This Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole recipe slides in with a fun twist on an old favorite. The creamy, cheesy gravy is full of savory ground beef and bacon, plus chopped dill pickles. Topped with golden, crispy tater tots, this hearty, comforting dish is a win with cheeseburger fans!
There are times when I know enough to not mess with a good thing. But I was determined to give my family’s beloved cheesy Tater Tot Hotdish a fun little cheeseburger-flavored riff, pickles and all. This Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole (also known as “hotdish”, if you’re from the Minnesota) is everything I hoped it could be. It features a deliciously cheesy homemade gravy that’s big-time beefy and perfectly pickle-y. If you like cheeseburgers and tater tots, welcome to your new BFF dinner recipe!
What Makes This Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole Repeat-Worthy
When I created this recipe, I had three main flavor criteria that I wanted to stand out: savory beef and bacon, cheddar cheese, and pickles. Plus, the tater tots HAD to be crisp. My family was initially skeptical about adding chopped hamburger dill slices to the gravy. Hatti even wrinkled up her nose, saying I was going to ruin one of her favorite meals. But it turns out, the pickles were the clincher in bringing through that bacon cheeseburger awesomeness!
What You Can Expect:
- Big beef + bacon flavor. This casserole is like a skillet full of creamy bacon cheeseburger goodness. With two pounds of ground beef and half a pound of bacon, it’s a meat lover’s dream!
- A creamy, cheesy sauce. I already knew that my homemade tater tot hotdish gravy was perfection. So with this recipe, my goal was to amp it up with lots of cheese. As I tested different kinds of cheese, freshly grated sharp cheddar emerged as the clear winner. It is delightfully melty, with a pronounced flavor that gives a big nod to a great cheeseburger.
- Hamburger dill slices. Every time I tested this recipe I added more pickles to the gravy. There’s a full cup of chopped hamburger dill pickle slices inside. This adds exciting, tart contrast to all the creamy, cheesy comfort in this dish.
- Seasoned like Mom’s burgers. I grew up with burgers seasoned with Lawry’s seasoning salt. So it just felt natural to use this instead of plain salt. It definitely works!
- Crispy tater tot topping. They bake up golden and crunchy, with cheese over the top — just like my Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole.
- Super fun toppings. Add extra bacon, pickles, ketchup, or mustard for a real-deal cheeseburger experience.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at what goes into this bacon cheeseburger casserole. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for exact measurements.
- Bacon – You can cook some extra to use as a garnish too if you’d like.
- Ground beef – I recommend using 80/20 ground beef, for its rich flavor and juiciness.
- Lawry’s seasoning salt – You can find this common seasoning mix at most grocery stores. Substitute with 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt if desired, and adjust as needed.
- Black pepper – Use finely ground for more uniform seasoning, or coarsely ground for little pops of extra warmth.
- Butter – Unsalted butter helps create the creamy, richly flavored gravy base.
- Red onion and garlic – These build flavor in the casserole.
- Flour – All-purpose flour helps to thicken the gravy.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds umami flavor that’s so good with beef.
- Whole milk – This makes the rich, creamy gravy. A lower fat milk can be used, but the gravy will be thinner.
- Pickles – The hamburger dill pickle slices add a fun flavor contrast.
- Sour cream – Adds richness and slight tang.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – Shred it yourself for the ooey-est, gooey-est, smoothest melt.
- Tater tots – Add them frozen. This is the golden crown of any tater tot hotdish or casserole.
- Optional cheeseburger garnishes – Cooked bacon, red onion slices, dill pickle slices, cherry tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard.
How to Make Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole
Here’s a step-by-step look at how this hearty hotdish recipe comes together.
- Cook the bacon. Add the bacon to a cast iron skillet and cook over medium to medium-low heat until chewy-crisp and the fat has rendered. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and chop once cooled.
- Brown the beef. In the same skillet, add the ground beef and break it into pieces as it cooks. Cook until about three-quarters browned, then drain the grease. Sprinkle with Lawry’s seasoning salt and pepper and continue cooking until fully browned. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.
- Cook the onion and garlic. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Stir in the diced onion and cook until lightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Make the roux. Slide the onion mixture to one side of the skillet and tilt the pan so the juices collect on the empty side. Add the remaining butter to that area. Once melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk until thick. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned.
- Add the milk and beef mixture. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, then slowly whisk in the milk, scraping up any browned bits. Bring the onion mixture back into the sauce, then stir in the beef, bacon, and pickles.
- Finish the filling. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the sour cream and 8 ounces of the shredded cheddar. Season to taste.
- Add the tater tots. Spread the beef mixture evenly in the skillet. Arrange the frozen tater tots in a single layer over the top. Sprinkle lightly with additional Lawry’s seasoning salt and pepper.
- Bake the casserole. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling and heated through. Turn on the broiler and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the tater tots are golden and crisp.
- Add the cheese topping. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the tater tots and broil for another 1 to 2 minutes, until melted.
- Serve. Garnish with bacon, pickles, and onion, if desired. Small sliced tomatoes are also good. Serve hot with ketchup and mustard on the side.
Brenda’s Tips for the Best Tater Tot Hot Dish
- Minimize the grease. 1) Cut away any especially large areas of fat on the bacon before cooking it. 2) Drain away excess grease when cooking the ground beef. These two steps will help to ensure your casserole does not turn out overly greasy.
- Use freshly shredded cheese. Bagged pre-shredded cheese is often coated in a powder to keep it from clumping, but this also means it doesn’t melt as smoothly. I think it’s worth it to shred my own cheese — the texture is much better.
- Broil carefully. Watch the tater tots closely so they’re crisped, but don’t burn.
How to Serve
My favorite way to eat this dish? With a side of ketchup, of course. Because bacon cheeseburger and tater tots absolutely deserve ketchup!
If desired, you can always garnish the finished casserole with more chopped, cook bacon, sliced red onion, and pickle slices. Some fresh tomatoes are also nice — I recommend cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Store leftover bacon cheeseburger tater tot casserole in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Transfer any leftovers to an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To Reheat: Warm in a 350ºF oven or microwave until heated through.
More Cozy Hotdish Recipes
Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Hotdish
Yield: 8 servings
This comfort dish slides in with a fun twist on an old favorite. It features a deliciously cheesy homemade gravy that's big-time beefy and perfectly pickle-y!
Print
Ingredients
- 8 ounces thick-cut bacon, with any especially large areas of fat removed (add an extra slice or two if you want to add chopped bacon as a garnish)
- 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
- 2 teaspoons Lawry's seasoning salt, plus more for sprinkling over the tater tots
- ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more for sprinkling over the tater tots
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 large red onion, diced, and divided
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup diced hamburger dill pickle slices
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
- 10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded, and divided
- 16-18 ounces frozen tater tots
OPTIONAL "bacon cheeseburger" Garnishes and Condiments
- cooked and chopped bacon, red onion slices, hamburger dill slices, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped parsley, ketchup, mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add bacon slices to a 12" cast iron skillet and turn heat to medium/medium-low heat. Fry gently, turning as needed, until all the fat has rendered and the bacon is chewy-crisp. Remove bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Once cooled, chop it up.
- Using same skillet, add beef and break it up into small pieces with a spatula. Cook, stirring occasionally. When it's about ¾-browned, drain away any excess grease. Sprinkle with Lawry's and black pepper, stir, and cook until fully browned. Remove beef to a plate with a slotted spoon.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to any beef fat left in the skillet. Once butter is melted, stir in onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until lightly softened. Stir in garlic and cook one minute more.
- Slide onion mixture to one side of the skillet. Tilt the skillet to draw any juices out into the empty side of the skillet. Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to empty side of skillet. When butter has melted, sprinkle flour over the butter, whisking all the while (a flat whisk works awesome here). The mixture will be thick and paste-like. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is browned and fragrant.
- Add Worcestershire to the flour mixture in the skillet. Whisk and cook for 1 minute. Then slowly add the milk while you whisk and scrape the bottom of the skillet. Once this mixture is smoothed out, bring the onion mixture into the milk mixture. Add reserved beef and chopped bacon, plus diced pickles, and stir to evenly combine.
- Remove skillet from heat. Stir in sour cream and 8 ounces of the cheese. Taste test, adding more Lawry's and black pepper if needed.
- Level mixture out in the skillet. Add frozen tater tots in an even layer, leaving a 1" bare perimeter of cheeseburger gravy if desired. Sprinkle with a bit more Lawry's and black pepper.
- Place skillet in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbling and thoroughly heated. Then turn on broiler to brown the tater tots until nicely golden and crisped, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven and and sprinkle remaining 2 ounces of cheese over the tater tots. Broil for another 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted and just starting to blister.
- Remove from oven and garnish with additional Bacon Cheeseburger garnishments as desired. Serve with ketchup and mustard on the side. Enjoy hot.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 1098kcal Carbohydrates: 59g Protein: 66g Fat: 67g Saturated Fat: 27g Polyunsaturated Fat: 33g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 225mg Sodium: 2410mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
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This post was originally published in 2017, then updated in 2026.
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