How to Make Tater Tot Hotdish (Casserole)

I live in the Northwest corner of Illinois. We are mostly German and Swedish linages when this dish is prepared the church ladies use the same ingredients but they put a layer of the tots on the bottom that soak up any juices that may come out and yet have a wonderful crisp texture.

The fact that they are unpretentious enough to do this continues to earn my respect.

MN native here! This is a great adaptation to make it a little more "from scratch". Of course, my mom used cream of mushroom soup (and canned veggies... but frozen veggies weren't quite as readily available as they are today back when I was a kid) because who had extra time to make the mushroom gravy from scratch when you had 3 kids running around! While there are many tweaks a person can make to this and still have it delicious, the only things I would do differently are adding frozen carrots (in fact, there is a peas, carrot, and corn frozen veggie blend you can buy, so just use that!) and I would use a cup of the cheese (parm is okay, but we always use cheddar cheese) in the gravy and sprinkle the other 1/2 up on top of the tater tots right before pulling it out of the oven. Thanks for posting this! (PS: Thanks for calling it hotdish!!)

My husband is originally from Minnesota so I'll have to surprise him with this for dinner tomorrow night.

My very Swedish grandma knew the name of this dish as soon as it came on screen, and I asked how she could have possibly known. Then of course they said that this was a Minnesota dish and I immediately knew. I'm baking this right now, can't wait to taste it

We are eating a TACO TOT version right this very minute! 1lb ground meat 1c diced onion 2+1 tbsp taco or fajitas seasoning mix 1c black beans drained & rinsed 2c grated cheddar 2c tater tots Spray oil Topping suggestions: Diced fresh tomato Sour cream Diced avocado Chunky salsa Lime juice Brown ground meat with 2tbsp season mix, & onion. fold in black beans and 1/4c cheese. pour in sprayed 9x9 baking dish. Top with layer grated cheese. In separate bowl Spray tots lightly with oil sprinkle with 1 tbsp seasoning mix and toss until coated evenly. Spread single layer over cheese. bake 425°F 25 min until tots are crispy Serve with toppings and a squeeze of lime

As someone from ND who makes this many times a winter, I can vouch that it is awesome. If you want to elevate the "sauce" you can add some cream cheese/sour cream/plain greek yogurt.

Bridget and Julie the two best ATK employees!! Love when the do cooking vids together ❤️

Made this last night. It freaking killed. Already have requests to make it again. Thanks, y'all.

Minnesotan here. This is definitely the fancy version😂 Looks absolutely delish, it’s making me think I need to make our state hot dish your way!👍

Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce to the base and you will have achieved what I like to call a "culinary hug".

I love the history of the tator tot. 2 men from a French fry company tried to think up a product of the shavings when fry’s were cut and made. Experimented in their kitchen and the tator tot was born. One was from Oregon and the other from Idaho so they combined it for their new company name. Their biggest customer was Catholic a holla for their hot lunch program in the fifties. Love tator tots and mushrooms. Can’t wait to try this

With love from Minnesota.

I'm originally from Minnesota and my kids look forward to tater tot casserole whenever we return to our family summmer house there. But the several recipes I've tried all turn out something that is too heavy and too salty. This recipe is simple and promises to solve those problems. Must try it. Thanks!

This is exactly the kind of comfort food I love in the winter. I'm from the west coast, so I've never seen this before. I can't wait to try it out.

the chemistry between them is amazing, I forgot they were cooking

As a Minnesotan, I approve of this video. ❤️

I grew up eating a similar dish. We called it "Jacks Casserole" a layer of raw ground beef, topped with cream of mushroom soup, then peas, then the tots. Bake 375 for about 45 min. A Midwest favorite!

From texas here and I think my family would live this! Going to try the recipe tonight 😋

I'm from the upper midwest where hotdish is king. I am generally not a fan due to the cream soup so I may have to give this one a try. I've always just called this one "Totdish".