Hearty & Easy: The Ultimate One-Pot Beef & Kraut Tater Tot Casserole
Discover your new favorite comfort food! This Beef & Kraut Tater Tot Casserole is a delicious one-pot meal featuring savory lean ground beef, tangy sauerkraut, rich Swiss cheese, and perfectly crispy tater tots. It’s a hearty, satisfying dish that promises to please your entire family and simplify your weeknight cooking.
What could be better than a classic, comforting tater tot casserole? How about one that cooks entirely in a single pot, minimizing cleanup and maximizing flavor? That’s precisely what our Beef & Kraut Tater Tot Casserole delivers – hitting all the right notes for a delicious, effortless family meal.
Imagine tender lean ground beef, perfectly browned alongside sweet onions and carrots, then mingled with the distinctive zest of sauerkraut and a creamy, savory celery soup base. This delightful mixture is then topped with a generous layer of nutty Swiss cheese, and finally, a blanket of golden tater tots. Baked to perfection until the tots are irresistibly crispy and beautifully browned, this casserole is a true culinary triumph. The best part? You cook it, bake it, and serve it all from the very same pan, making it an ideal choice for busy evenings.
This recipe is proudly sponsored by Frank’s Kraut, a brand whose exceptional sauerkraut has earned my lifelong admiration and loyalty. All opinions and love for their product are genuinely my own.
Frank’s Kraut: Crafting America’s Finest Sauerkraut Since 1905
For over a century, Frank’s Kraut has been a name synonymous with quality and tradition in the world of sauerkraut. Their dedication to a time-honored craft ensures that every spoonful delivers authentic, delicious flavor. As stated in their own words, “The making of sauerkraut is a time honored tradition that has been passed down among families for generations. While there are many varieties and types of sauerkraut the basic preparation method is a follows: take cleaned and shredded white cabbage and place it into a sealable container, add salt and apply a lid to induce pressure. The salt drains the water out of the cabbage and allows the cabbage to ferment in its own juice. A week or two later you will have fresh, delicious sauerkraut.” – The Story of Sauerkraut eBook. This simple yet profound process is what gives Frank’s Kraut its distinct crunch and wonderfully tart taste, making it an indispensable ingredient in countless recipes, including today’s tater tot casserole.
This season, we’ve been embracing the delightful tang and incredible versatility of Frank’s Kraut in a variety of heartwarming dishes. If you’ve been following along, you’ve likely seen some of the other fantastic comfort food creations we’ve shared!
Just last month, we introduced this delectable recipe for Polish Noodles & Kraut. This traditional meatless Polish casserole, often known as Kluski Kapusta Kiszona, combines tender kluski noodles, sautéed onion and celery, and a generous amount of sauerkraut, all fried in butter and then baked to golden perfection. It’s a simple, rustic dish that brings authentic European flavors to your table.
The month prior, we delighted taste buds with this hearty Polish Sauerkraut Soup (Kapusniak). Bursting with flavor, this robust soup features tender potatoes, savory Polish sausage, crisp celery, sweet carrots, and, of course, a generous amount of Frank’s Kraut. It’s a comforting and robust soup, perfect for warming you from the inside out.
Today’s Beef & Kraut Tater Tot Casserole seamlessly joins this collection of simple, family-friendly meals. Beyond its delicious taste and ease of preparation, you can feel genuinely good about incorporating more sauerkraut into your diet. This fermented cabbage is far more than just a flavorful ingredient; it truly stands out as a “Superfood” with remarkable health benefits.
The Remarkable Nutritional Value of Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with a diverse array of vitamins and minerals essential for good health. It contains notably high levels of dietary fiber, crucial for digestive health, along with significant amounts of vitamin A, important for vision and immune function, and robust doses of vitamin C and vitamin K, vital for immunity, skin health, and blood clotting, respectively. Furthermore, it boasts various B vitamins, which play key roles in energy metabolism and nervous system function. Beyond vitamins, sauerkraut is an excellent source of vital minerals such as copper, sodium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and calcium. These minerals contribute to everything from bone health to oxygen transport and muscle function. And let’s not forget, it also contributes a moderate amount of protein to your diet, making it a truly holistic addition to any meal.
As if this impressive array of vitamins and minerals weren’t enough, consider another incredible benefit: sauerkraut possesses powerful anti-inflammatory properties. The phytonutrient antioxidants found abundantly in sauerkraut can help to reduce pain and discomfort associated with inflammation in joints, muscles, and even sinuses. This makes it an especially welcome food during the colder months when sniffles and aches can be more common, offering a natural way to support your body’s well-being.
A single serving of sauerkraut provides a remarkable 35% of your daily recommended intake of Vitamin C. This essential vitamin is not only a potent antioxidant but also plays a critical role in stimulating the production of white blood cells, which are the frontline defenders of your immune system. Additionally, Vitamin C is integral for cellular regeneration and repair, helping your body maintain healthy tissues and recover from daily wear and tear. Clearly, embracing sauerkraut is an excellent way to bolster one of the most important elements of your overall health: your immune system.
Now, let’s refocus on the star of today’s show: this incredible Beef & Kraut Tater Tot Casserole! We’ve highlighted how simple it is to prepare, from gathering the ingredients to the remarkably easy cleanup. But what exactly goes into this delightful, family-favorite dish to make it so comforting and flavorful?
Key Ingredients for Your Beef & Kraut Tater Tot Casserole:
This satisfying casserole calls for a straightforward list of ingredients that combine harmoniously to create a symphony of flavors and textures:
- Lean Ground Beef: The hearty foundation of our casserole, providing rich flavor and satisfying protein.
- Chopped Onion & Shredded Carrots: These vegetables add natural sweetness, essential aromatics, and a touch of color to the beef base.
- Frank’s Kraut: The star ingredient, offering its signature tangy, bright flavor that cuts through the richness of the beef and cheese beautifully.
- Cream of Celery Soup: This creamy soup binds all the ingredients together, adding moisture and a subtle, savory depth to the casserole.
- Shredded Swiss Cheese: Known for its nutty, slightly sweet, and wonderfully melty qualities, Swiss cheese perfectly complements the sauerkraut and beef.
- Frozen Tater Tots: The ultimate crispy, golden topping that transforms this dish into a classic comfort food casserole.
- Sliced Scallions: A fresh and vibrant garnish, providing a mild oniony bite and a pop of color upon serving.
The preparation for this one-pot wonder is incredibly simple and efficient. Begin by browning your lean ground beef right in a large, oven-safe skillet. A cast iron skillet is ideal here, as it can seamlessly transition from your stovetop to the oven, truly living up to the “one-pot” promise. While the beef is browning, add the chopped onion and shredded carrots, allowing them to soften and release their aromatic flavors into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Once the beef is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender, drain any excess fat. Next, incorporate the drained and rinsed sauerkraut, letting it simmer with the beef and vegetables for a few minutes to meld the flavors. Stir in the cream of celery soup, ensuring the mixture is evenly coated and spread across the bottom of the pan. Finally, top this flavorful base with a generous layer of shredded Swiss cheese, followed by an even blanket of frozen tater tots.
With your casserole perfectly assembled in the skillet, simply transfer it to your preheated oven. Bake it, uncovered, until those tater tots reach peak crispiness and achieve a beautiful golden-brown hue. The aroma filling your kitchen will be absolutely irresistible! Once baked, sprinkle generously with freshly sliced scallions for a burst of color and a fresh, mild onion flavor. Then, the best part: serve this delicious, bubbling casserole directly from the skillet to the table. It’s a rustic and inviting presentation that your family will love.
This casserole is so complete and satisfying on its own that it truly stands as a full meal. With meat, vegetables, and potatoes all in one comforting dish, you really don’t need much else. When we last enjoyed it, we simply paired it with a warm slice of French bread, baked right alongside the casserole in the oven, perfect for soaking up any delicious juices. It’s a true “one and done” meal that doesn’t compromise on flavor or heartiness.
Each bite offers a wonderful combination of textures and tastes: the tender, savory beef and kraut base, the gooey melted Swiss cheese, and the irresistible crunch of the tater tots. It’s the kind of meal that wraps you in a warm hug, comforting and utterly delicious.
While a cast-iron skillet offers the convenience of stovetop-to-oven cooking, don’t worry if you don’t have one. This recipe is incredibly versatile. You can easily prepare the beef mixture on the stovetop in any large skillet or pot, then transfer and layer all the ingredients into a traditional casserole dish before baking. The result will be just as comforting and delightful!
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If you’ve fallen in love with the idea of this easy, hearty, and flavorful casserole, make sure to save it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board right now so you can easily find this recipe again whenever you’re ready to whip up this amazing one-pot meal for your family.
Exploring More with Sauerkraut?
If you’re as passionate about sauerkraut as we are, you’ll want to stay connected with Frank’s Kraut! Follow them on their various social media channels to discover a continuous stream of fresh, delicious, and inspiring recipes all year long. You can find them and all things sauerkraut on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
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Print Recipe
Beef & Kraut Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 14.5 ounce can Frank’s Kraut, thoroughly drained and rinsed
- 1 10.5 ounce can cream of celery soup
- 1 8 ounce package shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 32 ounce package frozen tater tots
- Tops of 4 green onions sliced, for garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
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In a large, oven-safe skillet (preferably cast iron for easy transfer), brown the lean ground beef over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and shredded carrots to the skillet while the beef cooks, stirring occasionally until the beef is fully browned and the vegetables are softened, about 7-10 minutes. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Once cooked, drain any excess grease from the skillet.
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When the meat is thoroughly browned, stir in the drained and rinsed sauerkraut. Continue to simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld beautifully.
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Next, add the can of cream of celery soup to the skillet. Stir everything together until the soup is fully incorporated and the beef and kraut mixture is evenly coated. Spread this base evenly across the bottom of the pan.
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Evenly sprinkle the shredded Swiss cheese over the beef and sauerkraut mixture.
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Carefully arrange the frozen tater tots in a single, even layer across the top of the Swiss cheese. Ensure they cover the entire surface for maximum crispiness.
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Place the skillet (or casserole dish, if you’re using one) into your preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tater tots are beautifully golden brown and delightfully crispy, and the cheese is bubbly.
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Once baked, remove the casserole from the oven. Sprinkle the freshly sliced green onions over the top as a garnish. Serve this hearty and comforting meal directly from the skillet, and enjoy!
Notes
For a delicious twist on flavor, consider using ground bratwurst instead of lean ground beef, or a mixture of half ground beef and half ground bratwurst for an even richer, more authentic German-inspired taste. Adding a pinch of caraway seeds to the beef mixture can also enhance the kraut flavor.