Gluten Free Cheeseburger Casserole

Did I mention I am a sucker for casseroles? Love them. All. Of. Them. πŸ˜‰ 

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

Ya, I thought that would peak your interest!

Gluten-Free Cheeseburger Casserole on a wooden spoon ready to be eaten.

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!

Diced pickles and tomatoes and shredded lettuce topping a skinny cheeseburger casserole.

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 β€œcook the fat out of.”

A pan of Tater Tot Topped Cheeseburger Casserole with pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce.

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! 

Chef Nikol Wendt's Pampered Chef products.
Click image for more details about these cutting mats and knives!

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. 

The BEST Skinny Cheeseburger Casserole | This clean eating 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. #recipes #families #food

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

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.
Prep Time30 minutes
30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Leftovers, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: All American
Keyword: casserole, cheeseburger, dinner, family friendly, gluten free
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 635kcal
Cost: $12.00

Equipment

  • dutch oven
  • wooden spoon
  • cutting board
  • knife

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground meat (turkey, beef, venison, buffalo)
  • 2 Tbsp bacon renderings or butter, optional
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tsp garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups shredded cheese, divided
  • 32 oz bag of frozen tater tots

Instructions

  • Brown meat in large pan with bacon renderings or butter if you are using game meat. Otherwise, ground beef usually has enough fat in it for flavor.
  • After the meat is browned, add in diced onion and diced bell pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes over medium heat until veggies are softened.
  • Preheat oven to 400F and spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • To the pan of meat, add in garlic powder, salt, black pepper, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 cup shredded cheese. Mix well.
  • Pour the cheesy meat mixture into greased pan. Top with frozen tater tots arranged in a single layer. Sprinkled tater tots with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese. Bake at 400F for 30-35 minutes or until tater tots and cheese are browned.
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve topped with dill pickle slices, diced tomatoes, and shredded lettuce.

Notes

*If you use a dutch oven or another β€œstovetop to oven safe pan” you can eliminate the greased 9x13 pan and just use the dutch oven you brown your 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. πŸ˜‰ But then dishes. Uggghhh, sometimes it's nice to not have to wash 1 more pan!

8 Comments

  1. Have you tried using canned diced tomatoes in this recipe. I have canned my own and would like to use it in place of the ketchup. I look forward to trying this!

    • Hi Peggy! I have not tried canned diced tomatoes. Maybe just limit the amount of liquid as you don’t want the casserole to be “liquidy”. I hope it turns out well!

  2. Looks great! Can’t wait to try it.

    Caution: Worcestershire sauce is usually not gluten-free because it has malt barely vinegar. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation anything made from a wheat, barley or rye derivative that is not distilled contains gluten.

    • Hi Cam! I really hope you enjoy this casserole. Thank you so much for the heads up! I am not gluten free, but frequently cook with gluten free ingredients and did not know this. Blessings!

  3. This sounds interesting but good. I like that the flavors are different than tater tot casserole but the dish is still super harty. With 4 kids 3 of them being boys I like when dinner keeps them full for a bit

  4. Johanna Bennetts

    We made this tonight! Definitely two thumbs up from the kiddos! They loved the sweetness from the ketchup. I’m sure it will be in our regular rotation.

    • Johanna! Hey girl! Thank you so much for leaving your recipe review”. πŸ˜‰ I am so glad to hear this recipe will make your regular meal rotation. Woot woot! …We just enjoyed it last night…again… LOL

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