Chili Cheese Dog Tater Tot Casserole

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This Chili Cheese Dog Tater Tot Casserole is a fun, family-friendly dinner made with hot dogs, chili, melted cheese, and crispy tater tots.

SIMPLE ALL IN ONE PAN DINNER

Wanting to get out of the usual dinner rut? Try this Chili Cheese Dog Tater Tot Casserole. It’s such a fun recipe and it is a family pleaser! It’s a combination of two all-time classic favorite foods: chili cheese hot dogs and tater tots! One of my favorite things about this dish is that it is all made in one skillet which makes clean up even easier! It’s a win-win!

A small stack of plates with a serving of Chili Cheese Dog Tater Tot Casserole.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What’s the best cheese for this casserole?

I love the Colby Jack Cheese, but you can use cheddar, Monterey Jack, or even a Mexican Cheese blend.

What to serve with Chili Cheese Dog Tater Casserole?

We serve this with a garden salad and a side of buttered corn. Any roasted or steamed vegetable would be good too.

Could I use canned chili?

If you really want to make this super simple, just grab two (15-ounce) cans of chili and add the sliced hot dogs then top with some cheese and tater tots for an even quicker meal to make.

What if I don’t have an oven safe skillet?

If you don’t have an oven safe skillet, you can use a 11×7-inch or 9×13-inch casserole dish. Oven times can vary based on the size you use.

How long does leftover casserole last?

You can keep this in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container, once cooled. You can reheat in the air fryer or the oven. You can freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.

A serving utensil getting a scoop of Chili Cheese Dog Tater Tot Casserole from the skillet.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

ground beef – I used lean ground beef so there was no excess grease to drain but use whatever ground beef you prefer. Just be sure to drain any excess grease. Ground chicken, pork or turkey also work.
yellow onion, tomato paste, and garlic cloves – These three ingredients add so much flavor to the casserole. If you can find it, use a tube of tomato paste (not a paid affiliate link.) What’s great about that is that you can squirt out just what you need and easily save the rest. It’s harder to do that with the canned tomato paste. I prefer freshly minced garlic but you can use the jarred stuff if you really like it.
chili powder, salt, black pepper, ground cumin, and paprika – A classic chili seasoning combo. Instead of these seasonings, you could use a packet of chili seasoning.
hot dogs – Use your favorite hot dog brand. We prefer all beef hot dogs but honestly, any kind (even chicken hot dogs) will work here.
rotel – Rotel is just the name brand for diced tomatoes with green chilis. I prefer the mild but you can get a hotter version. You can get the store brand version of this, it doesn’t need to be specifically the Rotel brand.
chili beans – If you’ve never purchased these before, please see my ingredient photo below. Bush’s Beans makes Chili Beans and as you can see below, Walmart has their own version (Great Value brand.) If you can’t find these, you could just use kidney or pinto beans.
cream cheese – I do like to soften the cream cheese up first. It helps it to melt and blend better into the mixture. However, if you forgot to soften it ahead of time, still use it. It will just take a little longer for it to melt.
colby jack cheese – You can add your favorite cheese to the casserole.
crispy rounds – Crispy rounds are just disc shaped tater tots. I find they cook a lot more evenly and get a bit crispier than the bigger barrel-shaped tater tots but you can use regular tater tots if you can’t find these. The mini tater tots might work best. Different stores might call them different things: Tater Crowns, Tater Round, Crispy Rounds, etc. Just look for the flat, round, dish shaped tater tots.
green onions – I love the added color and onion taste these add but if you don’t have them, just skip! This will still taste great.

Lean ground beef, yellow onion, tomato paste, minced garlic, chili powder, salt, black pepper, ground cumin, paprika, sliced hot dogs, Rotel tomatoes, chili beans, cream cheese, shredded Colby Jack cheese, frozen crispy rounds or tater tots, and chopped green onions.

HOW TO MAKE CHILI CHEESE DOG TATER TOT CASSEROLE:

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Add the ground beef and onion to a 12-inch (deep) oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Cook and crumble the ground beef until fully cooked and no pink left. Drain the beef of any excess grease and place back in the skillet. Add the tomato paste, minced garlic, and seasonings. Mix for 1 minute.

A skillet cooking ground beef, and onion and then tomato paste and seasonings.

Add the hotdog slices, Rotel, chili beans, and cream cheese. Mix until everything is fully combined and the cream cheese has fully melted and combined. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

A skillet with beef, onions, seasonings, hotdog slices, Rotel, chili beans, and cream cheese being added with shredded cheese.

Add the crispy rounds in an even layer to the top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Round tater tots being added to a casserole in a skillet and a cooked Chili Cheese Dog Tater Tot Casserole.

Optional: To make the tater tots extra crispy, set the oven broiler to high and broil for a couple of minutes to make them extra crispy. NOTE: Do not walk away from the oven at all while it is broiling. You need to keep a constant check to make sure they do not burn. Remove from the oven and top with green onions.