Cheesy Tater Tot Hotdish

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Nut-free/Gluten-free option

Skill Level: Beginner

Yield: Serves 6-8 people

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes

Cook Time: About 1 hour and 15 minutes

Equipment Needed:

• Cutting board 

• Chef's knife 

• Large skillet

• Mixing bowl 

• 9x13-inch baking pan

The Recipe:

This recipe was inspired by a recipe from a cookbook called Dishing Up Minnesota

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

• 1 celery stalk, diced small

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 10 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (about 1 1/4 cups)

• 2 (10.5-ounce) cans of cream of mushroom soup

• 3/4 cup milk

• About 90 frozen tater tots

• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, such as cheddar or Colby

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Add ground beef to a large skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to break it up, until fully browned (8-10 minutes).

3. Meanwhile, stir the cans of cream of mushroom soup and the milk together in a separate bowl.

4. Tilt pan to release liquid fat to the edge of the pan, then use a spoon to remove all but about 1-2 teaspoons of fat.

5. Add onion and celery to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic to the pan and stir an additional 30 seconds. Stir in the thyme, then season with the Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

6. Add the frozen mixed vegetables to the pan and stir until everything is combined. Spread this mixture evenly in your prepared baking pan.

7. Pour the soup/milk mixture over the top of the meat/vegetable mixture, using a rubber/silicone spatula or the back of a wide spoon to coat everything with the soup mixture as evenly as possible.

8. Arrange a single layer of tater tots over the top of everything, packing them right next to each other without overlapping.

9. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes.

10. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top of the tater tots, then bake for 5 additional minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.

To Serve: I love these "one dish" type of meals because with a starch, protein, and vegetable included, you really don't need to serve with any additional sides! However, I like serving a hearty hotdish like this one with a crisp, easy salad sometimes as well.

Adjusting for your diet: This recipe could be made gluten-free as long as you are sure to use gluten-free tater tots and gluten-free cream of mushroom soup. I've never made a tater tot hotdish that was vegetarian, but since the star of the show is kind of the tater tots, I totally think it could be done by simply omitting the beef! If you go this route, you could try adding additional frozen mixed vegetables. Another option would be to substitute a plant-based protein such as Impossible Beef.

Tips:

• Any type of ground protein could be used in this recipe; I actually love to make this hotdish with ground bison when I have it on hand. Use what you've got! Ground turkey, chicken, even Italian sausage would all work here since the other flavors in the dish are quite neutral.

• I always use yellow onions, but in a pinch I think white, red, or anything else you have on hand would work just fine.

• Any combo of frozen mixed vegetables will work here; I usually use a mix that includes carrots, peas, corn, and green beans. No need to thaw them before you toss them in!

• I know a lot of people shy away from "cream of..." soups (and I get it), but they are part of what makes this recipe so easy and I think to be considered a true "hotdish" you have to have them ;) that said, if you wanted to tinker with a homemade version, I support you!

• I bake the hotdish until the cheese is melted and call it good, but if you like your cheese to have a little bit of color/crisp on it, you could throw your hotdish under the broiler for a minute at the very end.

• We usually have a giant Costco-sized bag of tater tots in our freezer (tater tots are one of my weaknesses), but if that's not you, you can buy a 2-pound bag and you won't quite use the whole thing on this hotdish.

• Sidebar: if tater tots are also your weakness, I have experimented a lot on how to make the frozen ones taste like they came from a restaurant without deep frying them, and here's what I've come up with: I spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, spread a single layer of frozen tater tots on the sheet and then bake them for the time/temp. recommended on the package with my oven on convection setting (or in an air fryer, if you have one). Then I pull them out, move the top rack up until it's about 4-6 inches from the broiler element, and set the oven to broil on high. While that is heating up, I spray the top of the tater tots with cooking spray. I broil them for 30-60 seconds, or until the tops are just starting to brown. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle liberally with Lawry's seasoned salt. Yum!!

The Story:

I'm not sure you can be a born-and-raised Minnesota food blogger and not include a recipe for tater hot dish on your site, right?! This cheesy tater tot hotdish is delicious, tummy-warming, cheesy, creamy goodness in a pan, but it's also nostalgic and heart-warming to those that grew up eating hotdish.

Awaiting it's destiny: classic cream of mushroom soup and crispy, salty tater tots.

I did a little bit of research on the origin of tater tot hotdish, or more generally, on good ol' midwestern hotdish. One thing I learned was that the word "hotdish" first appeared in a recipe published in 1930 in a cookbook published by the Grace Lutheran Ladies Aid from Mankato, Minnesota-how perfect is that?! Hotidishes were created during the era of the Great Depression as a way to help families stretch a few humble ingredients into a filling meal.

I also learned that for nine years there was a tradition in Minnesota for politicians to hold a competition to see who could make the best hotdish! It was called the "Minnesota Delegation Hotdish Competition." Sadly, I have concluded that this was one of those traditions that died with Covid, because the last winner I could find was in 2019. In case I have piqued your curiosity, the last winner was Congresswoman Betty McCollum, and her winning dish was named "Hotdish A-Hmong friends." You can find Betty's competition-winning recipe here!

This hotdish isn't always made with a melty, cheesy topping, but I adore cheese so it felt right to include it in my version. It probably goes without saying, but my kids LOVE this meal, and I love that it's so quick and easy to put together on a busy night. I hope that some day my kids make this hotdish for their families, and it warms them up and makes them think of home :)

Happy tasting!