Hey guys! Des from Life’s Ambrosia here and boy do I have a good one for you: Tater Tot Pizza Casserole. Imagine all of your favorite pizza toppings layered in a skillet, topped with tater tots, mozzarella and pepperoni and then baked to bubbly, cheesy perfection. Sounds like comfort in a skillet, right? It is.
I am a huge fan of tater tot casseroles. I think it is because my mom used to make them a lot when I was growing up. The casserole that she would make always involved cream of mushroom soup and ground beef. Now not to knock it, that was a good dish, but as I’ve grown up I’ve realized there are ENDLESS possibilities for tater tot casseroles. And they are always huge hits with adults and kiddos alike. Especially when they have cheese and pepperoni.
Enter Tater Tot Pizza Casserole.
Pizza and tater tots. You can’t really go wrong.
I originally thought to do a pepperoni pizza tater tot casserole but then I thought that I wanted the casserole itself to be a bit more substantial. So instead of just pepperoni, I threw in all of my favorite pizza toppings. We’ve got Italian sausage, green peppers, onions, mushrooms and pepperoni. You could certainly add your favorite toppings. Olives would be great inside or on top. Or Canadian bacon. Whatever floats your boat. Like I said the possibilities are endless! But don’t be shy with the cheese. Because… cheese.
I do have a couple tips when it comes to this Tater Tot Pizza Casserole. First, I made it all in my cast iron skillet, it made for crazy easy clean up. Second, I recommend baking the casserole with the tater tots first then once the tater tots are crispy and golden, add your cheese and sliced pepperoni. That way the tots have a chance to get nice and crunchy.
What Are Tater Tots?
Tater tots are pieces of deep-fried, grated potatoes served as a side dish.
They have a cylindrical shape and crispy colored exterior.
Are Tater Tots Gluten Free?
You would think that since they are made from potatoes, they would be gluten free.
But, a lot of tater tots contain wheat flour and other gluten derivatives.
Therefore, if gluten is a problem for you, you should always read the label.
What Cheese do You Use For Pizza?
The most popular cheeses used in the preparation of pizza are mozzarella, provolone, cheddar and Parmesan.
More CASSEROLE RECIPES You’re Sure to Love:
- Mexican Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole
- Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
- Cheesy Ham and Potato Bacon Casserole
- One Skillet Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas Casserole
- Hawaiian Ham and Pineapple Casserole
- Coconut Curry Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Teriyaki Beef Casserole
- Low Carb Cheesy Ground Beef and Cauliflower Rice Casserole
All our EASY CASSEROLE RECIPES here!
Tater Tot Pizza Casserole
Tater Tot Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage, mild or hot
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup pepperoni, diced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 50 - 60 tater tots
- 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Cook sausage in a 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Cook until browned.
- Drain to remove any excess pan drippings but reserve 1 tablespoon of pan drippings.
- Return reserved pan drippings to skillet.
- Add in onions, green pepper, mushrooms, garlic and pepperoni.
- Cook 3 - 4 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.
- Stir in tomato sauce, basil and oregano.
- Stir to coat vegetables.
- Remove from heat.
- Place tater tots in a single layer on top of casserole.
- Bake casserole in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes or just until the tater tots start to brown and crisp.
- Remove casserole from oven, spread mozzarella over the top.
- Lay pepperoni slices on top.
- Return to oven and bake for 2 - 3 more minutes or until cheese melts.
- If you want it a little more crisp, broil for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley.
- Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Andouille and Chard Tater Tot Casserole
Savory Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Connect with Des
Helen
Yum, this was delicious and nicely spicy! There wasn’t much fat left from the sausage, so I had to add a fair amount of vegetable oil to be able to saute all those vegetables. And good thing I read to the end of the directions since there’s no mozzarella listed in the ingredients (so you might want to add it ;-). I probably used the better part of 8 ounces of shredded cheese, and that was perfect. Another one I’ll definitely be making again.
Sweet Basil
Hi Helen! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! And thank you so much for the heads up on the cheese missing from the ingredients list. I have added it now!