Tater Tot Casserole
By Kevin Williams
I have to admit that I had never had Amish"tater tot casserole before stopping at the Kaffee Haus in Odon, Indiana. I had heard of it. I think the Duggar family used to serve it a lot on their old show, 19 Kids and Counting (why I can remember useless bits of info like that, but not other far more important things is a mystery to me). Since I had not had this casserole before I didn't know what to expect. I envisioned, well, tater tots...and maybe some cheese and that would be it. I'd be fine with that! Â But turns out tater tot casserole is a mish-mash of a whole bunch of things: vegetables, broth, meat, etc.
You can easily make a vegetarian version if that is what you are looking for and expecting, as I was. Â Just leave out the ground beef and use a vegetable broth instead of the soup.
Tater-tot casseroles are popular among Amish cooks. Â This is a tater tot casserole recipe from an Erma Bontrager in Shipshewana, Indiana.
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cans low sodium green beans (or 16 oz package frozen green beans)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used a mixture of mild and sharp)
- 1 large bag tater tots
- Cook beef and drain the fat.
- Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place meat mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13 in pan.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together cream soup, sour cream, and milk. Pour over hamburger.
- Scatter green beans over top of the soup mixture.
- Scatter shredded cheese over green beans.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Arrange tater tots on top of the cheese.
- If you are taking it straight from the fridge, place the pan in the oven right away so it can warm up with the oven.
- Bake until mixture is bubbly and the tots are golden brown, about 45 minutes.
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