Tater Tot Hotdish Recipe - Food.com (2024)

42

Editors' Pick

Submitted by Buffington

"I'm originally from Minnesota, and if Minnesota is famous for one thing, it's hotdish. You might know it better as casserole, or something like that, but in Minnesota, it's hotdish. This is my mom's recipe, the same one that she used to make for me when I was little."

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Ready In:
1hr 10mins

Ingredients:
4
Serves:

4-6

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ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 (1 lb) package tater tots (you probably won't use the whole package, but this is usually the smallest size I can find)
  • 2 (10 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (or 3 cans if you want it extra creamy)
  • 1 (14 ounce) can vegetables (or 2 cans, whatever kind you like, I like sweet corn, my mom uses green beans)

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directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • While the oven is preheating, brown the ground beef (seasoning to taste as you cook) and drain off the grease.
  • Spread the beef in the bottom of a 2 to 2 1/2 quart baking dish.
  • Drain the liquid off the vegetables and spread them over the meat.
  • Using a rubber spatula, spread the cans of soup over the top of the vegetables and meat. Use the soup as is, straight from the can. Do NOT mix it with anything.
  • Arrange a layer of tater tots over the top of that.
  • Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
  • Top with your favorite variety of shredded cheese as you serve.

Questions & Replies

Tater Tot Hotdish Recipe - Food.com (13)

  1. Might be a dumb question, but do you cook the ground beef first?

    Morgan B.

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    stellastickers807

  3. Love it! Simple and delicious! I too am a Minnesotan. Here are a couple ideas and changes my wife and I made. My wife doesn't like mushrooms or cream of mushroom soup, so we use cream of chicken. We brown the hamburger with diced onion and season beef while browning. The canned vegetables we use are Mixed Medley. After placing the tots brush a light coat of oil to help brown and crisp the tots. Also after cooking time is reached turn oven setting to broil leaving dish on middle rack, watch until desired well done crispiness. Leave it simple and tweak to your desired delishesness! Thx!

    james.roger11

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Reviews

  1. Im from Minnesota as well. This is a very basic recipe. I added salt and pepper, 1/4 of an onion, 2 cloves of garlic and shredded cheddar cheese. It was delicious

    rehpotsirhc21

  2. I'm Mike B and I like Tater Tot Hotdish. Edina rules

    Mike B.

  3. I also hail from MN and man do we love our hotdish! This is a great and simple recipe that we just finished eating! Perfect for these chilly fall days! Also makes for great leftovers! I use frozen mixed veggies, and my mom suggested using cream of celery instead. I also sprinkled a little seasoned salt on the tots. Delish!

    MollyMa

  4. Great classic recipe my whole family loves. Accidentally discovery when I went to make this a while ago, yet discovered that I was out of cream of mushroom. Simply change beef to chicken breast and mushroom soup to cream of chicken. Season as wish. Gives it that pot pie taste that we all love.

    Cory P.

  5. I too was born and raised in good ol' Minnesota and haven't left. This is one of our most famous hot dishes and you can't go wrong!!! Another good one to try is our green bean hot dish (casserole) that has awesome crunchy fried onions on the top. Simple and easy for larger families (we have five kids) that doesn't take a lot of time to prep. But I love to save this for cold fall days or freezing ones in the winter. Good comfort food...

    Rachel M.

see 36 more reviews

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Tweaks

  1. This recipe shown is what I grew up eating. As an adult, I thought it could be so much more. Chopped onion with the meat. Plenty of fresh cracked pepper. Herbs of your choice - I like basil and a little rosemary. And please use frozen or fresh veggies instead of canned and more than the original recipe calls for. I've also thrown in some chopped roasted peppers and loved that little heat to this classic.

    Bill M.

  2. I used frozen mixed veggies, that I thawed. I find them a bit better than canned.

    Jonathan Melendez

  3. I'm a midwestern Minnesotan too??I grew up with this hotdish too. LOVE IT STILL...I chop up some onions with ground beef, either cream of mushroom or cream of celery is good too. I top it with sharp cheddar and crumble little bacon on the top. Oh ya, add some soy sauce...YUMMMM

    Joanne K.

  4. I'm from Minneapolis, we definitely have a variety of hotdishes, but tatertot is my favorite. We put frozen corn, salt/pepper, cream of mushroom soup, cooked ground beef, & sharp chedder (shredded) in a Corning Ware dish stir it together, throw as many tots on top we can cover for approximately 25 mins. add more chedder last 5 mins. Of cooking time whala'!!! (as I spelled it back then)

    Jaimie H.

  5. I use frozen veggies instead of canned.

    Zatzpa

see 8 more tweaks

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Buffington

United States

  • 1 Follower
  • 8 Recipes

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FAQs

What is the difference between a tater tot hotdish and a tater tot casserole? ›

All hotdishes are casseroles, but not all casseroles are hotdishes. But the main difference between hotdish and other casseroles is where you make it. What someone in Minnesota or North Dakota would call hotdish, a person in Indiana would simply know as tater tot casserole.

What is the difference between a hotdish and a casserole? ›

What Minnesotans — and some North Dakotans — call hotdish is a type of casserole, although its definition is somewhat narrower. A hotdish must be a main course, and almost always a hearty one that includes a protein, starch and at least some vegetables. It can't be a breakfast or side dish, for instance.

Why is my tater tot casserole soggy? ›

Excess Moisture: Not cooking down the onions or using frozen tater tots may cause extra moisture to be released as it cooks, making the casserole soggy.

What state is known for Tater Tot Hotdish? ›

In the Library with Toni Tipton-Martin: How Tater Tot Hotdish Became a Minnesota Classic. It's even a rite of passage to enter Minnesota congress. Published Mar. 12, 2023.

Why is it called John Wayne casserole? ›

John Wayne first wrote the casserole recipe, but it looks a little different today. John Wayne Casserole was first popularized by the 1979 cookbook, "Cooking with Love from Cara and Her Friends," a collection of different celebrities' favorite dishes.

What is a Minnesota hot dish? ›

What is the Minnesota tater tot Hotdish? Tater tot hotdish is a casserole dish that contains starch, meat, cheese, and veggies mixed with soup. The most classic example is ground beef, topped with tater tots and flavored with thick cream of mushroom soup sauce.

What is casserole called in Midwest? ›

A hotdish or hot dish is a casserole dish that typically contains a starch, a meat, and a canned or frozen vegetable mixed with canned soup.

What do Italians call casserole? ›

casseruola. an earthenware casserole. the food cooked in a casserole. (cibo cotto in casseruola)

What do the French call a casserole? ›

In France, un casserole refers specifically to a saucepan, and nothing else. However, une cassolette—a baked dish that's akin to what Americans call a casserole—is somewhat popular in French home cooking.

How do I get the crispiest tater tots? ›

A slightly longer cook time makes the most delicious difference in both the taste and texture of tater tots. A longer cook time will cause the tots to shrink and dry out a little, which makes them even crispier all around on the outside with a potato-y center that's more dense and creamy.

Should I thaw tater tots before cooking? ›

Dealing with Frozen Ingredients

First and foremost, it saves time - you don't have to defrost the tater tots beforehand.

What side dishes go with tater tot casserole? ›

The best side dishes to serve with tater tot casserole are blooming onion, blistered tomatoes, Korean corn dogs, potato rosti, coconut shrimp, cucumber salad, mozzarella sticks, collard greens, quinoa salad, grilled asparagus, sweet cornbread, loaded baked potato, spinach and strawberry salad, fried rice, and zucchini ...

What is a North Dakota hot dish? ›

In Fargo, ND, a hot dish is basically a warm-ya-up, comforting casserole that's bursting with goodness. We think we hit the nail on the head with our recipe for Fargo Hot Dish. It's a layered casserole that features hearty noodles, ground beef tossed with tomato sauce, a savory cheese filling, and more.

What were tater tots originally called? ›

Tater Tots History and Popularity

Created by Ore-Ida in the 1950s to limit waste during french fry production, tater tots (also known as potato rounds) have come a long way from their humble origin.

What do other countries call tater tots? ›

Different countries have even more names for tots!
  • Australia: potato gems, potato royals, potato pom-poms.
  • Canada: tasti -taters.
  • Britain: oven crunchies.
Feb 11, 2019

What is tater tot casserole made of? ›

Tater Tot Casserole is a classic comfort food made with a flavorful beefy base, canned or frozen vegetables, an optional addition of cream of mushroom soup, cheese, and crispy tater tots. It's easy to make ahead of time, freezer friendly, budget friendly, and a great way to feed a crowd!

What makes a casserole a casserole? ›

Casseroles Are Largely Defined by Their Baking Dish

agrees, telling us that "a casserole is baked in a casserole dish—a deep baking dish. The word casserole comes from a French word meaning 'saucepan. '"

Why do Minnesotans call casserole hotdish? ›

What is known, though, is that the term "hotdish" first appeared in a 1930 Mankato cookbook, published by Grace Lutheran Ladies Aid. "What's clearer is that the dish has become a symbol of Minnesotan identity," Deustch said. "That is exactly why there are so many debates over what a hotdish can be."

What makes something a hotdish? ›

According to Eater, the elements that are absolutely necessary to include in hotdish are a starch, protein, and vegetable bound together by a creamy sauce, usually cream of mushroom soup. It's all baked in one dish and served piping hot.

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