Tuesday Dinners

Tater Tot Hotdish

Don’t call it a casserole.

⏲️ Prep Time
15 minutes

⏲️ Cook Time
45 Minutes

🍴 Serves
6

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1 can (10 ounces) of cream of mushroom soup
  • 6-8 ounces frozen vegetables
  • 16-24 ounces frozen tater tots (8×8 or 9×13)
  • [Optional] 8 ounces of shredded cheese

Directions

  1. Chop an onion, add it to a pan with the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until beef is browned
  2. Combine cooked beef with cream of mushroom soup and frozen vegetables of choice and mix
  3. Pour mixture into either a 9×13 or 8×8 baking dish and top with tater tots (minimal spacing if possible)
  4. Cook in a 400 degree oven for either 45 minutes (no cheese) or 35 minutes, top with cheese and then cook for another 10

Step by Step Directions

Chop your onion. In my mind hotdishes are a pretty lazy meal, so it doesn’t have to be too fine of a chop. Add the onion, some salt and pepper and your ground beef to a pot.

Cook until the beef is completely browned.

Take the pot off the heat and scoop in your cream of mushroom soup and your frozen vegetables. This is a double batch because I couldn’t find only a pound of beef at the grocery store. It doesn’t matter how much is included so long as you have the proper ratio of soup, beef and vegetables. Mix to combine all the ingredients.

Layer the bottom of a baking tray with your mixture. There should not be any obvious white parts where the mixture isn’t combined.

Turn your oven to 400 degrees, by the time you’re done with the tater tots it should be close to preheated.

Layer the tater tots over your beef mixture, lightly pushing them into the mixture to make sure they won’t topple off.

Throw into the oven for either 35 minutes (if you’re using cheese) or 45 minutes.

Top your tater tots with shredded cheese. If you don’t want to be able to see the potatoes then go nuts, if you just want to use a little then more power to you.

You should be cooking for yourself, so do it how you like it.

Once the cheese is melted then pull it out of the oven and serve.

I had some friends that claimed that cold ketchup (as in they would put it in the freezer beforehand) is the proper way to eat this, but you do you.

Enjoy.

Variations

  • Change up the vegetables however you’d like, some people (like me) prefer just corn, some swear by green beans, some say if it isn’t a vegetable medley you’re not doing it right.
  • Change the cheese up. The cheese itself is a hotly debated topic, with some saying it doesn’t belong, but if you like it then it’s your kitchen and your rules.
  • Eat it with hot sauce. Minnesotans say ketchup is spicy (which is what this is usually served with), but if you want some heat then I’d recommend going with your favorite hot sauce.

Unsolicited Feedback

  • MN: This isn’t how my Grandma makes it.
  • LM: Why exclude people? It’s a casserole, just call it that.
  • JT: Beef? Good. Vegetables? Good. Tater tots? Good.