This straightforward consolation meals begins with a flavorful and meaty, made-from-scratch sauce. Topped with crispy tater tots and shredded cheese, then baked to perfection. It’s a straightforward, hearty dinner that everybody loves.
For easier dinners, attempt our One Pot Queso Rooster and Rice or our Floor Beef Tacos.
Why Our Recipe
- Prepared in underneath an hour, good for busy weeknights.
- Loaded with meat, veggies, crispy tots, and all of the melty cheese.
- No canned cream of something right here! Our fast and simple sauce is selfmade.
Don’t knock the tater tots! Whereas tater tots would possibly remind you of your youthful years, there’s nothing infantile about this meal. It’s hearty, comforting, and full of taste. Plus, I really like the hidden veggies—it’s so scrumptious and creamy that youngsters gained’t even discover they’re in there! This straightforward consolation meals casserole is ideal for busy weeknights and potlucks. Plus, it’s the right easy-to-transport meal if you end up needing to make dinner for a neighbor or good friend.
Ingredient Notes
- Floor Beef: Go for lean floor beef (85/15 or 93/7) to attenuate extra grease. You may also substitute with floor turkey, pork, or hen.
- Onion: We used a white onion, however yellow onions work effectively too.
- Flour: That is the thickening agent for the sauce. Cornstarch may also be utilized in half the quantity so for this recipe, you’d use 1/4 cup of cornstarch.
- Beef Broth: Use low-sodium broth to higher management the flavour.
- Milk: Use entire, 2%, 1%, skim, and even milk options. No matter you’ve acquired readily available.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Can substitute with soy sauce with a splash of vinegar.
- Corn Kernels: Canned corn works completely, simply you’ll want to drain the liquid. You may also use frozen.
- Inexperienced Beans: Canned inexperienced beans work nice. You should utilize minimize or French-style inexperienced beans. Frozen works too!
- Tater Tots: Discovered within the frozen aisle close to the French fries.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: We suggest freshly shredded cheddar cheese because it melts higher than pre-shredded, which incorporates components.
Selfmade Sauce
Casseroles are supposed to be straightforward, however they usually comprise a can of cream of hen or cream of mushroom soup. It’s handy, however right here at The Keep At Dwelling Chef, we wish to feed our households entire meals wherever doable.
Plus, selfmade sauces are straightforward! It’s actually only a matter of blending butter with flour and including a liquid. You have already got to brown the bottom beef for this recipe. That signifies that making a selfmade sauce as a substitute of utilizing cream of hen soup provides lower than 5 minutes to your cooking time.
Make Forward
This tater tot casserole is already extremely straightforward to assemble proper earlier than baking, however you may simply make this forward of time. Merely put together the dish, however skip the baking half. As a substitute, cowl it up good and tight with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then pop it within the fridge for as much as 24 hours.
When it’s time to bake, pull it out and let it grasp at room temperature for 20 minutes whereas the oven preheats. Then bake as directed, including an additional 5–10 minutes to ensure it’s scorching and cooked during.
Make it A Freezer Meal
Make this meal forward of time and freeze it for future use! Assemble the casserole however don’t bake it but. Wrap the dish tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, adopted by a layer of aluminum foil to maintain it recent and forestall freezer burn. You’ll want to label it with the date and baking directions—it’ll keep good for as much as 3 months.
Once you’re able to take pleasure in, bake as directed, including 10–15 additional minutes to make sure it’s absolutely heated via.
Professional tip: Freeze in smaller parts for handy, particular person meals. Merely reheat within the microwave or oven each time starvation strikes!
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days.
Freeze leftover parts in a freezer-safe container or lined solely with 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil for as much as 3 months.
Reheat parts within the microwave on excessive in 30-second increments or within the oven at 350°F till heated via, about 20 minutes.
