Nonsequitur Life

Tater.

Tot.

Hotdish.

You heard me.

Listen.

I’m from Minnesota.

This shit is part of my damn DNA.

It’s HOTDISH.

I don’t make it often, though I could make it more. It’s just not the healthiest of meals. But it’s comfort food. And sometimes you just need comfort food.

Tater Tot Hotdish

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (or beef or chicken)
2 lb bag tater tots
2 10-oz cans cream of (chicken, mushroom, celery, pick your favorite) soup (or scratch alternative)
2 tsp steak seasoning

Optional:
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup frozen corn (or other small vegetable)

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 380 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. (Pyrex is a beautiful thing.)

2.) Brown meat until no longer pink. Drain excess fat if necessary.

3.) Add seasoning, cream soup (see note), and vegetable (if using). Stir to combine. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.

4.) Line bottom of baking dish with half of the tater tots. Pour meat mixture over top in an even layer. Add second half of tater tots. If using, sprinkle shredded cheese over top.

5.) Cover pan with foil. (Use nonstick foil or spray regular foil with nonstick spray to prevent sticking.)

6.) Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Time may vary based on your oven, but 45 to 50 minutes should be plenty of time to heat completely through.

Notes:
If using canned cream soup, add soup and fill each can with water or milk (20 oz of liquid) and add to pan. If using scratch mix, combine dry mix (2/3 cup) with 20 oz water and stir to combine, then add to pan.

Source: I’m Minnesotan. I just know these things.

Yes, I know you’re supposed to use cream of mushroom soup, but because I’ve changed to using my alternative mix, it equates to cream of chicken. You can add chopped mushrooms to the meat mixture if you want a more “traditional” recipe. I’m not crazy about mushrooms so I find the flavor to be too dominant in this.

I don’t always use shredded cheese. It’s usually dictated by whether or not there is already shredded cheese in the fridge because I am lazy. Omitting the cheese is also a marginally healthier option.

If adding vegetable, corn is the most neutral. Other vegetables (green beans are common) alter the flavor a lot more. I’m prone to leaving out the vegetable altogether, but if I have something else on hand, I’ll serve it on the side. (Roasted broccoli or some such.) You get the benefit of vegetables without changing the flavor of the main dish.

—

Honey I’m Good Andy Grammer