Better than Beef Tater Tot Casserole
Better than Beef Tater Tot Casserole
When coming up for meal ideas for this week, better than beef tater tot casserole came to mind. Growing up in the Midwest my mom would often make hamburger tater tot casserole. It was only a few ingredients: ground beef, tater tots, canned cream soup and dried minced onion flakes. It was not only a simple recipe for her to make but fed the whole family for relatively cheap. Often, she would serve green beans on the side to make a whole meal. I have reinvented her recipe as an adult to make it better than the tater tot casserole of my childhood.
What makes it Better than
Better than roasted beef bullion: Better than roasted beef bullion is a great way to add umami to any dish. The concentrated paste made from beef concentrates provides a rich and savory profile to the rue. I usually have beef and chicken better than bullion in my refrigerator as they last a long time. The soy contained in the ingredients adds to that salty umami of the dish as well.
Roux
By far making a rue with butter and flour also add to the great flavor of the dish. Previously my mom used a gelatinous blob of canned cream of mushroom soup. The roux is further developed by adding milk to create this luscious gravy for the meat and vegetables to cook in.
Vegetables
Adding a variety of vegetables to the rue while cooking is a great way to incorporate vegetables. By cooking them in the oven they are softer
Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground sirloin
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion (or 1/4 cup dried onion flakes)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (thaw for 1 minute on high in the microwave)
- 1 cup 1 % milk
- 1 cup room temperature water
- 1 teaspoon Better than Bullion Roasted Beef Base
- 1/2 bag Frozen tater tots (about 48 tater tots)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fine black pepper
- Preparation: 10 min
- Cooking: 1 h
- Ready in: 1 h 45 min
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium high heat. Break up the ground beef into pea size chunks while cooking. When beef is mostly brown add in onion and cook with beef until beef is done. Remove the cooked meat and onion from pan and place on paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- In the same large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
- Stir in flour until combined, about 1-2 minutes. Add water, Better than Bullion and milk slowly stirring often (follow roux making instructions)
Roux making instructions
- After sprinkling the flour evenly over mixture start to add the room temperature liquid slowly. Start by adding ¼ cup of liquid that will immediately turn the flour into a paste consistency. Allow to cook for about 30 seconds then add in ½ cup of liquid mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes until starts to thicken and then add ½ cup liquid at a time until all the liquid is used up. At this time the mixture should start to thicken like gravy
- Once boiling add salt and black pepper and vegetables, bring to boil and then reduce to simmer stir occasionally until thickened (mixture will coat the back of spoon), about 5 minutes.
- Add ground sirloin and onion back to the pan. Combine well and continue to heat for another 2 minutes.
- Place mixture into 2-quart baking dish and top with tots. Place dish in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until tatter tots golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Per serving
- Energy: 523 kcal / 2186 kJ
- Fat: 14 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Carbs: 53 g
