This first time I have ever tasted this tater tot casserole, I was living with my then roommate, Cecily. I ate so much that I fell into a food coma. I love this dish so much that I asked her to share this recipe with me. Little did I know it was so simple so make. This dish was so delicious yet so simple that I wish I was the one that came up with this recipe. Credits goes to Cecily for sharing this recipe with me.
Every time I make this dish it is a huge hit! If you have kids, this will be a huge hit with them since it is always a huge hit with my younger cousins. Those who have tried this dish always request that I make this for them. Those that have seen me post pictures of this dish on my Instagram are constantly asking me for the recipe. This is not the healthiest recipe out there and for those who are health conscious, this may not be the recipe for you. A little warning about this dish: this tater tot casserole is so delicious that it can become addicting so I do advise only making it once in a while. The great thing about this dish is you can always swap out the ingredients to make it healthier or put your own take on it. You can add bacon to it if you like to make it feel liked a baked potato. If you feel that this dish to too heavy for you, you can always swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken (alternative recipe below). You can always use low fat cheese or reduce the amount of cheese you put in it. This dish is simple yet indescribable. It is a hearty, filling, meaty, cheesy, crispy, moist, and delicious goodness all in one dish. It is comfort food. (See below for the recipe and Youtube video below.)
1 lb. Ground Beef
10.5 oz Cream of Mushroom Soup
Shredded Cheese (Colby and Monterey Jack blend)
Tater Tots
Optional Ingredients:
Sour Cream
Green Onion
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
While the oven is preheating, cook the ground beef in a frying pan. Once the ground beef is cooked through, turn off the heat and drain the excess fat. Mix one 10.5 oz can of Cream of Mushroom soup with the cooked ground beef. Transfer and smooth out the meat mixture in a baking dish. Top the meat mixture with shredded cheese. I usually use a Colby and Monterey Jack blend or whatever is on sale at the grocery store. Top it all off with Tater Tots. You can choose to line up the tater tots one by one or just pour it on top with no rhyme or reason. Notice that I did not add any salt to this recipe because with the Cream of Mushroom Soup and the cheese, this dish is salty enough.
Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until desired crispiness of the tater tots. This part is optional but once your tater tot casserole is ready to be served, you can top it with sour cream and green onions for added texture, freshness, and flavor.
Healthier version:
All the steps above are the same except, instead of using ground beef, use ground turkey. Since turkey doesn't have much flavor, season the turkey with a couple teaspoons of paprika.