Tater Tot Hotdish Recipe

If you live in North Dakota, Minnesota or perhaps Canada then you know this recipe. Maybe you have never made it but most people in this region know Tater Tot Hotdish almost as well as Jello Salad. It's what we do when the weather gets cold and windy. We eat delicious casseroles to comfort our souls.

Tater Tot Hotdish is easy to make and also makes great leftovers. You most likely have the ingredients in your pantry so no need to send your husband to the grocery store. My son is home from college and since he loves Tater Tot Hotdish it is what I am making for supper. Hopefully if I make it every time he comes home...well, he will keep coming home!

Ground beef, tater tots, cream of mushroom soup, onion, salt, pepper, mixed veggies and cheese are all the ingredients. The great thing about this recipe is that you can substitute ingredients easily to what you have on hand. Do you have ground turkey? Use it instead of ground beef. No mixed vegetables? Then used corn or green beans...you get the point. Let's start! Chop the onion and put in a good sized pan with a bit of olive oil. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until they are soft.

Next, add the ground beef to the onions. Brown until it is cooked through. I like to use my Pampered Chef Hamburger chopper to help chop up the ground beef. Is that redundant..it might be but if you have the chopper then you know what I mean. Best tool ever!

Once the meat is browned you need to drain it. Return it to the pan and add your bag of frozen vegetables.

Now we have some color going on! Stir to mix. Add in the salt and pepper. Open your soup and add it to the hamburger and veggie mixture.

That's quite a picture. Go ahead and stir everything together until it is well combined. Transfer to a 9 x 13 pan that has been lightly dusted with cooking spray.

Smooth the hamburger to a level surface. Add your Tater Tots to the top of the ground beef layer.

Line up the lovely Tater Tots in a row. Obviously my rows aren't looking so hot but you get the idea.

Bake at 350° uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove the Tater Tot Hotdish from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top of the Tater Tots, return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Start setting the table. In 10 minutes this hotdish is settling in on your plate. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut in pieces or shall I say scoop on to your plate.

Tater Tot Hotdish can serve a crowd unless they are college aged like my son who just ate 3 servings. Tater Tot Hotdish is great for potlucks or events that you need to serve a crowd.

Tater Tot Hotdish

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Oven Temp: 350°

Bake time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion

• 2 pounds ground beef

• 1 bag of frozen vegetables

• 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup or Cream of Chicken Soup

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¾ teaspoon black pepper

• 2 pounds of Tater Tots (a large bag of tots)

• ½ cup Shredded Cheese of your choice

Directions

1. Chop the onion and add to a large fry pan that has a tablespoon of olive oil in it. . Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the ground beef and brown until cooked through. Drain.

3. Combine the vegetables with the hamburger mixture.

4. Add the soup to the hamburger/vegetable mixture. Stir to combine.

5. Transfer this mixture to a 9 x 13 dish.

6. Layer the Tater Tots on top of the Hamburger

7. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top of the Tater Tots.

8. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

9. Let the Tater Tot Hotdish sit for 5 minutes then serve.

Enjoy!

Missy Tips:

• You can use ground beef or chicken instead of ground beef.

• Any type of frozen vegetable will work just fine.

• This makes very good leftovers, or so my husband says...

• Serve with fresh fruit or vegetable and bread

• You can use Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Celery or Cream of Chicken Soup for this recipe.