
Did you have tater tots as a kid? I definitely did.
For us, they were a side dish, along some frozen vegetables and fish sticks… or something like that. Doesn’t sound very appetizing to my adult, food-blogging self. I actually never really loved fish sticks but they somehow kept winding up at the dinner table! Maybe it’s because we had a nanny that couldn’t cook?
Anyway, I’ve heard about Tater Tot Casserole for ages. It seems like it was (or maybe it still is) a staple weeknight dinner dish for families with children. You know – something easy, that everyone in the family will eat without question.
Out of curiosity, I eventually asked someone what actually goes in Tater Tot Casserole, because I had no idea. They explained that it’s normally ground meat and cream of chicken soup. I immediately thought of My Other Half, because it sounded like the type of comfort food he’d LOVE.
I would say Tater Tot Casserole is sort of like a lazy girls’ shepherd’s pie, without the veggies. By all means, you can throw in veggies – when I was researching difference versions of Tater Tot Casserole to develop this recipe, I found a few that throw in frozen mixed veggies with the ground meat. It might be a good way to get kids to eat a few more green things? But what do I know? I’m not a parent. Yet.
This casserole looks kinda gross, I’ll admit, but it tastes AMAZING. Serious rainy or snowy day comfort food. I loved taking it for lunches! And obviously My Other Half went nuts for it.
This recipe is so easy! Even if you’re not a cook, you can totally make it in, like, five minutes. Do it!
- 1 lb ground beef
- Italian seasoning, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ package (400 g) tater tots
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup cream or milk (I used half and half)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (I used marble)
- Brown ground beef and drain excess fat. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Pour into a greased 9x9-inch glass baking dish. Arrange tater tots over top. In a bowl, whisk together the soup and cream. Pour evenly over the tater tots. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
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