Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole Recipe enthusiasts

Published: Jul 20, 2023 by Drizzle · This post may contain affiliate links · 21 Comments

Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole brings together two classic, comforting foods. Tater tots and ketchup go hand in hand, which means sloppy joes and tater tots also go hand in hand. The flavors meld together and become a delicious mixture of meaty, cheesy goodness. Plus, it’s still a fully balanced meal. You get protein from lean ground turkey, carbs from the tater tots, and fats from the cheese. You could even hide some nutritious veggies in the meat mixture without affecting the flavor. Let’s get to the recipe! 

Ground turkey is filling and lean, making it a great protein source for casseroles. It gives you a good break from the classic chicken or beef. So here are 26 more Simple Ground Turkey Casserole Recipes. 

Three reasons why you need to make this recipe! 

Tator tots make it instantly kid friendly. 

Can’t get your kid to eat protein? Stick some tater tots on it! Seriously, the whole family will love this casserole. I’d make a few batches and freeze them so it’s as easy as just popping it in the oven. 

There is no sloppy joe mess. 

Get the taste of meaty sloppy joes without the sloppy mess- again, perfect for kids! You can evenly divide it into servings by using the tater tot topping as a guide, so you don’t have to worry about measuring it out and making a large mess. 

It’s less carbs than a regular sloppy joe dinner. 

Normally with a sloppy joe, you’ll get carbs from a bun as well as a side of fries. With this all in one casserole, you can skip the bun and still enjoy all the flavor. No extra carbs needed. 

Ingredients you need to make Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole: 

• 1 lb fat free ground turkey 
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 can tomato paste (5.5 oz)
• ¼ cup reduced sugar ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Dash of pepper
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheese
• 48 frozen tater tots

How to make Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole (step by step): 

1. Cook the ground turkey in a frying pan on the stove over medium heat.
2. Preheat the oven to 425F and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with some nonstick cooking spray.
3. Once the turkey is cooked, add the diced onions and garlic and let it cook for a few minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, vinegar, and pepper and mix well. Let it cook for 5 minutes over low heat.
5. Transfer the meat mixture to a casserole dish. Sprinkle ⅔ cup of the shredded cheese on top of the meat mixture. Place the frozen tater tots on top. I did 6 rows of 8 tater tots.
6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top then return to the oven for 10 minutes. Make sure the tater tots are cooked through.
7. Let cool for 5 minutes then enjoy! Use the tater tots as a guide per serving. Each one should have 8 tater tots in it.

Makes 6 servings. Nutrition info for one serving: Calories 324,  Fat 9 g, Saturated fat 3 g,  Carbs 32 g,  Fiber 2.5 g, Sugars 8 g, Sodium 639 mg, Protein 27 g. 

WW Points 

• Fat free ground turkey 0 points
• Diced red onion 0 points
• Garlic cloves 0 points
• Tomato paste 5 points
• Reduced sugar ketchup 1 point
• Brown sugar 3 points
• Worcestershire sauce 1 point
• Dijon mustard 0 points
• Apple cider vinegar 0 points
• Pepper 0 points
• Reduced fat shredded cheese 10 points
• Ore Ida Tater tots 25 points 

8 points per serving based on the WW app recipe creator.  

If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below. 

Personal Points- 6-7 depending on your 0PP foods 

Freestyle SP- (blue & purple) 6 using WW recipe builder

Smart Points- (green) 7 using WW calculator

Points Plus- 7 using PP calculator

Different ways to change up this recipe: 

• It would change the name, but you can use shredded hashbrowns instead of tater tots if you needed to. Any type of potato like that would work. 
• You can change the base flavor of the casserole to anything you’d like. You could use a packet of ranch to season the ground turkey and have a cheesy, ranch tater tot casserole instead. Get creative with it. 
• This is a great recipe to hide veggies in. Cauliflower rice will bulk up the meat mixture, and easily take on the sloppy joe flavor. Other veggies that work well are diced mushrooms, shredded zucchini, or even diced carrots. 

Tips and Tricks for Making Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole: 

• This will keep well in the fridge for up to 7 days, so make a batch of it on Sunday and you’ve got lunches for the week. 
• Sloppy Joe Tator Tot Casserole freezes very well. Bake it in aluminum pans for easy storage and clean-up. Bake at 350 degrees, covered with aluminum foil, straight from the freezer for about 30 minutes or until heated through. 
• You can make this casserole ahead of time. Just assemble the entire thing, even with the cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until you’re ready to make it. Once you’re ready, let it come to room temp while the oven preheats. Bake with the aluminum foil on for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes – until the cheese is fully melted. 

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