Cowboy Casserole

A tater tot casserole twist: ground beef, bacon, cream of mushroom, onion soup mix, and frozen hash browns baked in one skillet.

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Cowboy Casserole
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15 min Prep Time
30 min Cook Time
45 min Total Time
6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
  • 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheese, divided
  • 30 oz shredded hash browns (frozen, straight from the bag)
  • ½ lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook in a large cast iron skillet. Remove the bacon and pour off most of the grease (save a little to toss with the hash browns if you want extra flavor).
  3. Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned. Drain if it looks greasy.
  4. Stir in the onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, milk, sour cream, ½ cup of the cheese, and the cooked bacon.
  5. Pour the frozen hash browns over the meat mixture and top with the remaining cheese. Toss the hash browns in a little reserved bacon grease first if you like.
  6. Bake 25–30 minutes, until the hash browns are no longer frozen and the cheese is a little crispy. Serve.

Notes

  1. No cast iron? Cook the filling in a skillet, then transfer to a baking dish before adding the hash browns.
  2. This freezes well unbaked. You can also assemble it the day before and bake the next day.
  3. Cream of chicken soup works if that’s what you have. Greek yogurt can stand in for sour cream.