Name: Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 4 cups cooked chicken (chopped or shredded); 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup; 1 cup sour cream; 3/4 cup milk; 1/4 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

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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!

bacon ranch tater tot casserole in a baking dish with recipe name at the bottom

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!

spoonful of bacon ranch tater tot casserole over the baking dish

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.

ingredients to make bacon ranch tater tot casserole in bowls on a counter

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.

cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk, and cheese in a mixing bowl

STEP TWO: Then stir in the cubed chicken and 3 tablespoons of the crumbled bacon to the mixture in the large bowl.

chopped chicken and bacon added to soup mixture in mixing bowl

STEP THREE: Pour the chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish and evenly spread it into an even layer.

chicken, bacon, and cheese soup mixture spread into the bottom of a baking dish

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.

ranch dressing mix being spooned into a ziploc bag with tater tots inside

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!

bacon ranch tater tot casserole after first bake with shredded cheese sprinkled over top

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.

close up of bacon ranch tater tot casserole in a baking dish

TRY THESE OTHER SIMPLE CASSEROLE RECIPES

bacon ranch tater tot casserole in a dish with some taken out to show layers

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!

Plasti c 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!