Pizza Tater Tot Casserole

We also love making our pizza tater tot casserole for birthday parties, sleepovers and potluck dinners with a lot of family and friends. It's also a fun dinner on New Year's Eve or while watching the Super Bowl. In fact, we love tater tots when entertaining, and think you should try these tater tot bacon cups next!

Ingredients

• Tater tots: we use a bag of frozen tater tots.
• Pepperoni: we love regular pepperoni, but turkey pepperoni is good too.
• Pizza sauce: use our easy no-cook pizza sauce or your favorite jar of pizza sauce.
• Mozzarella cheese: make it real simple and use a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Parmesan cheese: a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese is added to the top of the casserole for a little added flavor, texture and browning.

How To Make It

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on the bottom of the dish.
2. On top of the sauce, layer with ⅓ of the pepperoni slices, followed by half the bag of frozen tater tots, one cup of pizza sauce, then one cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of pepperoni slices, the remaining half bag of tater tots, remaining cup of pizza sauce and remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.
3. Add one more layer of pepperoni slices and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until top is golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes prior to serving.

Variations

This easy casserole recipe also tastes great stuffed with your favorite toppings for pizza. Here are some great ways to customize it:

1. Add other meats: make it a meat lovers pizza tater tot casserole by adding different types of meats along with the pepperoni. Ground beef, chicken, Italian sausage, meatballs, bacon bits, Canadian bacon, prosciutto and ground sausage are great additions.
2. Add vegetables: add a layer of diced veggies, like green bell pepper, chopped spinach, diced tomatoes or mushrooms.
3. Make it spicy: add red pepper flakes or spicy Italian sausage.
4. BBQ chicken casserole: replace the pepperoni with shredded barbecue chicken and the pizza sauce with extra barbecue sauce and lots of mozzarella or pepper jack cheese.
5. Bacon and cheddar casserole: replace the mozzarella cheese with cheddar cheese and the pepperoni with crispy cooked bacon.

How To Store

Cover your casserole with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Can I Freeze Tater Tot Casserole?

Yes, this recipe can be frozen in freezer safe and airtight containers for up to 3 months for optimal quality. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating or do a quick thaw in the microwave.

What To Serve With Pizza Tater Tot Casserole

While we think this casserole recipe makes a delicious full meal on its own, it pairs well with these easy homemade garlic knots, garlic bread, Italian bread or a simple side salad.