Brown ground beef and add salt and pepper to taste. Add to casserole dish Stir in cream of chicken soup and peas. Add crushed red pepper, if desired.
Top with tater tots. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the tater tots.
Bake, covered, for about 1 hour if tater tots are partially thawed. If they're completely frozen, you'll likely need to bake it for about 1 1/2 hours in order to make sure the tots are completely heated through.