Slow Cooker John Wayne Casserole is made with tater tots with southwestern flair and lots of cheese!
I love making casseroles in the slow cooker if you want to try a few other great ones try my Chicken Cordon Bleu or Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipes.
Not your average recipe today! I made this drool-worthy Slow Cooker John Wayne Casserole for dinner the other night. I’ve wanted to try an oven version of John Wayne casserole for years, but never got around to doing it. I thought, why not make it in the slow cooker?
The history on John Wayne Casserole and my changes
I don’t think John Wayne had anything to do with the casserole. I believe the name of this came about because it’s western themed, but still, this is a fun recipe to try. The original John Wayne casserole recipe that I’ve found is made with biscuit mix, but one of the reviewers on Food.com said that she had a version of this casserole made with tater tots at a restaurant. BINGO! That’s how this recipe can be made perfect in the slow cooker, with tater tots.
I have a beloved standard tater tot casserole recipe that I adore on my site, so I knew exactly how to assemble this new creation.
How to make John Wayne Casserole:
You will need:
- tater tots
- ground beef
- bell pepper
- onion
- sour cream
- taco seasoning
- cheese
- salt, pepper, onion powder
I add the bag of tater tots to my slow cooker. Then I brown a pound of hamburger with bell pepper, onion, taco seasoning, and water, I pour that meat mixture over the tots.
Then I make a sour cream and cheese mixture with a bit of seasoning and spread that on top of the meat.
Cook on LOW for 4.5 hours, and topped with more cheese, I put the lid back on the slow cooker and the cheese melts in minutes.
I like to serve this delicious casserole with tomatoes on top. When I say this meal was the bomb, I mean it! I was seriously licking my plate! Try it, you’ll love it!
I want to do a shout-out to my favorite cheese company Tillamook. If you ever visit the Oregon coast you must visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory! We do it once a year. Tillamook was a sponsor at the Indulge Conference I went to recently. We arrived in our hotel room to find that Tillamook stocked our mini fridge with cheese! That was possibly the best gift ever.
Other wonderful Slow Cooker Ground Beef Recipes:
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
- Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Au Gratin
- Slow Cooker Hobo Dinner
- Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers
- Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Lipton Onion Meatloaf
Slow Cooker Hamburger Hash
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Slow Cooker John Wayne Casserole
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 32 oz. bag tater tots (frozen, not thawed)
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 oz. taco seasoning mix (I use Lawry's)
- water add the amount of water to the meat that the taco mix says to add, 2/3 cup is what my packet said
- 16 oz. sour cream
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese (divided, half in sour cream mixture and half on top at the end)
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
optional toppings
- diced tomatoes
- bell peppers
Instructions:
- Spray a 6-quart oval slow cooker with non-stick spray. Add the tater tots down in an even layer, so there isn't a high spot.
- In a large skillet, set over medium high heat, brown the hamburger, onions and bell pepper. When the meat is browned, drain the fat. Add the amount of water the taco packet says to add to the meat (my packet said to add 2/3 cup). Add the taco packet, and continue cooking and stirring until the meat and the seasoning has thickened.
- Pour the meat mixture over the tater tots in the slow cooker.
- In a medium sized bowl add the sour cream, salt, pepper, onion powder, and half of the cheese (this is about a heaping cup of shredded cheese, save the other half to top the casserole at the end.)
- Spread this sour cream cheese mixture over the meat mixture in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4.5 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- After the cooking time is up add the remaining cheese evenly over the casserole.
- Cover and let the cheese melt, this will only take about 5-10 minutes.
- To serve, top with diced tomatoes.
- Enjoy!
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition:
First published 06/04/2015
Updated 05/19/2019
I added a can of refried beans to the mince and onions, and added a layer of fresh sliced leeks on top of the tater tots. Your cooking times were spot on for my slow cooker and the dish was a hit. It was delicious and I’ve added it to my book of ‘keepers’ to go on rotation. Thank you 🙂
Such an amazing recipe!!! We loved it!! Thanks for sharing!!
Glad you enjoyed it Stephie! I need to make this again soon.
I am trying this today but I only have shredded hash browns, and had to substitute salsa for the taco mix and water.
It is cold out and the Eagles game is on so I am too lazy to go to the store. Let’s see if it turns out ok!
Let us know how it turned out with the hashbrowns!
I made this John Wayne casserole and I was amazed at how crispy the tator tots got. I will use a low sodium taco seasoning next time. I loved this dish.
All your recipes look delicious . Do you have nutritional facts about the fat content of your recipes? Am trying to watch my Cholesterol intake
Hi, Delores. My newly added recipes now have the nutritional info. This is an older recipe. I am working slowly on getting them all updated.
I’ve made this several times – for family at home and for church pot lucks. It’s delicious, and everyone LOVES it every time!
so great to hear Annie!
can you do the same thing in skillet
Thank you for a great recipe!
I made this in the oven. I cooked it at 350 F for 45 mins covered with foil and then took the foil off and cooked it for 15 mins more. It was a little dry so next time I might add a can of diced tomatoes or rotels. The reason I cooked it so long was I wanted to make sure that a whole bage of tater tots got cooked in a 9×13 pan. But all in all it was really good.
Trying this tonight! Only had about a quarter bag of tater tots in the freezer, so I added some seasoned curly fries… figured potato is potato… Haha! I’ll see how it turns out!
How did this turn out? I’m so curious!
It turned out just fine! Didn’t cause anything to go wrong and the family enjoyed it!
I am doing a low carb diet I wonder how it would be without tater tots?
my slow cooker quit on me last week so I’m making this in a 9X13 pan and will cook it in 1 hour I think!
I think so!
Sorry, tried this and would not try again.
I’ve made regular John Wayne casserole and I am excited to try this. The tater tots are a good substitution for the crust on the bottom of regular JW casserole. One thing missing, however, is the jalapenos. I’ve always thought they gave the casserole a lot of flavor. They could be used as a garnish I guess if there are people eating the dish who have a sensitivity to peppers.
I will use diced fresh hatch green chilies since they are healthier than green bell peppers………love the recipe
My husband doesn’t like green peppers. Any suggestions for a substitute? I love them! Maybe mince them so he doesn’t really see them? Or maybe a green chili mix?
You can leave them out! I think it would be fine 🙂
Could I use french fries in place of the tots??
I don’t know how that would work. The tots work well because they are browned slightly before they are frozen. I’m thinking the fries may be bland.
Love the recipe idea! Would it be possible to use my programmable “casserole crockpot” ?
I think so! Since it is a casserole meal. My advice is to keep the lid on the entire cooking time.
I couldn’t fit all if the tater tots in. I had to leave about two handfuls out, otherwise the slow cooker lid would not close at the start of cooking.
How did this turn out Tara? I don’t think you used a 6-quart so cooker, you can see in my photos I still had a few inches of room with the 6-quart. I hope it did work for you though!
I loved all your recipes so does my large and hungry family
Yes! At the cheese factory there a line of cheese tasting with most of those cheeses!
you can order a select few of their cheeses from that website amazon also sells them but they seemed rather pricey.
Would it work if you cooked it for 8 hrs (low) in the crock pot?
I think that would be too long.
I’M IN, SOUNDS MARVELOUS! !