This is how we make it:
Brown about 2 lbs of ground beef, drain it, then mix it with cream of mushroom soup(2 cans with a little water about 1 can put it in a 9 by 13 then put the tator tots on top.
Sprinkle with cheese the last 5 minutes (we use cheddar).
bake at 350 until the tots are done.
You could make this with 1/2 ingredients, but we are a large family.