Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie

Name: Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 2 carrots, peeled; 2 celery stalks; 1 sweet onion, peeled and quartered; 6 tablespoons butter; Salt and black pepper; ¾ cup flour; 3 cups milk; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; 1 ½ pounds frozen Tater Tots; Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

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This easy recipe for Tater Tot Shepherd’s Pie has all the flavors of that classic casserole, with the extra zip of Tater Tots!

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Why we love this recipe
Ingredients you need for this recipe
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Here’s how to make this recipe
Recipe FAQs
What to serve with Shepherd’s Pie
Other Shepherd’s Pie recipes we love!
We want to know what you think! 🤔
Tater Tot Shepherd’s Pie Casserole

Why we love this recipe

Here I come with my latest totally inauthentic but still crazy delicious version of Shepherd’s Pie.

This time, not only have I used beef instead of the traditional lamb, but I have thrown caution to the wind and topped this kid-friendly casserole with…Tater Tots!

Because when you think about it, a Tater Tot is basically a chopped up and seasoned nugget of potato, which is totally a variation on the classic mashed potato topping. Right? RIGHT!

Oh, and since I was already way out in shepherd’s pie left field, I tossed a cheese sauce in for good measure. Because why not?

It all comes together into one cheesy casserole packed with beef and veggies and did I mention that it was topped with Tater Tots? It’s the perfect comfort food supper that the whole family will love.

Ingredients you need for this recipe

Ingredients needed for a Tater Tot Shepherd's pie.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Ground Beef: We like the 80/20 variety of ground beef, but you can use a lower fat version…or ground lamb, turkey or even chicken.
Tater Tots: These are chopped potatoes that are seasoned and pressed into little cubes. Look for them near the French fries in the frozen food aisle.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

Here’s how to make this recipe

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 400 and spray your favorite large casserole dish with cooking spray.

STEP 2: Put 2 pounds of ground beef and a pinch of salt and pepper into a large skillet and cook until the beef is nice and browned. Stir in a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, turn off the heat and set aside.

STEP 3: Put 2 large peeled carrots, 2 stalks of celery and a peeled and quartered sweet onion into a food processor and process until finely chopped.

STEP 4: Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a medium pot and add the chopped veggies. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until they are starting to get soft.

STEP 5: Stir in a pinch each of salt and pepper, followed by ¾ cup of flour. Pour in 3 cups of milk and simmer until nice and thick. Stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese until it is nice and melted. Add the cooked beef to the vegetable cheese sauce and stir.

Tater Tot shepherd's pie ready for the oven.

STEP 6: Transfer your wonderful cheesy mixture to the casserole. Lay 2 pounds of frozen Tater Tots on top of everything, doing your best to get them in a single layer. It 100% does not need to be perfect.

Baked Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie in a casserole dish.

STEP 7: Bake until everything is bubbling and golden, about 40 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then scoop into warmed bowls, garnish with parsley and serve!

Tater tot shepherd's pie in bowl with spoon.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use ground lamb instead?

You can! Or ground pork, or ground turkey or chicken.

Where do I find Tater Tots?

They are waiting for you right this minute in the freezer aisle of your supermarket, usually hanging out next to the French fries.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yep! If you can, make it all the way up until the baking part but if you need to, you can make it the whole way through and then warm it up for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Have a question that I didn’t cover?

Pop your question in the comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!

So whether you call it a shepherd’s pie casserole, or a Tater Tot casserole, or a shortcut shepherd’s pie recipe, the most important part is that your happy diners are going to love it.

And don’t worry, I am already thinking about other ways to figure out other shepherd’s pie variations!

What to serve with Shepherd’s Pie

Other Shepherd’s Pie recipes we love!

We want to know what you think! 🤔

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe.

Tater Tot Shepherd’s Pie Casserole

Tater tot shepherd's pie in a casserole.

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5 from 1 review

This easy recipe for Tater Tot Shepherd’s Pie has all the flavors of that classic casserole, with the extra zip of Tater Tots!

Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 8
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop, Oven
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 carrots, peeled
2 celery stalks
1 sweet onion, peeled and quartered
6 tablespoons butter
Salt and black pepper
¾ cup flour
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 ½ pounds frozen Tater Tots
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 and spray a large casserole with cooking spray.
Put the beef and a pinch of salt and pepper to a large skillet and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and set aside.
Put the carrots, celery and onion into a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the chopped veggies. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until they are starting to get soft.
Stir in a pinch each of salt and pepper, followed by the flour. Pour in the milk and simmer until nice and thick. Stir in the cheese until melted.
Add the beef to the vegetable cheese sauce and stir. Transfer to the casserole.
Lay the Tater Tots on top of everything, doing your best to get them in a single layer.
Bake until everything is bubbling and golden, about 40 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then scoop into warmed bowls, garnish with parsley (optional!) and serve!

Notes

- Ground Beef: We like the 80/20 variety of ground beef, but you can use a lower fat version…or ground lamb, turkey or even chicken.

- Tater Tots: These are chopped potatoes that are seasoned and pressed into little cubes. Look for them near the French fries in the frozen food aisle.

marion says

May 20, 2022 at 9:16 am

oh Dear Kate, you have made a lovely recipe here, but did you know traditional Shepherds Pie is made with left over pieces of Roast Lamb that you feed into your mincer,,,, it has no vegies in it,, just mixed with Tomato Sauce, and a dash of Worcestershire Sauce, pressed into pie dish, topped with mash potato,,,, thats it ,, —the texture and taste is amazing, as you have the flavours of the seasoned Roast meat,, please do try it ,,, My German Grandma made this so often, in the 1940’s, War years, when folk were poor,, I helped her turn the handle of her mincer that she had screwed to her kitchen table, as she fed the pieces of meat into it,, she put the pie into her big wood stove to just brown the potato, it did not need to bake as meat already cooked,, us kids loved it ,,, boiled vegies were served beside it,, it was also delicious cold next day as well ,, served with salad,, so, your recipe is for a Cottage Pie, with vegies from cottage garden,,,thus the name,, — I hope this helps,, I am amazed how many great cooks out there try so hard to describe the difference between the two pies,, only once have I seen a similar recipe for traditional Shepherds Pie, it was in a Family Circle cook book, but it only said ground “cooked meat”and also had vegies added ?? and it was still baked,,, no,, that doesn’t help at all,, how can we get the message through ??? —to add vegies it would spoil the texture of the pressed meat,, In later years we still made it, sometimes adding a few pieces of left over pickled leg of mutton,, or silverside to it as well ,, delicious,, I do hope you will try it ,, I am happy for you to use this recipe to help others to “love” a true Shepherds Pie ,,
thanks for reading my great memories of my childhood ,,

Comments

marion says

May 20, 2022 at 9:16 am

oh Dear Kate, you have made a lovely recipe here, but did you know traditional Shepherds Pie is made with left over pieces of Roast Lamb that you feed into your mincer,,,, it has no vegies in it,, just mixed with Tomato Sauce, and a dash of Worcestershire Sauce, pressed into pie dish, topped with mash potato,,,, thats it ,, —the texture and taste is amazing, as you have the flavours of the seasoned Roast meat,, please do try it ,,, My German Grandma made this so often, in the 1940’s, War years, when folk were poor,, I helped her turn the handle of her mincer that she had screwed to her kitchen table, as she fed the pieces of meat into it,, she put the pie into her big wood stove to just brown the potato, it did not need to bake as meat already cooked,, us kids loved it ,,, boiled vegies were served beside it,, it was also delicious cold next day as well ,, served with salad,, so, your recipe is for a Cottage Pie, with vegies from cottage garden,,,thus the name,, — I hope this helps,, I am amazed how many great cooks out there try so hard to describe the difference between the two pies,, only once have I seen a similar recipe for traditional Shepherds Pie, it was in a Family Circle cook book, but it only said ground “cooked meat”and also had vegies added ?? and it was still baked,,, no,, that doesn’t help at all,, how can we get the message through ??? —to add vegies it would spoil the texture of the pressed meat,, In later years we still made it, sometimes adding a few pieces of left over pickled leg of mutton,, or silverside to it as well ,, delicious,, I do hope you will try it ,, I am happy for you to use this recipe to help others to “love” a true Shepherds Pie ,,
thanks for reading my great memories of my childhood ,,

- Kate Morgan Jackson says
  
  May 20, 2022 at 10:38 am
  
  Good morning Marion! Thank you SO much for sharing these beautiful memories with me! I loved learning more about the origins of this recipe from you, and it also reminded me of days I spent with my grandmother making applesauce from the apples in her Vermont orchard, and her molasses cookies which are still my favorite. I did know that shepherd’s pie is made with lamb (I just love the name so much I can’t resist it) but I did not know about the leftover roast lamb pieces and no veggies part! Now I will definitely try making it that way. Thank you so much again for this lovely message…you made my day!
  
  - marion says
    
    May 20, 2022 at 6:32 pm
    
    Thankyou Kate, you have made my day too, by simply replying, as I have sent so many comments to other cooks, maybe they just didnt believe me ? haha, one said “it didnt matter, they are all delicious whether lamb or beef “. I think she missed the detail, – but yes, our dear Grandmothers taught us a lot,, as did our Mums too,
    -all those yummy baked milk puddings that came out of that oven, we loved, plus her cakes, bikkies, and those big sponges, wow !! ,, casseroles, her Christmas bikkies, all cut outs for us to decorate ,,,
    I do try to share my baking ideas with my Grandies, and some of my Great Grandies are now in their early teens as well, it is keeping me busy, and with sewing too !! ,,, memories — jellied minted peas, or beetroot, too,,served with cold lamb chops, her chutney, does anyone do that today ?? peaches in jelly etc etc,, her orange cake with segments sat around the iced top, with one in middle that she wld say was mine !! and then she cut out that circle, making it so neat to cut pieces all around,, as I patiently waited to get my bit out ????‍♀️. ,, they were the days, food was rationed with coupons, but Grandma had lovely garden, her vegies always planted amongst flowers for better crops, did she have that right !?? sure did,, thanks again,, regards. Marion ,, her bed quilt was a white sheet with rows of little white pom poms, all in such straight rows, that looked like little orchards to me,, !! so thats why she was always making pom poms ?!?!