Cheesy Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Hotdish

this …

I grew up with a working mom who had dinner on the table every single night and I still don’t know how she did it. She made her sloppy joes with ketchup, brown sugar, and a can of chicken gumbo soup, and they were loved by the whole family. That sweet, tangy ground beef sandwiched between a soft bun with dill pickles is one of my most nostalgic food memories.

A few months ago I had a craving for a modern version of sloppy joes, but didn’t have any buns on hand. Potatoes came to mind as a great starchy substitute, and my freezer is always stocked with tater tots because I make our favorite Spinach Gruyere Tater Tot Hotdish all the time. Andddddd you can see where that went.

Say hello to the most epic mashup: this fabulous Sloppy Joe Casserole

Truly, it couldn’t be more delicious or easier. One pan, 20 minutes prep, and a quick bake in the oven! Ground beef is sautéed in a quick, tangy ketchup-based sloppy joe sauce that’s made in the same pan, simmered with chili powder, garlic, and smoked paprika for ultimate flavor. And don’t hate me; I added baby spinach to the ground beef to help us get our veggies, but I promise you won’t taste it ALL. It wilts down beautifully and blends into the whole dish seamlessly. It’s one of my secrets to more veggie forward comfort foods; like the 30-Minute Coconut Turkey Curry I make.

Topped with a layer of sharp cheddar cheese to hold it all together and a blanket of crispy tots, it bakes it until a golden, bubbling pan of comfort food that the whole family will love. Not to be missed – in true sloppy joe fashion, it’s finished with dill pickles to add just the right amount of tart and bright flavors.

Recipe Testing Notes:

• For the best flavor, use an 85/15 blend of ground beef. When using a leaner option, I found the beefy flavor lacking and the sauce overpowering. The end dish was also dryer from a lack of fat.
  
• The first round of testing I didn’t use cheese as a middle layer. This led to not enough structure in the dish; it really needed something that attached the tots to the sloppy joe mixture. Sharp cheddar was just the answer, and added a rich, robust flavor component that was also missing.
  
• Arrange your tater tots close together so that you have a good balance of potatoes with the sloppy joe mix underneath in each bite!
  
• Smoked paprika is a non-negotiable in making the sloppy joe sauce. It adds such warm, smoky flavor to the beef and elevates the tomato flavor. When I tried using just chili powder and garlic, the flavor of the sauce fell flat.

Save This Recipe Form

Δ

Newsletter

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get more great recipes and tips from us each week!

Send It!

Cheesy Tater Tot Sloppy Joe Casserole

This rich and tangy sloppy joe casserole is comfort food at its finest, with saucy ground beef, a layer of bold cheddar cheese, and topped with crispy tater tots! It comes together in one pan to make things quick and easy, and the homemade sloppy joe sauce is made from pantry ingredients like ketchup and spices. The golden brown, bubbling pan is topped with chopped dill pickles to get the ultimate sloppy joe treatment.

5 from 4 votes

Rate Print SaveSaved

Prep Time :18 minutes minutes

Cook Time :30 minutes minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Amanda Paa

Ingredients

• 1 small onion diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef 85/15% fat
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups lightly packed baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons worchestire sauce
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon packed lightly packed brown sugar
• 4 shakes tabasco sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 5 1/2 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 package tater tots
• chopped dill pickles for topping

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Preheat oil in a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 5 to 6 minutes until translucent and softened. Push to the side of the pan and turn heat up to medium high. Add ground beef and before breaking apart, evenly distribute salt and pepper over the top. Then start to break up and brown the beef until just cooked through.
• Turn heat down to medium low and add spinach stirring to wilt. This will just take a few minutes. Then add tomato paste, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, worchestire, dijon mustard, brown sugar, ketchup, and tabasco. Stir to combine and fully distribute everything.
• Add water and simmer gently for 3 minutes to thicken a bit. It will continue thickening in the oven. Smooth out mixture evenly in pan, top with cheese, then tater tots that are lined up next to each other.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until tater tots are golden brown. Top with finely diced pickles – this is a must to balance the flavors- and enjoy!

Notes

*I added baby spinach to the ground beef to help us get our veggies, but I promise you won’t taste it ALL. It wilts down beautifully and blends into the whole dish seamlessly. It’s one of my secrets to more veggie forward comfort foods.