Thanksgiving Potluck Ideas: Tater Tot Hotdish for a Crowd
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Brown 2 lb ground beef with a diced onion, stir in cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, milk and thawed mixed vegetables with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, fold in cheddar, spread in a 9x13 inch dish, line the top with frozen tater tots and bake at 400 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes until the tots are deep golden and the edges bubble. Serves 12 as a main dish.
Thanksgiving Potluck Ideas: Tater Tot Hotdish for a Crowd is the dish that solves the potluck question every year. It is browned beef, sweet mixed vegetables and a creamy cheddar sauce baked under a tight layer of crispy tater tots, all in one 9x13 inch dish. It feeds 12 hungry people, it travels well covered in foil, and it needs nothing more than a big spoon to serve.
Why you’ll love it
- One dish, zero fuss: everything bakes together in a single 9x13 inch pan.
- The crispy tot crust on top with a creamy beefy filling underneath, the combo people go back for.
- Feeds 12 as a main dish, so one pan covers a whole potluck table.
- Budget friendly ingredients, mostly pantry and freezer staples.
- Kid approved: crispy tots on top win over even picky eaters.
Ingredient notes
Ground beef: 80/20 gives the best flavor here, and draining it well after browning keeps the filling rich instead of greasy. Leaner beef works too, but the filling tastes a touch less hearty.
Cream of mushroom soup plus sour cream: the creamy base. One can of soup stretched with sour cream and milk stays silky without turning gluey, which was the clear winner in testing.
Frozen mixed vegetables: the classic colorful mix of corn, peas, carrots and green beans. Thaw and drain them first, since their water is the number one cause of a thin filling.
Tater tots: frozen, straight from the bag, packed in tight rows. They crisp into a golden crust that seals in the creamy filling below.
Cheddar cheese: half folded into the filling, half sprinkled over the tots. Freshly shredded melts smoother than the bagged kind, but bagged works on a busy potluck morning.
The tight tot layer rule that keeps the crust crispy
Two details decide this hotdish. First, the vegetables must be thawed and drained, and the beef must be drained after browning. Water is the enemy of a creamy filling, and both the vegetables and the beef carry plenty of it. Second, pack the tots in tight rows with no gaps. Where the filling shows through, the sauce bubbles up and steams the tots instead of letting them crisp. A full tight layer bakes into a golden lid that you can hear crackle when the spoon goes in. Rest the dish 10 minutes before serving so the filling sets up and scoops in clean squares.
Variations
- Breakfast hotdish: swap the beef for browned breakfast sausage and the mixed vegetables for diced bell peppers, and it works for a holiday morning crowd.
- Extra cheesy: stir an extra cup of cheddar into the filling and sprinkle more over the tots for a deeply cheesy pull with every scoop.
- Spicy kick: add a diced jalapeno with the onion and a pinch of cayenne to the sauce for a hotdish with some heat.
- Turkey version: use ground turkey instead of beef and cream of chicken soup instead of mushroom for a lighter take that still feeds a crowd.
What we learned testing it
- Two cans of soup versus one soup plus milk and sour cream: the one can version won. It tasted creamy without turning gluey, and the filling held its shape on the spoon.
- Baking at 400 degrees F gave a crisper tot crust than 375, with no extra bake time needed. At 375 the tots were golden but slightly soft underneath.
- Resting matters. Cut into it straight from the oven and the filling ran loose; after 10 minutes it scooped in neat squares.
Read how we test recipes.
Thanksgiving Potluck Ideas: Tater Tot Hotdish for a Crowd
Makes 1 9x13 inch hotdish (about 12 servings) · 1 hr 15 min total · Easy
Ingredients
Equipment
Large skillet · 9x13 inch baking dish · Large mixing bowl · Wooden spoon
Instructions
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Brown the beef and onion
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and diced onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking the beef into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned and the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more, then drain off any excess fat.
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Mix the creamy beef and vegetable filling
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper until smooth. Fold in the browned beef mixture, the thawed mixed vegetables and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Taste and add more salt if needed.
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Top with tater tots and bake
Spread the filling evenly in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange the frozen tater tots in neat rows over the top, covering the filling edge to edge. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes, until the tots are deep golden and crisp and the filling bubbles at the edges.
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Rest, garnish and serve
Let the hotdish rest for 10 minutes so the creamy filling sets up for clean scoops. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if you like and serve straight from the dish while the tot crust is at its crispiest.
Notes
- Thaw the vegetables first. Frozen vegetables straight from the bag release water as they bake and thin out the creamy filling, so thaw and drain them in a colander before mixing.
- Line the tots edge to edge. Gaps in the tot layer let the sauce bubble up and steam the tots instead of crisping them, so pack the rows tight with no filling showing.
- Make it potluck ready. Bake the hotdish at home, cover it with foil and it travels well for up to an hour. Uncover it at the party and give it a few minutes in a hot oven to recrisp the top if one is free.
- Do not skip the rest. Cutting in straight from the oven gives a loose spoonful; 10 minutes of resting lets the filling set so it scoops in neat squares.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Ground beef
- Use ground turkey or ground pork instead. Turkey makes a leaner hotdish, so add an extra tablespoon of butter to the skillet when browning to keep it from drying out.
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Use cream of chicken or cream of celery soup. The flavor shifts slightly but the creamy base works exactly the same way.
- Frozen mixed vegetables
- Use 3 cups of any frozen vegetable blend you like, such as corn and green beans or peas and carrots. Thaw and drain them well before mixing.
Storage and make-ahead
Cool leftovers to room temperature within 2 hours, then cover the dish tightly or move portions to airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat covered in a 350 degrees F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or microwave single servings. The tot crust will not stay crisp after refrigerating, but the flavor holds up well. I do not recommend freezing this one, since the creamy filling can separate when thawed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I assemble this tater tot hotdish ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble the full dish through the tot layer, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add 10 extra minutes to the bake time when it goes in cold from the fridge.
Do the tater tots go on frozen or thawed?
Frozen, straight from the bag. Thawed tots release water and turn soggy instead of crisping into that golden crust.
How do I keep the filling from getting watery?
Thaw and drain the frozen vegetables well, and drain the beef after browning. Those two steps remove the water that thins the creamy sauce.
Can I make this in a slow cooker for a potluck?
You can, but the tots will not crisp. Brown the beef, mix the filling, layer it in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours, then top with tots baked separately in the oven and add them just before serving.
What size dish works best?
A 9x13 inch dish is ideal for 12 servings. A smaller dish makes the filling too deep and the center stays soupy, while a larger one spreads it thin and it dries out.
