I went to the Minnesota State Society’s annual Pancake Breakfast at Ft. Hunt Park in VA this Saturday and after feasting upon grilled spam and MN-made pancakes, I was completely inspired to make an old Minnesota tradition, Tater Tot Hotdish. If you’re not familiar with tater tot hotdish, it is basically a hot dish (or casserole to anyone outside of Minnesota) of ground beef, onions, cream of mushroom soup, tater tots and often canned or frozen vegetables. A quick search on the internet will reveal countless versions of this dish but most revolve around the 4-5 aforementioned ingredients.
Since I love good old Midwestern foods but also love fresh and bold ingredients I decided to give it a new twist! A grown up make over even… I enlisted my personal taste tester (aka my husband Troy) to help me think of new ingredients. We decided we wanted to add fresh green beans (instead of canned), shallots, crimini mushrooms and greek yogurt (for some tang). Based on the addition of these ingredients and several more listed below, we came up with what is the best tater tot hotdish I’ve ever had!
I know most people make tater tot hotdish becuase it is simple and delicious but I’ve kicked it up a notch, not only in taste but also in difficulty. Well, maybe not difficulty but in time commitment. Granted I was testing out different ingredients and quantities, but it took me quite a bit longer than if I had used the old standby. You may want to keep this in mind should you decide to try this recipe. Having said that… both Troy and I agreed it was totally worth it!
Wannabe Chef Steph’s Grown up Tater Tot Hotdish
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 shallots thinly sliced
- 1 cup sliced crimini (baby portabella) mushrooms
- 2 cups sliced fresh green beans sliced length-wise
- 2- 2 ½ cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (I like Cracker Barrel)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1- 10 ½ oz cans cream of mushroom soup
- ½ 10 ½ oz can cream of chicken soup
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup greek yogert
- 1- 2 pound bag frozen onion tater tots
- 2 tsps Worchester sauce
- 1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup red wine
- Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, cook onions in the olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, shallots and mushrooms, cook until soft. Add in beef, red wine, cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes, Worchester, paprika, salt and pepper. Brown until fully cooked.
Sauteing mushrooms, onions, shallots and garlic
In a separate bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, Greek yogurt, garlic powder and salt and pepper.
Steam fresh French cut green beans 5 minutes and immediately blanch in ice water. Drain and pat dry.
Fresh greenbeans!
Place ½ of the cooked meat mixture in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Line with half of the green beans and half of the cheese and half of the soup mixture. Repeat in same order and finish top layer with neatly placed tater tots. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper.
Layer one
Layer two
Layer three
Layer 4
The final and most important layer: tater tots!
Delicious layers
Bake for 50-55 minutes. 10 minutes before done sprinkle with cheddar cheese and return to oven. Place in broiler for 2-4 minutes to crisp the top. Serves 8-10.
Fresh out of the oven!
Delicious Grown up Tater Tot Hotdish!
To compliment the deliciousness that is Tater Tot Hotdish, I made a simple salad of heirloom tomatoes with a fresh basil vinaigrette (1 cup fresh basil leaves, 2 tbsp champagne vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper, pulsed in food processor).
Heirloom tomato salad with fresh basil vinaigrette
Final thoughts on Wannabe Chef Steph’s Grown up Tater Tot Hotdish
Time: 45 minutes prep 60 minutes to cook
Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Est. ~$25
Taste: 8 out of 10
Final verdict: A sophisticated update to an old favorite
For next time: I’d like to try bison meat and Gouda cheese
Do you have any fun updates to Tater Tot hotdish? Any recommended ingredients? What is your favorite update to an old favorite?
Next time there’s some “function” at the client site, please please please bring this!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks so good!
Most definitely! If its not “decks and dogs” its “tater tots and text boxes.”
I am totally going to try this. It looks so great!
Thanks Backer, let me know if you try it! Or if you have any other fun ideas for it!
Oh, how I wish I had an oven!
Hmmm, could you get a toaster oven? That might work in smaller quantities. I bet you make some killer stove top eats though!
Steph this looks awesome! I need to try it!!
Thanks Desi! Next up… you teach me the secrets of your wild rice soup;)
your ingredients list always intimidates me! this looks delicious though; makes me wish i had bakeware.
Bakeware, smakeware (that sounded cooler in my head), all you need is one of those disposable aluminum dish from the grocery store. You should try it!