Shall we start out with the long debated hotdish vs casserole? It all boils down to where in the country you reside. In my region of the country, there is no such thing as casserole. Tater Tot Hotdish, Tuna Noodle Hotdish, Hamburger Hotdish, Enchilada Hotdish…I can keep going.
Ok, fine, there’s one dish that can be called a casserole, but we only eat it once a year; Green Bean Casserole reserved solely for Thanksgiving.
Now, Tater Tot Hotdish/Casserole gets a bad rap, mostly from our younger days when we were forced to eat this nearly inedible meal in the school cafeteria. But, I am here to redeem this underrated hotdish! As the saying goes, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” So, if you’ve been scarred by the ghost of hotdish past, let me heal those scars and open your eyes to the beauty of this Tuned-Up Tex-Mex Hotdish!
Tuned-Up Ingredients
So we’re all familiar with the ground beef, cream of mushroom, frozen mixed veggies and tater tots. Well, this isn’t your Grandma’s recipe and Grandma may not approve of this hotdish rendition, but let’s get down with how we tune-up this tater tot hotdish.
- Roasted Poblano Peppers
- Red & Orange Bell Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Canned or fresh Jalapeños
- Sour Cream
- 2 kinds of Chili Powder-Standard Issue Chili Powder & Chipotle Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
Mix it Up
First, get that ground beef browned up, then sauté all the veggies. Now, let’s get saucy! We’ll stay true to our roots and use cream of mushroom soup, but to make it more interesting, mix in sour cream and a splash of milk to thin it out a bit. This is where we really veer off from the original, throw in your seasonings; chili powder (2 types!), cumin and garlic powder. Let the flavors meld a bit and if you want to throw in that umami curveball, add a few dashes of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Yum! It just takes it to a whole new level!
Now that we’re sauced…wait are we sauced? Well, the hotdish is sauced and coming together. Pour the mixture into a prepared baking dish and sprinkle on the cheese. Next, top with tater tots. I like the Ore Ida Mini Tater Tots, because you get more crispy edges and I think more fit in the pan. I mean, this is tater tot hotdish; it must have LOTS of TOTS!
Sprinkle the tots with a little smoked paprika to amp up the golden deliciousness and get it in the oven! When the hotdish begins to bubble and the tots are crispy and browned, its time to dig in. Serve it up with a side salad or slices of avocados if you’re feeling healthy. I enjoy mine with a side of ketchup. You betcha’ that’s the North Dakotan in me, ketchup goes with everything!
Like it? Pin it!
Tex-Mex Tater Tot Hotdish
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 Yellow Onion Diced or 6 tbsp dried minced onion
- 1 Red Bell Pepper; diced
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper; diced
- 1 Poblano Pepper; diced
- 8 oz White Mushrooms; diced
- 10 oz Package of frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 tbsp Canned Jalapeños
- 1 10.5 oz can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1/3 cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup Milk Add to create desired sauce thickness
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Chili Powder Feel free to add more to taste
- 1/2 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 cups Shredded Colby Jack Cheese Or Cheddar, Monteray Jack, Mexican Cheese Blend etc.
- 28 oz Ore Ida Mini Tater Tots 1 bag
- 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat skillet over medium high heat and brown ground beef. Remove beef from pan and reserve 2 tablespoons of beef fat.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter to skillet and once melted, add in onion, bell pepper, poblano pepper and mushrooms. Saute until onion is transluscent and peppers and mushrooms are tender.
- Add frozen veggies to skillet with other veggies and cook until tender crisp. Remove from heat.
- In medium sized pot combine condensed cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and milk. Stir until well incorporated.
- Add the chili powder, chipotle chili powder, cumin, granulated garlic, ground black pepper, soy sauce & worcestershire sauce into the mushroom soup/sour cream/milk mixture and stir to combine.
- Add beef and vegetable mixture and canned jalapenos to the creamy sauce and stir until incorporated.
- Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese and top entire dish with mini tater tots. Lightly sprinkle the tots with smoked paprika.
- Place in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until hotdish is bubbling and tater tots are crispy and golden brown.
