Weeknights demand simplicity, and Tater Tot Hot Dish provides it for the busiest of households. This comforting, warm, creamy, cheesy dish pairs well with additional vegetables served alongside it. Warm bread is also a nice addition.
Tater Tot Hot Dish Components
The ingredients are easy to throw together, especially if you have done some prep work ahead of time.
- Casserole Sauce Mix – if you haven’t tried this yet, it’s great to have on hand. A homemade, powdered mix, ready to be stirred up with water and microwaved (or stovetop heated) to creamy perfection. This ingredient replaces any canned cream soup with better flavor and is about as convenient. If you don’t have it, just substitute cream soup of your choice.
- Browned Ground Beef – come over from the dark side, and just brown a big batch of beef. Drain it, spoon it into freezer bags or containers, and stack it into your freezer. Dinner in minutes if you have it readily available. I’m out right now, and my next big trip will include a 6-pound package of ground beef. It will divide up into 8-10 containers and keep us going for a month or two.
- Frozen Vegetables – Whatever you have on hand works. I used my own carrot/celery/onion mix that I had prepared, plus a package of riced cauliflower. This casserole can use any, absolutely any, frozen vegetable – mixed vegetables, Italian mix, country trio, stir fry, soup mix. Pick your favorite.
- Cheese – shredded cheddar. Easy enough.
- Tater Tots – those perfect little potato bites that get crisp and crunchy add the perfect texture to its namesake dish.
Putting It All Together
This recipe is as simple as heating the sauce mix, adding the vegetables, beef, and cheese, pouring it into any baking dish (8″ square, 9×13, pie plate, round, disposable) and topping it with an artistically designed layout of tater tots. We go for sophistication around here.
This is a perfect meal to take to someone in need. Make a large batch, pour it into two dishes, and you’re all set with a meal for home and one to share.
What If You Have A Tater Tot Hog?
This filling can also be dished into individual dishes (make sure they’re oven safe) and topped with tater tots to make sure nobody scrapes the tater tots off someone else’s portion. Yes, I had teens once.
Tater Tot Hot Dish
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 1 pound ground beef
- 2 c beef casserole sauce mix (prepared from 2/3 c powder) or cream of mushroom soup
- 4 c frozen vegetables
- 1 lb tater tots
- 2 c cheese shredded
Instructions
- Brown ground beef, with onion and salt and pepper, if you like. (About 1/2 onion, 1/2 t each s&p)
- Combine 2/3 c casserole sauce mix powder and 2 cups water (1/3 c mix for each cup of water), whisk well, and microwave for 3 minutes. Whisk, and microwave at one-minute intervals until it thickens.
- Add drained beef and vegetables to thickened sauce. Add cheese and pour into sprayed dish.
- Top with tater tots and bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes until tots are crisp and sauce is bubbly.
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