Tater Tot Hotdish

Ground beef and veggies in a creamy sauce topped with tater tots.

For those of you not from Minnesota (or like me and married to a Minnesotan), a hotdish is basically a casserole.  Generally, they are made up of four simple ingredients; meat, veggies, cream of mushroom soup, and a starch. I think of casseroles/hotdishes as being wintertime food.  They are simple, warm, and hardy.  A great dinner for a cold, dark day.

#Hotdish is a Minnesotan casserole | #TaterTotHotdish  [Tweet this]

It doesn't feel like a Minnesota winter ever in Hawaii but it gets a little chilly.  I've been here for 4 years and I've become acclimated to Hawaiian living.  It's great to live somewhere where the temperature highs are usually 80s during the summer and 60s for lows in the winter.  This winter has felt colder than the previous ones even though it's really still not winter-like when compared to Minnesota (I know I lived in Minnesota for 2 winters).  So, roll your eyes if you live somewhere really cold but I've been cold this winter and a hotdish sounded perfect (this is my husband's favorite).

Tater Tot #Hotdish is perfect #coldweatherfood  [Tweet this]

Tater Tot Hotdish

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables
1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can full of milk
frozen tater tots

Brown ground beef in a frying pan until fully cooked.  Remove meat from pan into a large bowl.

Pour off most of the grease from the frying pan, leaving about 1 tsp, and saute the onion over medium heat until translucent.  Add the cooked onion to the meat in the large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the vegetables, soup, and milk to the meat and onions.  Stir and mix well.

Pour into an 8x8 inch baking pan and top with a single layer of tater tots (pack them in there tightly you want "full tot coverage"--says my husband).

Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes.  Then broil it for a few minutes to make the tots crispier if you like.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  2 cup, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Tasty, full Plate, Cook Craft Share, Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, Merry Monday

For more cold weather food check out:

Bean and Barley Stew

Chicken & Wild Rice Hotdish

Lamb & Guinness Shepherd's Pie

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Easy Shepherd's Pie

A casserole made with leeks, celery, peas, veal and cream of mushroom soup and topped with mashed potatoes.

I don't know much about shepherd's pie, but I know it is topped with mashed potatoes.  So any time I top a casserole (or hot dish) with mashed potatoes I call it shepherd's pie.  I think traditionally it's supposed to have lamb in it but that is not what I had.  I had left over veal roast that I used in this recipe and it was great.  A casserole is not a casserole, to me, with out cream of mushroom soup.  It's quick and easy and always tastes good.  Any vegetable would work in this shepherd's pie, you could easily use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, but I had celery and peas.  I used leeks because they looked good in the store and I've always wanted to try them (this was my first time) but onions could be substituted.  That is one great thing about casseroles, you can use anything you want in them, they are quick, and they taste great.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 cup celery, chopped
2 leeks, white parts only (chopped)
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups veal, already cooked and chopped (substitute any kind of meat)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
3 cups mashed potatoes

Chop the leeks, white part only and let soak in water to remove any sediment, then drain. 

Heat a large saute pan on medium low heat and melt about 1 Tbsp butter.  Cook the garlic in the butter for about 1 minute until soft and fragrant then add the leeks and celery.  Let sweat until leeks are translucent and celery softens (about 10-20 minutes).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile prepare mashed potatoes how ever you like them.

When the leeks and celery are soft add the peas until they thaw and then add the veal mixing thoroughly.  Remove the veggies and veal into a large bowl and mix in the cream of mushroom soup (do not dilute).

Spread mixture into a buttered 8x8 inch baking dish and top with the mashed potatoes.  Bake in 350F oven for 30 minutes and then broil for a few minutes to get the top brown and crispy.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.  Serves 4-6.  Enjoy.

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