Ground Turkey Cheeseburger Tater Tot Hotdish

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Tater tot hotdish is honestly part of my personality at this point.
If you grew up in the Midwest, you know its magic. It’s dependable, comforting, feeds everyone, and the true definition of “anything goes” kind of dish. I’ve made plenty of versions over the years (including this cozy spinach gruyère tater tot hotdish I still crave), but this one is my love letter to that same energy, with a very craveable –cheeseburger with extra pickles and burger sauce– twist that’s worthy of making twice in one week, like I did.

When you want easy and delicious, but not boring, this Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole is IT. And it’s made in just one pan! The base layer is composed of juicy, peppery ground turkey (it’s not dry — I made sure of that), onion, and burger must-haves: ketchup and mustard. Then there’s plenty of melty cheddar cheese and a blanket of tater tots that bake into golden brown puffs of goodness. I mean, consider this your new favorite weeknight recipe that wins over the entire family.

But the thing that takes it from “solid dinner” to why can’t I stop eating this? Finishing it with chopped pickles scattered over the top and generously drizzling with this zippy 5-minute smashburger sauce. It’s creamy, salty, savory, and honestly kind of addictive. Just promise me you don’t make this casserole without it.

I always serve it with cool and crisp finely shredded iceberg lettuce to complete the cheeseburger vibe. Mmmmph. It’s just perfect in every way.

How I Keep Ground Turkey From Drying Out

Instead of ground beef, I went with ground turkey here on purpose. It’s a little milder, which means it soaks up all the cheeseburger flavors you add to it — and yes, it’s budget-friendly too. The key, though, is making sure it stays juicy, because no one is here for dry turkey.

What it really came down to during recipe testing was how the turkey was browned. I learned quickly that breaking it up right away caused it to release moisture, which then just evaporated, leaving the meat less flavorful and a little sad. The fix? I sauté the onions first, push them to the side, then add the turkey in one big slab and let it actually brown before breaking it up. That quick sear locks in moisture and makes all the difference in the final dish.

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Ground Turkey Cheeseburger Tater Tot Hotdish

We’re talking juicy ground turkey, plenty of melty cheddar cheese, crispy tater tots, and all the flavors you’d expect from a really good cheeseburger in a one pan casserole! Made with simple real ingredients, nothing canned. What really takes this dinner over the top is finishing it with lots of chopped dill pickles and a creamy, tangy burger sauce – don't skip this!

4.80 from 5 votes

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Prep Time :12 minutes minutes

Cook Time :40 minutes minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Amanda Paa

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 pound ground turkey, 93% lean
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 cracks of fresh ground pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 5 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 large bag tater tots
• finely chopped dill pickles and shredded lettuce, for serving
• Smashburger sauce, for serving

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat a 10-inch cast iron pan to medium, them add butter. Swirl pan to melt, then add onion and big pinch of salt. Cook for 6-8 minutes until onion is cooked down and translucent, and has shrunk in size.
• Scoot onion to the side of pan and turn up heat to medium high. Add your chunk of ground turkey in one piece and sprinkle evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 10 cracks black pepper. Let sear for 4 minutes, pressing down on meat with spatula to help it along. Then start coarsely chopping it up and stirring the onions into the meat. Continue stirring and cooking until no pink spots remain.
• Turn heat down to low and add garlic, cooking for one minute. Then remove pan from heat.
• Stir in ketchup, mustard, worchestire until fully mixed.
• Top with cheese, then arrange tots in single layer to cover the whole dish.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until tots are browned and crispy.
• Remove and serve with lots of chopped pickles, smashburger sauce, and shredded iceberg lettuce.