Gluten Free Cheeseburger Casserole

Did I mention I am a sucker for casseroles? Love them. All. Of. Them. 😉 

What do you think about a Gluten Free Cheeseburger Casserole topped with tater tots? 

Ya, I thought that would peak your interest!

This Gluten Free Cheeseburger Casserole may remind you of another tater tot casserole here at HappiHomemade, but the taste is completely different. Tasty and filling, but different in flavor!

You will love that the ingredient list is super short, but the flavors are big. This recipe has all the components of cheeseburgers and fries minus the bun. See ya later, bread!

But say a big hello to the tater tots which happen to be gluten-free and, obviously, delicious!

We usually have ground venison or buffalo in the freezer so that is what I used, but beef or turkey work well too. If you are using game meat, add 2 Tbsp of rendered bacon fat or butter to boost the flavor in this gluten free casserole and add in a little fat for flavor as game meat is very lean. 

If you have never rendered bacon, it’s SUPER easy. To render means to “cook the fat out of.”

I bake or broil bacon in the oven on a baking sheet covered in foil. When the bacon is done, I remove it from the pan and pour the bacon fat into a small glass jar with a lid and store it in the fridge to use as flavoring in meat dishes, to fry eggs, or saute veggies.

The possibilities are endless!

This gluten free cheeseburger casserole was so fun to create for many reasons, but using a few new kitchen gadgets certainly helped! My friend, Nikol, let me borrow some of her Pampered Chef products and boy was it fun to use some new knives, cutting boards, spatulas, and pans. I don’t think I use anything more than these particular tools when making dinner! 

This Flexible Cutting Mat Set is awesome! I loved the educational information about knife skills and cute prep techniques. The flexible material of the mats lets you funnel ingredients right into your pan. Pretty snazzy if you ask me! 

And those knives…WOW!

They were super sharp and super precise when cutting. I especially loved the 5″ Santoku Knife for dicing the red bell pepper and onion. 

If you are in need of some new kitchen items, please consider Pampered Chef products. I have been adding their products to my kitchen collection for years now and love every single item.

Trust me, their products stand the test of time, look fabulous, and are really comfortable and easy to use!

Okay without further adieu, let’s get you the details for this Gluten Free Cheeseburger Casserole! 

Gluten-Free Cheeseburger Casserole

Sammi Ricke

This homemade recipe makes the perfect family dinner! Healthy, gluten free, and tater tots-well hello delicious! You can make this in one pot like Hamburger Helper or use a 9x13 pan. All the flavors of a Cheese burger without the bun (low carb). Use any ground meat of choice, turkey, beef, venison, or buffalo. Add a little bacon fat for flavor and serve with pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Leftovers, Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine All American

Servings 6 people

Calories 635 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  1 large sauce pan
• ▢
  1 wooden spoon
• ▢
  1 cutting board
• ▢
  1 knife
• ▢
  1 9x13 pan or see notes for Dutch oven option

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lb ground meat (turkey, beef, venison, buffalo)
• ▢ 2 Tablespoon butter (if not using beef)
• ▢ 1 onion, diced
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ▢ 1/2 cup ketchup
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2 cups shredded cheese, divided
• ▢ 28 ounces bag frozen tater tots

Instructions

 

• In a large sauce pan (see notes) over medium heat, brown the ground meat (with butter if using leaner meat other than ground beef.
  1 lb ground meat, 2 Tablespoon butter
• Once the meat is almost browned, add in the diced onion and bell pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes over medium heat or until the veggies are softened.
  1 onion, diced, 1 red bell pepper, diced
• Preheat the oven to 400F and spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
• To the pan of meat, stir in the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and 1 cup shredded cheese. Mix well.
  1/2 cup ketchup, 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 cups shredded cheese, divided
• Pour the cheesy meat mixture into the greased pan. Top with frozen tater tots arranged in a single layer. Sprinkle the tater tots with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the tater tots are browned and the and cheese is melted.
  28 ounces bag frozen tater tots
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve topped with chopped dill pickles, diced tomatoes, and shredded lettuce.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Notes

Prep Tip - If using a Dutch oven or other “stovetop-to-oven safe pan” you can eliminate the greased 9x13 pan and use the Dutch oven you brown the meat in to put in the oven. Leave the meat in the Dutch oven and top with tater tots. Bake the same amount of time. If I am in a rush I don’t bother with the 9x13 pan, but I do prefer to use the 9x13 pan because there is a better ratio of meat to tater tots. I’m all about the tots. The more the better...but then more dishes. 😉

Ingredients Tips - Adding butter or bacon renderings to the ground meat as it browns adds more flavor to the finished dish. Ground beef typically has more fat and flavor than game meat (venison or bison) and ground turkey/chicken. Use whatever meat you have on hand or prefer!

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 635kcal

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!