Do you recognize the term “hotdish”? Maybe, maybe not. Apparently, hot dish is one of those words that is only used in certain areas, like water fountains versus bubblers. In Minnesota, if you used the term “casserole” (the alternative word for hotdish) everyone would know what you mean, but the correct term, always, is hotdish. So we call this recipe… Tater Tot Hotdish in true MN form. 

So this recipe is not for tater tot casserole, but tater tot hotdish. 

For those of you who don’t know, tater tot hotdish is a delectable dish made with corn, peas, carrots, green beans, and other veggies. Tater tot hotdish also has ground meat, cream of mushroom soup, and tater tots on top.

The tater tots are usually considered best when crispy, but some like theirs less crisped. 

Though mixed veggies or green beans are traditional, some add mushrooms or other veggies of their choice. 

Though our tater tot hotdish recipe calls for ground beef, substitutes like turkey, venison, or other similar types may be used instead.

It all just depends on preference!

You can also substitute cream of celery, cream of corn, or another cream of soup for the cream of mushroom (I often make up a quick version of my homemade mushroom soup rather than using the canned version). Use more cans for a runnier hotdish, and less for a drier one. 

You may add about a cup of cheddar cheese in with the cream of mushroom soup if you would prefer, whether it is for another binder or simply because you like cheese (for good reason). The cheese can also go on top of the tater tots, just sprinkle it on about 5 minutes before the hotdish is done, giving it enough time to melt but not burn. You don’t even need to use cheddar cheese if you’d prefer! Pepper Jack, Colby, or other cheeses would also be delicious.

For fun, you can substitute the tater tots for other similar products. For example, smiley fries can be great for kids (it might even make up for the veggies they will be eating!), sweet potato tater tots for a little more vitamin A, or just fun flavored tots like onion or cheddar to spice up your dish.