Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole

This Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole is a true American classic comfort food! Everyone from Grandmas to busy moms and dads have been making this easy Tater Tot Casserole recipe for decades. Let's go back to basics with this surprisingly tasty and popular hotdish!

 

Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole

The Hotdish is a casserole that contains meat, something starchy (such as tater tots), frozen or canned veggies, and a cream of something soup. This is a very popular dish in the upper Midwest of the USA, especially Minnesota.

My mom lived in MN for part of her life, and the things she cooked sometimes reflected her time there. For some reason the name Hotdish became Tater Tot Casserole in our neck of the woods.

There are dozens of ways to make a Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole. You can use ground beef, ground sausage, or ground turkey. Some recipes are very bare-bones and don't have you season the meat, and I find those quite bland. Some use canned vegetables, some frozen, and the "cream of" soup can be mushroom, chicken, or even celery.

My version of the Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole uses ground beef, or ground turkey, and some seasonings. I like to use frozen veggies as they are not as mushy as canned. I also like to mix up the soups to get more flavor. And cheese, as that is a yummy addition to so many recipes!

My family are meat and potatoes guys, so they really appreciate this Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole. This recipe makes about 10 servings, but sometimes the guys have seconds because it is so good! True Americana!

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Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 40 mins

 

This Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole is a true American classic comfort food! Everyone from Grandmas to busy moms and dads have been making this easy Tater Tot Casserole recipe for decades.

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Hotdish recipe, tater tot casserole recipe

Servings: 10

Calories: 402 kcal

Author: Sandy Clifton

Ingredients

• 32 oz Frozen Tater Tots (or enough to cover the casserole)
• 1 ½ - 2 lbs lbs Ground Beef (or ground Turkey, or Sausage)
• 1 small Onion, diced
• ½ tsp Pepper
• 1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
• ½ tsp Onion Powder
• ¼ tsp Thyme, dried
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce (or Worcestershire)
• 2 cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables
• 1 10.5 oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 10.5 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 2 ½ cups Shredded Cheese, divided (sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc.)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 425° F

2. Spread the tater tots out in an even layer on a baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove pan from oven and set aside (This optional steps helps you get a crispier tater tot layer).

3. Lower oven temperature to 350° F

4. In a skillet, start browning the meat and onion together. Add in the spices and soy sauce. Stir well and cook until meat is browned. Drain grease, if necessary.

5. Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the meat mixture into the dish and spread in an even layer.

6. Distribute the frozen veggies over the meat mixture in an even layer.

7. Mix the 2 cans of soup together and then spread evenly over the frozen veggies.

8. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over the soup layer.

9. Arrange the tater tots on top of the cheese in a single layer. Us as many as you need to cover the entire surface.

10. Bake in a 350° oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling.

11. Sprinkle the remaining ½ (or more) cup of cheese over the tater tots and put back in the oven just long enough to melt it.

12. Remove from the oven and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.