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.