectly.
Nutrition
Take a peek at the older pictures of this recipe; we didn't want to delete them!
i would add a salad to it.
Love tater tots, but not a huge fan of black beans. Would probably replace them with other veggies like peppers!
Looks yummy, am definitely going to have to give this a try.
My husband would love this!
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!!
I've never tried anything like that but looks delicious going to try it my husband loves tater tots!
I've never tried this, but I will now!
This looks really interesting. I bet it's yummy!
That is such an awesome idea. I am going to make it for lunch/dinner tonight.
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 🙂
I love tater tots, so this looks totally delish! My mom used to put green beans with them and pour white gravy on it!
I would love to add tater tots to an egg bake!
Love everything about this except olives so I would leave those out. I might add in some fajita veggies, red onions and pepepers.
I've never heard of a recipe like this but it sounds tasty! Thank you for sharing!
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!
This looks great. I'll definitely add it to my to-try list!
I have never tried thisthis would love to.
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.
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!
I will be trying this with a side salad.
I have never cooked with tater tots. I must admit this looks really good.
We haven't had tater tots in a long time! My husband would heartily approve.
No, but it looks really yummy!! I love tater tots!!!!
I've never tried making tater tots on my own, but I love em'! This looks super good!
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!