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Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole

For the cook: If you don’t want to make the roux, simply use (two) 10-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main
Servings: 10
Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

For the hotdish:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • ½ teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups frozen cut green beans thawed
  • 1 ½ cups frozen peas thawed
  • 1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels thawed
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cut carrots thawed (if frozen)
  • 1 pound frozen shredded potato nuggets

For the roux:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

For the hotdish:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Add the butter to a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, for about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in the ground beef and cook until completely cooked and browned. Season with the thyme, salt and pepper.
  • Add in the green beans, peas, corn and carrots and mix to combine. Transfer the ground beef and vegetable mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Make the roux:

  • Wipe out your pan. Heat the butter over medium low heat until almost completely melted. Add in the flour, and using a wooden spoon, mix the flour and butter together forming a paste. Switch to a whisk, and slowly pour in the milk while whisking. Add in the chicken stock and keep whisking until thick. The roux will have a thickness similar to a creamed soup. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Pour the roux evenly over the top of the ground beef and vegetable mixture. Alternatively, you can mix together the ground beef and vegetable mixture with the roux in your pan and then add it back into your casserole dish. I like to just cover the top with the roux; I find that this creates a nice cushion for the tater tots.
  • Cover the top completely with your tater tots (frozen potato nuggets). Make sure they are nice and snug and fill the top completely. Bake uncovered for 1 hour; the potato nuggets should be golden brown. Serve and enjoy!