3/14/18

Welcome back!

Today I’m hitting you with a double dose of Dinner Thyme. Woot woot!

We’re gonna keep it simple again with another 1 dish dinner that we all remember from our childhood – tater tot casserole! I’m sure some of you are wondering why on earth I would post a recipe for something so easy. Answer – There are actually people who DON’T know how to make this! AND THAT IS TOTALLY OKAY!!! It’s a learning process and learning begins with starting small.

This recipe calls for ground beef and I prefer to use the leanest ground beef I can find, which is currently 97/3. I would recommend using nothing lower than 80/20 for this dish as too much grease/fat will obstruct the flavor and reduce the amount of ground beef you actually get in your casserole. The biggest plus of using super lean ground beef is that you NEVER have to drain the fat and you get the most bang for your buck!

Now some people like to add veggies to this casserole such as corn or green beans. Personally, I have tried it with green beans and I’ve gotta admit…not too shabby! Although it’s not something I prefer to add on the regular. As with every recipe I post, I encourage you all to add or change something to your preference. I am open to all suggestions and would love to know how you’ve made this dish so don’t forget to leave your comments below. Let’s get to it!

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 lb ground beef or ground sirloin
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup fresh minced/diced onions – size depends on your preference
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp basil
• salt & pepper
• 3/4 – 1 cup shredded cheese
• About 1/2 bag of tater tots or tater rounds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef & onions together in a skillet. Season with salt & pepper.
3. In a large bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, milk, garlic powder, basil, salt & pepper.
4. Once the ground beef is done, add to bowl with soup and seasoning mixture and stir well until combined. Taste and add more seasoning and/or milk if preferred. The key here is to make sure the mixture is somewhat thick. Too much liquid will make your casserole runny and unappealing!
5. Spray/butter/grease a 7 x 11 casserole pan. Scoop the ground beef mixture into the pan and spread until even.
6. Sprinkle cheese all over the top until well coated. Place tater tots on top to cover.
7. Bake uncovered in the oven for 15 – 17 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

***If adding veggies, add to the beef, soup & seasoning mixture prior to pouring into casserole dish.***

That’s it! Easy peasy, right? Don’t forget to leave your comments below and follow me on Instagram at @dinner_thyme_blog for sneak peaks and quick tips!

Enjoy!

XOXO – A