Tater Tot Hotdish is one of my husband’s top dinner requests, and classic comfort food here in Minnesota. My tried and true recipe features two ways to make it – with and withOUT canned soup!
Tater Tot Hotdish is One of my Husband’s Favorite Meals
If Blake were to create a Top Ten list of favorite meals that I make, I’m 100% positive this Tater Tot Hotdish would be included. And it would probably rank in one of the highest spots.
A number of years ago, I posted a photo of my homemade tater tot hotdish on Instagram and Facebook. And I was inundated with requests for my recipe.
Up until that point, I had never relied on a recipe for this favored dish of Minnesota culture. I had just used a few basic ingredients and thrown it all together, a little bit different each time.
But I promised those readers that I’d get serious and write it down to share with them. It’s been a hugely popular recipe ever since.
I’ve included two ways to make this tater tot hotdish. One is the much more traditional way, using canned soup. And the other – our family’s favorite – features a gravy made from scratch. Don’t worry, it’s easy to make. And it’s SO AWESOME GOOD!
What is Hotdish?
I often field this question from people who don’t live in our part of the country.
Hotdish is the quintessential one-dish meal found at most any family reunion, funeral lunch, church supper, or potluck in the Upper Midwest. This dish, humble in appearance, is especially beloved in Minnesota, with whole sections of small town church cookbooks dedicated to the many ways one could be assembled.
Hotdish is basically Minnesotan for “casserole”. It’s a well-rounded meal consisting of meat (usually ground beef, but also chicken, turkey, or tuna), carbs (usually pasta, potatoes, or rice), and veggies (canned or frozen), cooked all together in one big vessel. And, oh yeh, hotdish usually incorporates cream of mushroom soup, often referred to as “Lutheran binder” in these parts.
I’ll never forget the first time our youngest daughter Tessa sat down to tater tot hotdish at our table. She took a few bites, laid down her fork, and asked, “So is this basically a whole bunch of different things thrown together in one pan?” Ha!
I Make Tater Tot Hotdish with Homemade Gravy
Blake was admittedly skeptical when I told him I was going to create a homemade gravy base for my tater tot hotdish. He questioned, “Why mess with a good thing?”
Because, I told him, I was convinced that I could create a tater tot hotdish recipe that tasted even more amazing than the one I had always made with canned cream of mushroom soup.
His skepticism fueled my fire.
I was going to do this!
Feel free to use my recipe that utilizes the canned soup, it will save some time – and it’s still very good. But I beg you to try my version with gravy made from scratch.
The gravy’s texture is perfectly creamy, less oddly gelatinous than the canned soup version, with a cleaner, richer flavor. Hatti, Tessa, and I all agreed that the hotdish with the homemade gravy was indeed superior to the canned version, as our family scrutinized both compositions side by side in a weekday supper taste test.
But Blake, holding fast to his love for canned tradition, said that he’d eat either one just the same. I think he was secretly surprised that I actually made his beloved tater tot hotdish without opening a can, and got it to taste that good!!
Tater Tot Hotdish with Cheese, Because Cheese Makes (almost) Everything Better!
I give Blake credit for all the cheese you see melted over the top of the tater tot hotdish. It was his only suggestion when I was creating this recipe.
His motto in the kitchen could very well be:
“Cheese makes everything better.”
Now I always add a good helping of sharp cheddar to the top of the tater tots. Because it IS pretty darn good, I have to admit.
Now please be kind and don’t judge.
But I always, always, always eat my tater tot hotdish with ketchup. It just seems natural with all those awesome crispy tater tots for dippin’. But to each his own; enjoy this dish any way you see fit!
Break out your recipes for your best Jello salads and pans of bars, and let’s have some fun with this, Minnesota style. Be sure to check out a few of my renditions to the classic tater tot hotdish recipe, with the flavors of bacon cheeseburgers, tacos, and this kicked-up version with top sirloin and some heat!
CLICK HERE to save recipe to Pinterest!
Here are more casserole and hotdish recipes for you! Hamburger Hotdish from Melanie Makes. Our family loves sweet bell peppers, so I know this Stuffed Pepper Casserole would be a hit, recipe from Rachel Cooks. And I’m loving this Ramen Noodle Casserole from Amanda’s Cookin’!
Tater Tot Hotdish {2 ways…with and without canned soup!}
Ingredients
Recipe #1 – tater tot hotdish with homemade gravy:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 4 T. unsalted butter divided
- 1 c. diced yellow onion about 1/2 of a large onion
- 8 oz. chopped fresh mushrooms
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ c. all-purpose flour
- ¼ c. soy sauce
- 1 T. Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 c. whole milk
- ¼ c. sour cream
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste (I like to add quite a bit!)
- 2 T. chopped fresh parsley divided
- 2 T. chopped fresh thyme divided
- 16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables I like to use a mix of corn, carrots, green beans, and peas
- 2 lbs. frozen tator tots
- 6 to 8 oz. sharp cheddar shredded
Recipe #2 – tater tot hotdish with canned soup:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 T. unsalted butter
- 1 c. diced yellow onion about 1/2 of a large onion
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 cans 10-oz. size Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup (I prefer the regular soup for this, not the reduced fat or sodium)
- 3 T. soy sauce
- 1 T. Frank’s RedHot Sauce
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ c. sour cream
- 2 tsp. dried parsley divided
- 1 tsp. dried thyme divided
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables I like to use a mix of corn, carrots, green beans, and peas
- 2 lbs. frozen tator tots I usually use just a bit less
- 6 to 8 oz. sharp cheddar shredded
Instructions
Recipe #1 – tater tot hotdish with homemade gravy:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a 12″ cast iron skillet, brown beef over medium to medium-high heat, breaking up any large chunks. Once beef is browned, remove it to a plate with a slotted spoon. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the beef fat, and then add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the beef fat in the skillet. Turn heat to medium. Once butter is melted, add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Stir to incorporate. Cook until the onions are transparent and the mushrooms are nicely softened, about 6 to 10 minutes.
- Now slide everything in the skillet to one side. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to other side of skillet. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter, whisking all the while (a flat whisk works awesome here!). Draw in as much butter, beef fat, and juices from the vegetables as you can, into the flour. Cook for a couple minutes, until the mixture is bubbling and slightly browned.
- Add soy sauce, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the gravy side of the pan. Whisk and cook for 1 minute. Then slowly add the milk while you whisk and scrape the bottom of the skillet. Once this mixture is smoothed out, bring the mushroom mixture into the milk mixture, and then add the reserved cooked beef. Stir to incorporate. Cook until thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Then stir in sour cream, plus 1 tablespoon of parsley and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Next add the frozen vegetables and stir to incorporate. Level mixture out in the skillet. Then top with frozen tater tots.
- Place skillet in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. Move skillet up a bit higher in the oven and broil until tater tots are nicely browned – this can take up to 10 minutes, depending on your broiler. Remove skillet from oven and sprinkle tater tots with cheese and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Place skillet back in the oven and cook for an additional 6 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and gravy is bubbling. If desired, place skillet underneath the broiler for a few more minutes to brown the cheese just a bit. Remove skillet from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Serve hot. I like to eat mine with ketchup and/or Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.
Recipe #2 – tator tot hotdish with canned soup:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a large cast iron skillet, brown beef over medium to medium-high heat, breaking up any large chunks. Once beef is browned, remove it to a plate with a slotted spoon. Discard beef fat and then add butter to the pan. Once butter is melted, add the onion and garlic. Stir to incorporate. Cook until the onions are transparent and nicely softened, about 6 to 10 minutes.
- Add cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce, Frank’s RedHot Sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to fully incorporate. Fold beef into the mixture and then cook until it is warmed and bubbling, stirring regularly. Add sour cream, half of the parsley and thyme, and the salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate. Then stir in the frozen vegetables. Level mixture out in the pan. Then top with frozen tater tots.
- Place skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Move skillet up a bit higher in the oven and broil until tater tots are nicely browned – this can take up to 10 minutes, depending on your broiler. Remove skillet from oven and sprinkle tater tots with cheese and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Place skillet back in the oven and bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and gravy is bubbling. If desired, place skillet underneath the broiler for a few more minutes to brown the cheese just a bit. Remove skillet from oven and sprinkle with remaining parsley and thyme. Serve hot. I like to eat mine with ketchup and/or Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
This post was previously published in 2014. Photographs and some of the text were updated in 2018.
I make this every year for Thanksgiving. I actually make it vegan. It’s really very delicious!
Tator tot casserole
My wife and I made this tonight this was quick quick to make . We used 12 inch skillet as directed. Added chopped celery for some crunch and texture. And can of cream of mushroom soup. Thank you for the recipe this was so flavorful , really good and hearty. John and Barb
I’m definitely going to try the homemade sauce version. In our family we call it tator tot casserole.
Made this yesterday. I don’t have a cast iron pan, so had to adapt. I baked it in a 9×13 for 50 minutes, put some cheese on and baked for 5 minutes more. It’s a winner. Thank you!
This is my go to we have this meal every two weeks or so because it’s that good! I don’t make any changes to the recipe besides using zucchini instead of mushrooms(for the homemade soup one) we aren’t huge fans of mushrooms but the zucchini is the perfect substitute!! Thank you for showing me another way to make tater tot casserole healthier and even tastier! We really try to avoid boxed anything, recipes like this help a lot! Thank you ❤️❤️
Thanks for this! I’m looking for food to go with a wine club with the theme “yay, we don’t have to boycott goods from the United States any more!”. We’re featuring wines from traditionally blue states, and I was looking for fun recipes that I have never heard of. Tater tot hotdish sounds delicious! And fun!
This was so delicious! I’m a Colorado girl who has never had a hot dish. We just got back in town and I didn’t want to do a big grocery shop so I looked for recipes with items I had in my freezer. I had milk and sour cream, and the homemade gravy was so delicious! This definitely hit the spot and I will for sure be making this again.
FIVE STARS! I was born and raised in Minnesota so I’ve eaten a lot of tater tot hot dish in my day. This one, with the homemade gravy, is BY FAR the best I’ve ever had!
Thanks for sharing Made it today with things I had in house: rotisserie chicken, cream of celery, cream of chicken, can of corn, can of string beans, jack, cheddar. sc, celery, onion, etc. I liked it and will make again with a couple of changes. Will precook tots for 10 mins and buy good soy sauce, used Walmart brand which left a slight aftertaste. Peppered it up real good
Hello from Minnesota where we know a great hotdish when we taste one…. This may be the best ever, in my humble opinion. I dont like using canned soup, and the delicious sauce you concocted made for a far superior dish. I found this recipe searching for freezer meal ideas for my college kiddo. She hates mushrooms so I sautéed chopped red pepper with the garlic and onions instead, and for frozen veggies used her faves – corn and peas. Put it into two smaller dishes, one for dinner and one for the freezer. YUMMM! Very delicious, flexible recipe that will definitely go into my Comfort Food rotation. Thank you!
I have NEVER commented on a recipe I found on Pinterest, until this one. OMyGosh. This was SOOOOO good.
My 16 year old ate half the pan. I subbed lactose free half and half for the milk, because it was either that or skim milk and it was so creamy and delish.
Thank you for sharing this!
(Would post photos if I could figure out how to attach)
I’m so happy to hear that you loved this recipe!!! Thank you for coming back to let me know. :)
The homemade gravy recipe is by far the best tater tot hotdish ever. I pre-bake the tater tots for a bit first, it ensures they will be crispy when its done. Awesome, Thank You!
YAY!!!! I LOVE to hear this. :)
Great recipe. We are two states over in Wisconsin, but like you we love our winter hot dishes! I have made similar things before, but the mix of spices, the specific suggestion about using the broiler to brown the tater tots, and the addition of a sprinkle of cheese definitely upped my game! Thank you!
I do have one picky eater that doesn’t like the frozen vegetables. Do you think I would need to adjust the spices if I substituted fresh mushrooms for the veggies?
Keep dabbling!
Hi Gordon! Then we’re actually neighbors. I grew up in SD, but currently live in MN (and only a few miles from the WI border!). With vegetable substitutions, I would not alter any of the other flavorings. Enjoy!
Can one use fresh vegetables vs frozen?
Hi Lindsay – I’m sure that would work, but I have not experimented with cook times. I would think that some vegetables might need to be at least partially cooked before adding them to the hotdish.