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.  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!  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.
Denise
Tater tot casserole has to be one of my all time favorites! Comfort food, for sure.