Healthier Tater Tot Casserole

Tater Tot Casserole is a recipe my family loves – it’s comfort food and so delicious – right?! But, it’s high calorie and not very healthy! Well guess what?! I found a way to make a healthier tater tot casserole!!!! Woohoo!!!!

Now yes – I know – they’re not tater tots – they’re actually Crispy Crowns – but I used them because my secret ingredient in this casserole is my (now famous) Taco Johns Potato Ole Seasoning Mix! This seasoning mix is served on Crispy Crowns and is one of the most popular recipes on my site! I wanted to find more ways to use it and this was the perfect recipe for it! It’s delicious on crispy tater tots too of course!

Healthier Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients

This lighter version of the recipe makeover is a stunner! You will not believe the difference – and I think it tastes even better than the original. Here’s what you’ll need for this really good casserole:

• olive oil
• ground chicken – using chicken instead of beef lowers your calories a lot!!! You could also extra-lean ground turkey or lean ground beef but the points will be different.
• mushrooms – I added fresh mushrooms for the rich flavor you’d normally get from ground beef
• taco johns seasoning mix – ground chicken doesn’t have much flavor – so this just helps add some zing! You can also use a little regular taco seasoning mix or even a mix of chili powder and cumin
• light cream of mushroom soup – this is another big calorie saver – I just can’t pass up those cream soups – they’re my favorite! If you don’t have the mushroom you could use cream of celery soup or cream of chicken soup
• crispy crowns (or tater tots) – this recipe uses a LOT less – you’re still getting the crunch but only using 1 cup of tots vs a whole bag!
• finely shredded cheddar cheese – again the object here is less cheese! You still get the melty cheese in there – but just 1/4 cup is enough to taste it but not drown in it!

How much healthier is this than regular tater tot casserole?

I know how popular Weight Watchers is – so I used the freestyle points calculator on both recipes and you will not believe the difference! Even if you’re not on WW – or if you’re on the newer versions – you’ll understand once I tell you the numbers. The original recipe for this classic dish is 21 points per serving!!! (To set the stage – you might get 24 points for a whole day!) My Skinny version has FOUR POINTS PER SERVING!! The entire casserole has fewer points than one serving of the original recipe!

How to make Healthy Tater Tot Casserole

1. preheat oven to 350
2. heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat
3. You could also use an oven-safe skillet and cook the whole dish in it (like a cast iron skillet)
4. brown ground meat and mushrooms until cooked through
5. add taco johns seasoning mix and stir
6. add cream of mushroom soup and stir
7. pour meat mixture into 8×8 casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray
8. put crispy crowns on top of beef mixture
9. if you like it spicy – sprinkle top with additional taco johns seasoning mix
10. place baking dish into preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes
11. remove and add cheese (no need to put back in oven – this little bit of cheese melts quick)
12. once cheese melts, serve!
13. OPTIONAL: add diced green onions on top before you serve for a little crunch in this hot dish

How do you store and reheat leftovers?

The makes enough for four servings and you might even double it so you can have more! (It’s so low in points!) If you do have leftovers – store in airtight containers and refrigerate up to a week – or freeze up to three months. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Can you make this even healthier?

Sure! Add more veggies to this delicious dinner – or even swap out the frozen tater tots for healthy tater tots like cauliflower tater tots! You could even add frozen mixed vegetables when you stir it together before you bake it or saute a diced bell pepper and a small onion with the ground chicken. There are lots of ideas here!

More Healthy Family Dinners

• Weight Watchers Turkey Meatloaf
• 3 Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Chops
• Taco in a Bowl

More Tater Tot Recipes

• State Fair Pulled Pork Totchos
• Vegan Tater Tot Casserole
• Taco John’s Potato Oles