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This hearty slow cooker John Wayne casserole starts with a layer of potatoes, followed by a creamy, cheesy sour cream mixture, seasoned ground beef, and is finished with a generous topping of melted cheese.
I love making casseroles in the slow cooker if you want to try a few other great ones try my Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu or Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipes.
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“It made this dish yesterday for the family and it was a HUGE hit! Seconds all around! YUMMY! Thank you for the great recipe! I’ll be trying more for sure!”
– Patti
I don’t think John Wayne had anything to do with this casserole, the name likely comes from its western-style ingredients. The original version uses biscuit mix, but after some research, I saw that it can be made with tater tots. This John Wayne Casserole with tater tots is great for slow-cooking; all the layers meld together perfectly.
I have a beloved standard crockpot tater tot casserole recipe that I adore on my site, so I knew exactly how to assemble this new creation. I also make a chicken tater tot casserole that you must try too!
Ingredients for John Wayne Casserole
This easy meal starts with frozen tater tots, topped with taco-seasoned ground beef, onions, and peppers. A creamy sour cream and cheddar layer goes on next, finished with more cheese and optional fresh toppings like tomatoes or peppers.
How to Make John Wayne Casserole
Here is my method for making this easy slow cooker casserole. Once your ground beef is browned, it comes together quickly.
Step One: I add the bag of tater tots to my slow cooker.
Step Two: Then I brown a pound of hamburger with bell pepper, onion, taco seasoning, and water, I pour that meat mixture over the tots.
Step Three: Then, I make a sour cream and cheese mixture with a bit of seasoning and spread that on top of the meat.
Step Four: Cook on LOW for 4.5 hours, and then top with more cheese. I p,ut the lid back on the slow cooker, and the cheese melts in minutes.
My Serving Suggestions
Being that we make this often, we know exactly how to serve it:
Toppings: The casserole is great with a dollop of sour cream, diced avocado and a dash of hot sauce. Treat it like you would any Mexican dish.
Other Sides: Other serving ideas are a side of cornbread or green salad.
Does the Ground Beef have to be Browned?
Yes, it is important to brown the beef for this recipe. If you don’t, the beef layer will turn more into meatloaf and release too much liquid for the recipe.
Can regular potatoes be used instead of tater tots?
This recipe was developed for tater tots; regular potatoes would take more time, liquid, and seasonings.
John Wayne Casserole Recipe
How to Video
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!
Sarah’s Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More Ground Slow Cooker Beef Recipes to try:
Lumberjack Casserole is a hearty slow cooker dinner with beef, potatoes, beans, and cheese—perfect for a filling family meal.
Creamy and comforting, Cowboy Casserole layers ground beef, potatoes, and cheese for a satisfying all-in-one crockpot dish.
With bold flavor and simple ingredients, this Wendy’s Chili recipe lets you enjoy the drive-thru favorite right at home.
Crockpot Sloppy Joes are sweet, savory, and made with ease—just pile onto buns and dinner’s done.
If you add the rotel and ranch style beans do you need to drain either of them?
I would drain both. 🙂
I love tillamook! Im t om outside dallas, tx and they just started stocking their ice cream here in the grocery stores, i was so excited! Best ice cream ever!!! My husband and mom and i spent a summer in seaside, or a couple of years ago and the tillamook cheese factory was our favorite visiting place 🙂
In the crockpot right now. Sunday slow cooker at my house!
Yay! You will love it. I need to make it again soon. 🙂
I’m really excited to try this, It’s like my tater tot casserole that I do in the oven but I’m really excited about not having to heat that up on a 90 degree day like today! Thank you for your post, It was a nice change from all of the pulled porks, bbq chickens and soups that crowd pinterest!
Ah thanks Kati! I agree this recipe is such different than most crock pot recipes around!
Can you make this for a larger crowd and bake in a slow oven? Say 300 deg.
What size Sour cream do you use?
I used one cup. I used half a 16-oz. container.
My recipe calls for mashed potatoes instead of tater tots. Would that work in a crock pot?
I would spray the slow cooker with nonstick spray, and reduce the cooking time to 3 hours. Since everything would already be cooked, you just need do Heat it through. I hope this helps.
Fantastic!!!!!
I had a recipe a few years ago that had hamburger in the crock pot, uncooked. Why can’t we do that? We do it with every other meat.
Thank you for a reply.
I have been thinking that lately. I know meatloaf works great in the slow cooker, but that can be drained after it’s done cooking. I do know that even low-fat ground beef has a lot of moisture when cooked, and may make this soggy, or take some flavor away. But with the slow cooker, I never know if something will work out unless I try it. Sorry I don’t have a straight answer. 🙂
I tried this recipe, it was delicate. When I heated left overs I added a little cheddar/ jalapeño cheese. It added a little bite and was just what was needed for leftovers