An easy, comforting weeknight dinner, this Slow Cooker Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole has all the classic flavors but with minimal effort. Made with ground beef, tater tots, and American cheese, it's swirled with Big Mac special sauce and finished with your favorite burger toppings for a hearty, savory meal.
This ground beef and tater tot casserole is similar to my slow cooker beef stroganoff recipe because it keeps hectic nights simple. It takes only 20 minutes to prep, and with layers of seasoned beef and gooey cheese, this casserole is pure comfort food.
The best part? Once the Big Mac casserole is made, everyone can sprinkle on their own favorite toppings to make it their way. With all the flavor but minimal cost, this hamburger recipe is also a great way to stretch your budget, kind of like easy hamburger soup.
What Is Big Mac Casserole?
Big Mac casserole takes everything you like about the burger and turns it into a scoopable dinner. Seasoned ground beef, two kinds of melted cheese, pickles, shredded lettuce, sesame seeds, and a generous pour of that tangy special sauce. The bun becomes a layer of tater tots, which honestly might be an upgrade.
It's become one of those recipes people search for by name, and for good reason. You get the flavor of a drive-through order for a fraction of the cost, it feeds a family from one pot, and everyone builds their own bowl at the table.
The special sauce is what makes it taste right. Mayonnaise, French dressing, relish, yellow mustard, and onion powder. Skip it or substitute ketchup and you have a perfectly nice cheeseburger casserole, but it stops tasting like a Big Mac.
Ingredients
- For the base of the casserole:
- Ground beef: A leaner cut of meat means less work draining grease.
- Seasonings: You'll need cupboard staples like salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Cheese: Use both American and cheddar cheese for the best flavor. Twice the cheese means extra gooey bites, just like in my baked mac and cheese.
- Sauces: Yellow mustard and Worcestershire sauce give a bold flavor combo.
- Tater tots: Tater tots right from the freezer will give the best texture.
- Dill pickles: Mix into the slow cooker casserole and use as extra toppings.
- Sesame seeds: These add a bit of crunch and really help with a full Big Mac "look."
- Toppings: For the classic Big Mac experience, you'll want extra pickles and shredded lettuce.
- Classic Big Mac Sauce
- Mayonnaise: Whatever brand you have on hand will work. However, Miracle Whip will give a different taste.
- French dressing: Many people swirl ketchup in here, but the classic Big Mac sauce has a salad dressing base.
- Relish: Dill relish works, but sweet pickle relish gives the most authentic taste.
- Seasonings: You'll need yellow mustard and onion powder to bring the sauce together.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Brown the beef in a large skillet, breaking it apart as it cooks. Add the diced onion and cook until softened. Once browned, season with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder.
- Step 2: Spread half the beef mixture into the bottom of a greased slow cooker, then sprinkle half the cheddar cheese and half the American cheese on top. Evenly spread the frozen tater tots and repeat the layers one more time. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Step 3: Twenty minutes before serving, sprinkle in the diced pickles and cover the slow cooker again. Finish cooking and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Step 4: Whisk together the Big Mac sauce and drizzle it over the slow cooker ground beef casserole
Step 6: Twenty minutes before serving, sprinkle in the diced pickles and re-cover the slow cooker. Finish cooking and let it sit for a few minutes.
Step 7: Whisk together the Big Mac sauce, then drizzle it over the slow-cooker ground beef casserole.
Step 8: Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the casserole, then serve it topped with shredded lettuce, more pickles, and a generous serving of sauce.
How Long to Cook Big Mac Casserole
Here's how the timing works across the different methods.
- Slow cooker on low: 4 to 5 hours. This is the setting I use. The cheese melts into the beef, and the tots soften without turning to mush.
- Slow cooker on high: 2 to 3 hours, if you start late.
- Oven at 350F: about 40 minutes covered, then 10 to 15 minutes uncovered.
Whichever way you cook it, remember the pickles go in for the last 20 minutes only. Any longer and they lose their bite, which is the whole point of them.
The lettuce, extra pickles, sesame seeds, and sauce all go on at the table, never in the pot. Warm lettuce is nobody's friend.
Can You Make Big Mac Casserole in the Oven?
Yes, and the oven gives you a crisper top if that's what you're after. Brown the beef with the onion and seasonings, then layer half of it into a greased 9x13 dish with half the cheddar and half the American cheese.
Top with the frozen tater tots, then repeat the layers. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 40 minutes, uncover and give it another 10 to 15 minutes until the tots are golden.
Stir the diced pickles in for the last few minutes, then finish at the table with sesame seeds, shredded lettuce, more pickles and plenty of sauce.
Is Big Mac Casserole Gluten Free?
Not automatically, though there's no flour or canned soup here, which makes it easier to adapt than most casseroles. The gluten hides in a few of the condiments.
- Worcestershire sauce: this is the one people miss. Many brands are made with malt vinegar from barley. Look for a labeled gluten-free Worcestershire, or use coconut aminos with a splash of vinegar.
- French dressing and relish: usually fine, but check the label since thickeners and modified starches vary by brand.
- Frozen tater tots: plain potato tots are generally gluten free, while seasoned or battered ones can contain wheat. Read the bag.
- American cheese and cheddar, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, pickles, lettuce, sesame seeds, ground beef and onion: all naturally gluten free.
If you're cooking for someone with celiac disease, read every label yourself rather than relying on a recipe, mine included. Brands reformulate and the front of a package rarely tells you everything.
Substitutions
- Ground turkey or chicken can replace beef, as in this Indonesian beef and quinoa bowl.
- To change the flavor slightly, use Colby Jack cheese.
- If you don't have tater tots, opt for frozen hash browns.
Variations
Bacon Big Mac Casserole: Add an extra layer of cooked, crumbled bacon between the layers. Make sure to use crispy bacon.
Cheeseburger Big Mac: Increase the cheese in the recipe by an additional cup.
Spicy: Top the casserole with sliced jalapeños or work some hot sauce into the special sauce.
Big Mac Sliders: Instead of a bowl, serve the ground beef casserole on toasted slider buns for a fun dinner or an easy appetizer, kind of like pizza sliders.
Fully Loaded: Add diced tomatoes and extra lettuce when serving.
Equipment
You don't need much for the Big Mac casserole, only a 6-quart slow cooker for the meal and a skillet for prepping the ground beef mixture.Content
Storage
Leftover casserole will stay fresh when stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you know you'll be storing it, do not top it with lettuce, as it won't retain its crunch. You can also freeze the casserole for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before you need it.
Reheat the mixture in the microwave in individual servings and top it with your favorites.
What to Serve With Big Mac Casserole
This is rich and salty, so I keep the sides sharp and simple. It's a burger, so think about what you'd put next to one.
- A crisp green salad with a vinegary dressing, which cuts the sauce nicely.
- Oven fries or sweet potato fries, if there is somehow not enough potato happening.
- Extra pickles and sliced raw onion in little bowls for people to pile on.
- Sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper in summer.
- A bowl of extra special sauce. Make a double batch because it disappears.
Set the toppings out in small bowls and let everyone build their own. My family gets more excited about that part than about the casserole itself.
Top tip
Add the lettuce as a topping right as you portion the bowls, and only add it to individual servings. This way, it stays crisp, and it makes storing leftovers easier.
FAQ
Yes, you can reheat the casserole in the oven. To do this, add a splash of water to the casserole so that it doesn't dry out. Cover and reheat it in an oven-safe dish over low heat (300F) until heated through.
You can freeze slow cooker beef casserole in individual portions or as a whole. For individual portions, place them in small, freezer-safe bags after the casserole has fully cooled. To freeze this as a meal prep dinner, portion the casserole (without toppings) into an aluminum foil baking dish. Cover the top and freeze it for up to 2 months.
Seasoned ground beef, cheddar and American cheese, frozen tater tots, dill pickles and a homemade special sauce, finished with shredded lettuce and sesame seeds. It's a burger taken apart and put back together in a slow cooker.
Mayonnaise, French dressing, sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, and onion powder. People often reach for ketchup, but the real thing has a salad dressing base, and that's what gives it the tang.
Yes. Frozen hash browns work in their place, and some people skip the potato entirely and serve the beef mixture on toasted slider buns instead.
A covered slow cooker traps steam, which condenses on the lid and drips back down. Use the tots straight from the freezer, keep them in an even layer, and if you want crisp, transfer the casserole to a dish and broil the top for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
Yes. Brown and season the beef the day before and keep it in the fridge, then layer it up with the cheese and frozen tots when you're ready to cook. Hold the pickles, lettuce, and sauce until serving.
They're close cousins. The special sauce, pickles, shredded lettuce and sesame seeds are what make this one taste specifically like a Big Mac rather than a general cheeseburger bake.
Up to 4 days in an airtight container. Store it without the lettuce, since it won't stay crisp, and add fresh toppings when you reheat.
For more along these lines, my tater tot casserole is the chili cheese version and my cowboy casserole is the creamy one with corn.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Slow Cooker Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
Casserole
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 32 oz frozen tater tots
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup torn American cheese
- ½ cup diced dill pickles
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
Big Mac Sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup French dressing
- 2 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Garnish
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced pickles
- Extra Big Mac sauce
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, breaking it apart as it cooks.
- Season the beef with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Add the diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
- Drain any excess grease.
- Lightly spray a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread half of the seasoned beef mixture into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle with half of the cheddar cheese and half of the American cheese.
- Arrange half of the tater tots over the cheese.
- Repeat the layers with the remaining beef, cheeses, and tater tots.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- During the last 20 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the diced pickles over the casserole and recover.
- While the casserole finishes cooking, whisk together all of the Big Mac sauce ingredients until smooth.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes.
- Drizzle generously with Big Mac sauce.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Top individual servings with shredded lettuce, extra pickles, and additional sauce if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutritional information provided is an estimate. For specific dietary needs or concerns, we recommend consulting a nutrition calculator or a qualified expert.
Karen Kelly
Karen Kelly is a nationally syndicated food and travel writer, founder of Seasonal Cravings, and co-founder of The Roam Report. She develops approachable seasonal recipes and covers travel and lifestyle trends. Her work has appeared in numerous media outlets, including Yahoo, Taste of Home, Apple News, NBC, FOX, and other national and regional publications.
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