Servings
Font
Back
4.7 from 402 votes

Tater Tot Hotdish

Tater Tot Hotdish is classic comfort food here in Minnesota. My easy recipe features a creamy ground beef and veggie filling crowned by a glorious topping of crispy, golden tater tots and cheese. Make it with or withOUT canned soup — I share both versions here!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 600 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Recipe #1 - tater tot hotdish with homemade gravy:
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 8 ounces chopped fresh button mushrooms
  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Frank's Red Hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
  • Morton kosher salt, to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I like to add quite a bit!)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
  • 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (I like to use a mix of corn, carrots, green beans, and peas.)
  • 2 pounds frozen tator tots
  • 8 ounces block sharp cheddar, shredded
Recipe #2 - tater tot hotdish with canned soup:
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cans (10 ounces each) Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup (I prefer the regular soup for this, not reduced fat or reduced sodium)
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Frank's RedHot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 
  • ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley, divided
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
  • Morton kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (I like to use a mix of corn, carrots, green beans, and peas.)
  • 2 pounds frozen tator tots
  • 8 ounces block sharp cheddar, shredded

Instructions

Recipe #1 - tater tot hotdish with homemade gravy:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a 12" cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat, brown the beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Once browned, remove beef to a plate with a slotted spoon. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the beef fat from the skillet and adjust heat to medium.
  3. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the beef fat in the skillet. Once butter is melted, add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic, and stir to incorporate. Cook until onions are transparent and mushrooms are nicely softened, about 6-10 minutes.
  4. Now slide everything in the skillet to one side. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to other side of skillet. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter, whisking all the while (a flat whisk works great for this). Draw as much butter, beef fat, and juices from the vegetables as you can, into the flour. Cook for a 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling and slightly browned.
  5. Add soy sauce, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the gravy side of the pan. Whisk and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Slowly add the milk to the gravy side, while you whisk and scrape the bottom of the skillet. Once this mixture is smoothed out, bring the mushroom mixture into the milk mixture, and then add the reserved cooked beef. Stir to incorporate. Cook until thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
  7. Stir in sour cream, 1 tablespoon of the parsley and 1 tablespoon of the thyme. Next add the frozen vegetables and stir to incorporate. Spread mixture into an even layer in the skillet. Then top with frozen tater tots.
  8. Place skillet in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. Move skillet up a bit higher in the oven and broil until tater tots are nicely browned - this can take up to 10 minutes, depending on your broiler. Remove skillet from oven and sprinkle tater tots with cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust oven back to 350°F and place skillet back in the oven (not under the broiler) and cook for an additional 6-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and gravy is bubbling. If desired, place skillet underneath the broiler for a few more minutes to brown the cheese just a bit. Remove skillet from oven.
  9. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Serve hot. I like to eat mine with ketchup and/or Frank's Red Hot Sauce.
Recipe #2 - tater tot hotdish with canned soup:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a 12" cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat, brown the beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Once browned, remove beef to a plate with a slotted spoon.
  3. Discard beef fat and then add butter to the pan. Once butter is melted, add the onion and garlic. Stir to incorporate. Cook until the onions are transparent and nicely softened, about 6-10 minutes.
  4. Add cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce, Frank's RedHot Sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to fully incorporate.
  5. Fold beef into the mixture and then cook until it is warmed and bubbling, stirring regularly. Add sour cream, half of the parsley and thyme, and the salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate. Then stir in the frozen vegetables. Spread mixture into an even layer in the skillet. Then top with frozen tater tots. 
  6. Place skillet in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. Move skillet up a bit higher in the oven and broil until tater tots are nicely browned - this can take up to 10 minutes, depending on your broiler. Remove skillet from oven and sprinkle tater tots with cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust oven back to 350°F and place skillet back in the oven (not under the broiler) and cook for an additional 6-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and gravy is bubbling. If desired, place skillet underneath the broiler for a few more minutes to brown the cheese just a bit. Remove skillet from oven.
  7. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Serve hot. I like to eat mine with ketchup and/or Frank's Red Hot Sauce.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 600kcal (30%) Carbohydrates 26g (9%) Protein 31g (62%) Fat 41g (63%) Saturated Fat 20g (100%) Polyunsaturated Fat 16g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 116mg (39%) Sodium 800mg (33%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 3g (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 600

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 600kcal 30%
Carbohydrates 26g 9%
Protein 31g 62%
Fat 41g 63%
Saturated Fat 20g 100%
Polyunsaturated Fat 16g 94%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 116mg 39%
Sodium 800mg 33%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 3g 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.