Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole
If you love a classic Big Mac, this Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole delivers those familiar flavors in an easy, cheesy bake. Made with seasoned ground beef, crispy tater tots, melty cheddar, tangy saucy and finished with pickles and shredded lettuce, it's fast-food comfort made at home the whole family will love.
This crowd-pleasing casserole puts a fun, family-friendly spin on classic fast food that's sure to become a family favorite. It's perfect for game nights, casual weekends, busy weeknights, or anytime you're craving takeout with a hearty, homemade twist.
If you love easy casserole recipes you might want to try our Southwest Chicken Casserole or Baked white Cheddar Mac and Cheese.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Classic Flavors: Tastes just like your favorite drive-thru burger in casserole form.
- Simple Prep: Mostly pantry staples and frozen tater tots make it easy to throw together.
- Family-Friendly: Even picky eaters love this cheesy, beefy bake.
- Crowd Pleaser: Great for feeding a group or bringing to a potluck.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Assemble in advance and bake when ready to serve.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to pull this one off; most of which you probably already have on hand.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- Ground Beef: We use medium ground beef for maximum flavor, but you can choose lean ground beef if desired.
- Yellow Onion: Provides the subtle onion taste, but you can use a white onion if you prefer.
- Seasonings: Enhances the other ingredients and used to make the iconic Big Mac sauce.
- Frozen Tater Tots: Adds crispy potato goodness.
- Iceberg Lettuce: Adds a little crunchy texture to the top of the casserole.
- Cheddar Cheese: Though a Big Mac typically uses American cheese, we opted for cheddar. Use whatever you prefer.
- Dill Pickles and Pickle Juice: Gives that pickle taste to the sauce, and slightly thins it, while also providing some crunch on the quesadilla.
- Lettuce: Adds a freshness to the inside.
- Ketchup and Yellow Mustard: Used in the Big Mac sauce.
- Mayonnaise: The main component in the sauce.
- White Vinegar: Used to lightly thin the sauce and balances the sweetness.
For this easy dinner recipe, you'll want to have on hand a 9x13 casserole dish, large skillet, mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, spatula and a small whisk.
Variations
- Meat Substitutions: Switch the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Different Cheeses: Use a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack for extra melt.
- Tater Tots: Try with sweet potato tots or cauliflower tots for a twist.
- Special Sauce Swap: Store-bought burger sauce works in a pinch; alternatively, thousand island dressing is a great substitute.
- Pickles: Substitute dill relish if you don't have sliced pickles on hand.
- Veggies: Add vegetables by cooking them with the meat or using them as a topping for extra flavor and texture.
How to Make a Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole
See how simple it is to bring this one together with just a few easy steps.
Preheat oven to 375F and lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.
Make your Big Mac sauce by combined all the ingredients into a small bowl and stir well.
Add ground meat to a large pan over medium heat until almost fully cooked.
Drain excess grease, then add onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
Transfer cooked beef mixture to prepared casserole dish, spread about ½ the sauce (or more) on top of the meat mixture, then top with half of the shredded cheddar cheese.
Place a single layer of frozen tater tots over top of the shredded cheese. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy.
Add the remaining cheese to the top of the casserole and bake for another 3-5 or until you have melty cheese.
Cool slightly, then garnish with lettuce, pickles and onions if desired. Drizzle remaining Big Mac sauce and sesame seeds to get the full sandwich experience.
Hint: The Big Mac sauce is what brings the whole dish together, be sure not to skip it. For additional flavor you can add some into the ground meat mixture as well.
Recipe Tips
- Bake Uncovered: Baking uncovered ensures the tater tots get golden and crispy.
- Strain Beef: Removing excess grease prevents a soggy casserole.
- Layer Cheese: Layering the cheese gives you gooey pockets of cheese throughout the casserole.
- Cool Before Topping: Lettuce and pickles are best added once the dish has cooled slightly.
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Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Once cooled, place in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Alternatively, you can place it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: To reheat, cooking times may vary. Warm in an oven-safe dish at 350F until heated through or reheat in the air fryer with a liner until warmed.
Serving Suggestions
- More Big Mac Menu Items: Make it a theme and try our Big Mac Quesadilla, Big Mac Tacos, Big Mac Egg Rolls or our Big Mac Sloppy Joes.
Tater Tots Big Mac Casserole Recipe FAQs
Yes, this is a great recipe to prep ahead. Assemble everything but your fresh pickles and lettuce. Cover and refrigerate the casserole unbaked. Add 5-10 minutes as needed to your bake time.
You can, but we recommend waiting to add fresh lettuce and pickles after reheating.
They are optional, but they do add a fun burger bun-like touch.
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Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole
Equipment
- 9x13 casserole dish
- Large Skillet
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Spatula
- Whisk
Ingredients
BIG MAC SAUCE:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4 teaspoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoon dill pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon dill pickle minced
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
CASSEROLE:
- 2 pounds ground beef medium
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3-4 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 1 32- ounce bag frozen tater tots
- ½ - 1 cup iceberg lettuce shredded
- ¼ - ½ cup dill pickles sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.
- Make your Big Mac sauce by combined all the ingredients into a small bowl and stir well.
- Add ground meat to a large pan over medium heat until almost fully cooked.
- Drain excess grease, then add onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Transfer cooked beef mixture to prepared casserole dish, spread about ½ the sauce (or more) on top of the meat mixture, then top with half of the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Place a single layer of frozen tater tots over top of the shredded cheese. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy.
- Add the remaining cheese to the top of the casserole and bake for another 3-5 or until you have melty cheese.
- Cool slightly, then garnish with lettuce, pickles and onions if desired. Drizzle remaining Big Mac sauce and sesame seeds to get the full sandwich experience.
Notes
- Don't Skip the Sauce: The Big Mac sauce is what brings the whole dish together. For additional flavor you can add some into the ground meat mixture as well.
- Bake Uncovered: Baking uncovered ensures the tater tots get golden and crispy.
- Strain Beef: Removing excess grease prevents a soggy casserole.
- Layer Cheese: Layering the cheese gives you gooey pockets of cheese throughout the casserole.
- Cool Before Topping: Lettuce and pickles are best added once the dish has cooled slightly.
- Refrigerator: Once cooled, place in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Alternatively, you can place it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: To reheat, cooking times may vary. Warm in an oven-safe dish at 350F until heated through or reheat in the air fryer with a liner until warmed.
Nutrition
We would be so grateful for you to leave us a rating and review on any recipes you try. If you make any alterations, let us know how they turned out.
We love this recipe so much, it is so simple to put it together and it has so much flavor. Kid-friendly too which is a must!
Amazing recipe, quick question can I use ground chicken in place of beef?
Absolutely. Chicken can cook faster so just be quick to get it out of the pan after to avoid drying of the meat. Enjoy.