Even now that I no longer work full-time, I still want my weeknight meals to be quick, easy, and at least relatively healthy. While this tater tot casserole isn’t going to win any blue ribbons for creative combinations or out-of-this-world flavor profiles, it DOES come together easily and quickly, and I think that it would be a hit with almost any kid.
(I mean, how can you go wrong with serving tots?!)
Tater Tot Casserole
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped small (I like red or green)
1 can condensed cream of tomato soup
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 small can of sliced mushrooms (or about 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms, sliced)
2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey-Jack, etc.)
1 32-ounce bag of Tater Tots
- Combine the ground turkey and chopped onion and bell pepper in a large skillet. Turn your stove to medium heat and crumble the ground turkey using a spatula or wooden spoon, cooking it until the meat is no longer pink and the onion and bell pepper are soft. (If using fresh mushrooms, add them to the skillet here at the beginning with the other ingredients.)
- Add the soup, seasoning, and mushrooms to the skillet and stir together. Simmer together until heated through.
- Pour the meat mixture into a 9 x 13 greased casserole dish and layer the cheese and tater tops over it (I just do a layer of cheese directly onto the meat and then do the tots over that).
- Bake at 400 degrees (uncovered) for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is hot and bubbly and the tater tots are golden brown.
- Serve with ketchup (optional).
(recipe adapted from Taste of Home’s 2007 Award-Winning Recipes)
Note: if you use ground turkey and mozzarella cheese, the recipe comes in at just under 450 calories a serving (if you count 7 servings in the dish). Not too shabby!
Let me know if you end up trying it out, and feel free to pin or share to your heart’s content!
