If you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner that everyone will love then Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole is the perfect dish for you!
Good casserole recipes are like having an ace up your sleeve! I have been relying on my favorite tater tot casserole recipe for ages and I was so excited to add this one to the menu! My family has tried a hundred different casseroles over the years, but this Baked Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole combines everyone’s favorite ingredients and flies off of their plates every time.
BAKED BACON RANCH TATER TOT CASSEROLE
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Tater tot casserole with bacon and ranch sounds like a no-brainer! I am honestly surprised it took me so long to discover this dream team of ingredients! This recipe explores every texture, every flavor, and at the end of the meal, every bit of it is gone! It is easy to prep in advance for busy schedules and is ready to serve in just about an hour!
CHICKEN BACON RANCH TATER TOT CASSEROLE INGREDIENTS
Considering half the ingredients are listed in the title of this recipe, you can probably take a wild guess at the rest of them!
Chicken- The chicken should be cooked in advance. This recipe used calls for the chicken to be cubed, but you could shred it if preferred. I usually grab a rotisserie chicken on my way home if I forgot to cook some chicken breasts the night before.
Cream Sauce- You will need condensed cream of chicken soup and sour cream for the sauce. It’ll make everything creamy and delicious!
Bacon- You only really need about 5 strips of bacon to make this, but I always cook a little extra bacon to put even more on top! Feel free to substitute with turkey bacon if you want, just remember that crispy bacon works best!
Ranch Seasoning- One packet of Ranch seasoning is all you need to flavor this casserole. It has all the seasonings, herbs, and spices needed in a convenient packet.
Cheese- Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese work best for this recipe, but if you want to get a little crazy pepper jack cheese is pretty darn tasty too!
Tater Tots– You can’t make tater tot casserole with bacon and ranch without the tots! One 28-ounce bag of frozen tots works perfectly.
HOW TO MAKE THIS TATER TOT CHICKEN BACON RANCH CASSEROLE
To get things going, you’ll need to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9-inch x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Then set that aside for now.
STEP ONE: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk, chopped green onions, and 1/2 cup of each type of cheese along with 2 tablespoons of the ranch seasoning mix. Stir the ingredients until they are combined.
STEP TWO: Then stir in the cubed chicken and 3 tablespoons of the crumbled bacon to the mixture in the large bowl.
STEP THREE: Pour the chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish and evenly spread it into an even layer.
STEP FOUR: Next, in a gallon-sized plastic bag, place the frozen tots and two tablespoons of ranch seasoning and shake the bag to evenly coat the tots. Now pour the tots out over the top of the first casserole layer and arrange them evenly to make the top layer.
STEP FIVE: Then all that’s left to do is place the tater tot casserole in the oven for 40 minutes. When the timer goes off, add the remaining cheese and bacon on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve this dish hot with additional green onion as garnish if desired!
HOW LONG TO BAKE TATER TOT BACON RANCH CASSEROLE
The key to making the best Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tots Casserole is getting the perfect cook on your tots! Tater tots need to be crispy on the outside and piping hot and fluffy on the inside.
I always bake my casserole for at least 40 minutes, keeping a close eye on those tots. If they aren’t crisping up exactly how I want them, I usually bake it for an additional 10 minutes before adding the last layer of cheese, because let’s face it- no one wants soggy tots!
If you really want to crisp up that top layer of tops you can always use the broiler in your oven, but be careful to keep a close eye on your casserole. It is sometimes a fine line between perfectly crispy tots and charred tots.
TRY THESE OTHER SIMPLE CASSEROLE RECIPES
- Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
- Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
- Farmer’s Casserole
- Broccoli Casserole
- More DINNER Recipes…
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS TATER TOT CASSEROLE RECIPE
Casserole Dish: This casserole dish does it all! It is perfect to bake in, serve in, and store leftovers in!
Plastic Bags: Whether you need these for food storage or a shake n’ bake situation, I have got to have plastic bags on hand at all times!
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked chicken chopped or shredded
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup green onions thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 4 tablespoons ranch dressing mix (two 1-ounce packets)
- 5 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
- 28 ounces frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 9-inch x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the soup, sour cream, milk, green onions, 1/2 cup of each cheese, and 2 tablespoons of ranch mix until thoroughly combined.
- Stir the chicken and 3/4 of the crumbled bacon into the sour cream mixture. Then pour the chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
- Place the tater tots into a gallon-sized plastic bag and add 2 tablespoons of Ranch seasoning mix. Close the bag and shake the tater tots around gently to coat each one with seasoning.
- Pour the tater tots out on top of the chicken mixture and spread them out into one even layer.
- Baked the casserole for 40 minutes. Once the timer goes off, add the rest of the shredded cheese and remaining bacon over the top of the casserole. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle more green onions on top for garnish, if desired. Serve warm.
Pamela says
I agree with Nebel, what oven temp do you bake this at? I’m not inclined to read ALL the opening remarks on the step by step instructions but did go back and still did not find the oven temp.
Nebel says
While it is present in your detailed step by step, you forgot to list the oven temperature in the simplified directions. (350f for all wondering).