Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie

5 from 5 votes

This tater tot shepherd's pie recipe is the mashup you didn't know you needed in your life! It has crispy, golden tater tots combined with all the classic flavors of shepherd's pie.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, English

Keyword: shepherd's pie with tater tots, tater tot cottage pie, tater tot shepherd's pie

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 pound lean ground beef or lamb
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1.5 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables see note
32 ounces frozen tater tots see note

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
Add the butter to a large skillet and melt over medium-high heat, then add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the beef to the skillet and cook, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, until just browned (about 6-8 minutes).
Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the Italian seasoning, tomato paste, and flour. Cook (stirring constantly), for about one minute.
Stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and salt, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let the liquid thicken up a bit (about 1 minute).
Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and heat them through for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Do not let the mixture get too dry (add a splash more broth if it does dry out).
Transfer the meat mixture to a 9x13 casserole dish, smooth it in an even layer, and then arrange the tater tots on top. Or, if your skillet is oven-safe, large, and deep, you can make the casserole right in the skillet like I did (I used a 12" Le Creuset). I arrange the tater tots from the outside in when doing it in a skillet.
Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Optional: broil for a few minutes (watch it carefully) to brown the tater tots a bit more.

Notes

Frozen mixed vegetables can be found in the frozen foods aisle of your grocery store. It's a blend of vegetables that typically contains a mix of peas, carrots, corn, and green beans.
Tater tots come in a variety of package sizes, and depending on how you arrange them in your skillet or casserole dish, you may have some left over from a 32 oz. bag, so be sure to reseal them and keep for another time.
I don't drain the fat from the ground beef as it helps make the roux and adds flavor and moisture to the dish. If you buy regular ground beef that's very fatty, you may want to drain some of the fat, however.

Nutrition