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Cowboy casserole

FDL
By
Fine Dining Lovers
Editorial Staff
Difficulty
Intermediate
Total Time
50MIN
Ingredients

Ground beef: 8 oz

Corn: 5.8 oz

Cream of mushroom soup : 5.3 oz

Cheddar cheese : 4 oz, shredded

Whole milk: 2.7 oz

Sour cream: 2 oz

Onion powder: 1 tsp

Black pepper: 0.5 tsp

Tater tots: 32 oz

For a hearty winter dish that’ll fill all the family up, read on below to discover how to make an easy cowboy casserole

How to make a cowboy casserole recipe
01.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 5, 375°F fan. In a large pan, cook the ground beef over a medium heat for around 5 minutes until it’s started to brown. 

02.

Add the corn, cream of mushroom soup, half the Cheddar cheese, whole milk, sour cream, onion powder, and black pepper to the pan and mix in well. Leave to combine for a couple of minutes before transferring to a casserole dish. 

03.

Layer the beef mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish, then top with the remainder of the cheese. Line the tater tots up in neat rows over the beef mixture and cheese, and bake for around 40 minutes. Serve warm from the oven. 

Tips & tricks

What’s brilliant about a casserole is that you can vary the ingredients as you choose. We’ve shared a classic cowboy casserole recipe above, but you don’t have to follow this exactly. Any type of ground meat will work in this dish, and you could use ground turkey in place of the ground beef if you’d like to make this during the holidays. Other vegetables like carrots and peas can also be a tasty addition to this dish, and of course you could add other seasonings and spices to the casserole if you like your recipes with more of a kick. Take care not to overcook any of your ingredients before assembling the casserole. For any casserole you’re making, you want to slightly undercook the ingredients before bringing them together and cooking in the oven to prevent the dish becoming mushy or soggy. 

For a time saving tip, this dish can be prepped a day in advance and then stored in the fridge until you’re ready to cook it. It’s a great one to make on a Sunday when you have more time on your hands. Then it’s ready to put into the oven for a quick, and easy Monday night meal to start the week in the best way possible. 

Cornbread is an accompaniment that’s often found served alongside casseroles, but you could actually bake it into the casserole for added texture and flavor to make a cowboy cornbread casserole, for a twist on the recipe that we’ve shared above.

How to serve it

Casserole can be enjoyed on its own as a filling dish, or you can try plating it up alongside a couple of delicious side dishes. For a lighter accompaniment, a fresh green salad can help to lift some of the flavors and balance out the indulgent richness of a casserole. Or, if you want to enjoy a comfort food dinner, then fresh garlic bread is perfect alongside a mouthwatering casserole. Steamed vegetables are also a classic side dish for a casserole, and bring even more vegetables to the table.

Storage

Any leftover casserole should be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. If you want to reheat it, cover the casserole with tin foil to make sure you don’t lose too much moisture from the casserole during the reheating process. If you want to store the casserole away for a much later date you can actually freeze it too. Store it in an airtight container, and you’ll need to thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.

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