Check out this incredibly tasty recipe from our resident mid-westerner: Anne Michael (AKA Panda Anne)!

Who’s ready for some good ol’ midwestern tater tot hotdish? This is a classic recipe, known to anyone who’s grown up or lived near the land you betchas and don’t ya knows...lookin’ at you, Minnesotans! I grew up in a suburb of the Twin Cities. Although my family didn’t make hotdish every night (despite what my colleagues think), hotdish is definitely a crowd favorite at potlucks, family dinners, and other functions. I mean, what adult doesn’t love embracing their inner child with some hot tater tots! There are a million different ways you can make it.

This recipe is tweaked slightly from Visit Minnesota website.

Ingredients (Serves 8):

• 1 pound ground beef (this time around we tried it with plant based meat crumbles instead)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of chicken soup (we didn’t have a can of cream of chicken soup, so we mixed together some chicken bouillon + heavy cream...yay experimenting!)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 16 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 16 oz. package frozen tater tots
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar jack cheese
• Optional spices to add to meat: garlic powder, garlic onion
• Optional Toppings: Sour cream, more cheese, hot sauce, jalapenos, or your own favorite topping!

Directions:

1. Chop onion
2. Brown the ground beef or plant based crumbles with the onion; drain off any fat.
3. Stir in the soups, milk, and the vegetables.
4. Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13" baking dish. Arrange the tater tots on top.
5. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly and the tater tots are brown and crisp.
6. Sprinkle the cheese over the tater tots, return the dish to the oven, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

In the unlikely event that you have leftovers, I highly recommend scrambling it up with some eggs in the morning to make a breakfast hash!