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| tater tot casserole, ©sarampeters |
I have very distinct memories of a tater tot casserole from my teenage years. It the was the comfort food meal at diocesan youth conferences at a conference center in Boone, Iowa. Being a teenager, and the experiences therein, were awkward, uncomfortable and exciting. Who were going to be best friends at the conference.... who was going to have a falling out resulting in major drama.... who was going to have a crush on whom.... oh, yeah... how was God going to fit into all of this....
But the constant was the tater tot casserole.
I reached out to a fellow former youth conference attendee trying to find the recipe that has haunted my memory's taste buds. She offered an excellent recipe, though not the same, but it has become a staple comfort food in our home now.
My adult taste buds prefer this "new" recipe, and it is so easy to change up and adapt to your family's preferences.
Below is the recipe as I received it, and then my notes will follow:
TATER TOT CASSEROLE
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
1 small bell pepper
3 Tb butter
2 Tb flour
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme*
1/2 - 1 C veggie of choice (corn, green beans, peas, carrots, mix)
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese*
1/2 bag of tater tots (enough to cover casserole dish)*
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375˚
Brown meat, onion, and pepper together with 2 tablespoons of butter, and add salt and pepper.
Cook until meat is no longer pink, and veggies are softened.
In same pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of flour, mixing well.
Lower heat to medium low, and add in 1 1/2 cup of milk, stirring until smooth.
Add in 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon* of dried thyme, and veggies.
Add in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, stirring until melted.
Put meat/cheese mixture in 9x9 casserole dish.
Top with tots and salt & pepper.
Cook for 45 minutes at 350˚.
Throw extra cheese on top of tots and place back in oven for 10-15 minutes.
Take out of oven and let sit for 20 minutes.
Serve.
Serves 4-6 (possibly a little more, but second helpings are a demand, so it doesn't go as far as it could!)
*Sara's Notes:
The vegetable I use for this is a can of green beans (to be added with seasonings).
**Most often, I will also chop up a summer squash and a zucchini and cook that with the meat, onion and pepper. (It's a great way to get some added veggies into this dish!)
Reduce the thyme to 1/2 teaspoon. (this adjustment was the deal breaker for my husband -- the full teaspoon was too much, and he rolls his eyes every time I tell him we're having this for dinner (ingrained bad memory), but the reduced thyme makes this one of his favorite meals and he won't stop talking about it once it's made.)
Increase the cheese to 2 cups (1 1/4 -- 1 1/2 cups in the mixture, the rest on top)
I buy a large bag of tots, (can you have too many tots?) I will throw some in the bottom of the casserole dish, then pour the mixture, then cover the top with tots.
