Tator Tot Casserole
Updated: Aug 18
While I am no longer dating Steve, I will give credit where credit is due: the man did leave me with one useful thing besides emotional damage and questionable financial decisions—his version of Tater Tot Casserole.
Now, is it actually his recipe? Absolutely fucking not. I’m sure he stole it from somebody’s mother, aunt, ex-girlfriend, cookbook, or the back of a Campbell’s soup can and then claimed it as his own. But custody of the casserole was awarded to ME in the breakup, and I will not be taking questions at this time.
It’s ridiculously simple, requires very little effort, and tastes like the kind of comfort food you eat straight out of the pan while standing over the stove questioning every decision that brought you to this exact moment.
So thank you, Steve. You can keep the memories. I’m keeping the Tater Tot Casserole.
Some relationships give you personal growth. Some give you trauma. Mine gave me a casserole.
INGREDIENTS:
4 cans of cream of potato soup (trust me, it's worth the search)
2 lbs of ground beef
2 gloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 cup of milk
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tsp garlic powder
1 Tsp onion powder
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 bags frozen tator tots
DIRECTIONS: (not like you listen anyway)
Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9x13" baking dish.
Brown the beef. Cook the ground beef and onion in a large pot (I know you're thinking skillet but TRUST ME) over medium-high heat until the beef is browned and the onion is soft. Drain off excess grease. Add garlic and cook til fragrant.
Make it creamy. Stir in the 4 cans of Cream of Potato soup with the milk, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper
Add the cheese. Stir in 1 cup of that delicious shredded cheese and make it all melty.
Microwave 1 bag of tator tots (approx 2-3 minutes) until they become squishy. Break them up into smaller pieces and then dump them in the pot and mix to combine.
Assemble. Pour the entire beef, potato and cheese mixture in the 9x13" pan and smooth it out.
Deploy the tots! Now take the other bag of tots and throw them on top of the mixture or, if you are like me, assemble them meticulously in a single layer - lining them all up (it's so satisfying).
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the tots are golden.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the golden pillows of potatoes and bake an additional 5-8 minutes until the cheese is all melty.
Let sit for 5 minutes before eating because it's as hot as LAVA and you will hate yourself for trying to eat what isn't ready for you. ENJOY!
**To make it "healthy" you can throw in a vegetable of your choice - corn, peas, green beans, or mixed vegetables.
Want to have shared custody? Download the damn recipes here!
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