Tater Tot Casserole

In some ways Tater Tot Casserole is like Tuna Noodle Casserole. It’s been made for years, most of not everyone has eaten it and it’s been served in school and hospital cafeterias for as long as I can remember, and I’m old! Secretly, I love tater tot casserole. It’s one of those guilty pleasures that we indulge in every so often and when we do it’s like, Ahhh comfort food at it’s best.

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Tater Tot Casserole, A Can-Can Recipe.

This is a can can recipe. What exactly does that mean? Well, a can can recipe, is a recipe that uses two or more cans of condensed soup. I have been using condensed soup in recipes since I started cooking, many years ago. My mom used condensed soup and I think my grandma did too. I mainly use cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup and cream of chicken soup. Lately I’ve been using cream of shrimp soup and cream of leek soup.

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Cream of Whatever

I know that there are some people who turn up their nose at the thought of using canned condensed soup..if you have the time and money to make your own version of condensed (cream of mushroom) soup, then by all means, knock yourself out! In fact, send me some, I’d love to try it. But seriously, there is a reason why Campbell’s Soup has been in business for so many years. Campbell’s Cream of Condensed Soup is: 1. Convenience 2. Versatility 3. Affordability and 4. Always creamy and delicious.

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So Many Varieties, So Little Time

Have you ever really looked at all of the varieties of Campbell’s condensed creamed soup! Campbell’s makes over 70 varieties of condensed creamed soup, from cream of asparagus soup to cream of shrimp soup and everything in between. Condensed creamed soups are here to stay. I for one am glad because every now and then, all you want for dinner is a good ol’ fashioned casserole or bake dish or hot dish…depending on where you live.

Casserole Classic

Tater tot casserole has got to be one of those casseroles that everyone has had, at least once in their life. Either your mom made it, your grandma made it, a childhood friends mom made it, or you ate it in the school cafeteria. After all, tater tot casserole has been around forever! This is my families version on the classic, Tater Tot Casserole.

Hot Dish or Casserole

The word “Hotdish” is said to have originated in the Upper Midwest region of the United States, therefore many feel that Tater Tot Hotdish originated in this same area. Having grown up Wisconsin where I know for a fact that casseroles or hotdish rule to this day. Hotdish basically means a dish that is cooked in a single baking dish, and served hot. Aggie always used the term “casserole” when referring to “hotdish” But my sister-in-law and my in-laws always say “hotdish.”

I decided to go in search of the Midwest “Hotdish” and I found this article on Everything You Need To Know About Hotdish. The hotdish is the unoffical state cuisine of Minnesota and a comfort food staple in households across the Upper Midwest. It’s served as a traditional main course and most often appears at family reunions and church suppers.

The base of a hotdish starts with canned cream of mushroom soup and canned vegetables. The remaining ingredients are as varied as the cooks who make them. If you sit down to something that doesn’t look like anything you’ve ever seen or eaten before, it’s probably a hotdish. With the invention of tater tots in 1956, the hotdish was changed forever. Since then, hotdishes are cover with a layer of tater tots, potato chips, fried onions and chow mein noodles.

tater tot

Tater Tot Casserole

An old fashioned classic casserole.
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Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1/2 of a large onion, chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 14 1/2 oz can green beans (Cut, French-style or Italian-style)
  • 2 10 1/2 oz can each condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
  • 1- 32 ounce package tater tots, frozen
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Brown ground beef with chopped onion, season with salt and pepper to taste and garlic powder, drain off fat. Spread the beef in the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish.
  • Drain the can of green beans. Spoon vegetables over the meat.
  • Using a rubber spatula, spread the cans of soup over the top of the vegetables and meat. Arrange a layer of tater tots over the top.
  • Bake for 45 minutes, sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese, bake an additional 15 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @lynnturnips on Instagram with the hashtag #turnips2tangerines

 

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