Classic Casseroles - Tater Tot Hot Dish

Casseroles were a staple meal growing up - put everything into one dish and bake away - how easy!  In rediscovering the treasured recipes of my grandma, I found "Tater Tot Hot Dish."  Ground beef, green beans, cream of chicken soup, and tater tots - an intriguing yet familiar combo.  Eerily similar to a freqnetly served casserole in my parents' house -  ground beef (which I'm convinced my family considered its own food group), cream of mushroom soup, canned green beans and... tater tots!

In honor of my grandma ("gramma" as we called her), I'm cooking at least 4 heirloom recipes each month.  As my sweetie is a meat and potatoes person, what better way to kick off the culinary tribute to gramma than with a hearty wintertime casserole?  Gramma's casserole was prepared slightly different than the one of my childhood, mostly because of the cream of chicken soup in her recipe and the sauteed onions.  She kept her treasured recipes in an old spiral-bound notebook literally falling apart.  I share the recipe from the book partially to preserve the writing!

A family staple - tater tot casserole

The casserole hails from a time where convenience foods, such as canned green beans were a way to eat out of season (frozen veggies were not as common) and condensed cream soups revolutionized cooking for housewives.  To me, one of the best tributes to these heirloom recipes is to celebrate them, but also to modernize.  I chose to update the recipe three ways - substituting cream of mushroom for cream of chicken (how I grew up eating this), adding in sauteed mushrooms (ups the nutrition), and swapping frozen green beans for canned (more nutritious and better texture).

I began by sauteeing the onions and mushrooms in a little oil until browned, then added in the ground beef.  For the green beans, I microwaved 1 cup of them for two minutes until cooked through.  Into a shallow casserole went the beef/onion/mushroom mixture, then the green beans, followed by a layer of tater tots to cover, about 1/2 the package.  I mixed the cream of mushroom soup with the milk as directed, then added salt and pepper to taste.  The soup/milk mixture was poured over top and the casserole.

I baked the casserole as directed in the recipe - 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes.  What appeared soupy and bland here became golden brown and had a good depth of flavor from the bubbling and baking.  The verdict?  Success!  This is an heirloom recipe updated for any modern family.  I hope you enjoy the updated take on the classic 1950's tater tot casserole:

The finished casserole - bubbly and delish!

Inspired Tater Tot Hot Dish
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 package (8 oz) mushrooms, sliced (white button or baby bella)
1 lb ground beef, chicken, or turkey
1 cup frozen green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup (lower fat variety)
1 soup can of milk (2% used in recipe)
1/2 package frozen tater tots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a skillet over medium heat and add vegetable oil.  When warm, saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add in mushrooms and cook until lighly browned, 5 - 8 minutes.  Add in ground beef and break up with the back of the spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Continue cooking until meat is browned.  Remove from heat.  Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe dish, add green beans and cook for 1 - 2 minutes until thawed; drain excess water.  In a shallow casserole, add meat mixture, followed by green beans, then tater tots.  Mix cream of mushroom soup and milk until blended; season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour soup over meat, green bean, and tater tot mixture.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes.  *Casserole may be assembled through the layering of the meat, green beans, and tots and refrigerated.  Just before baking, soup/milk mixture may be added.