EASY AND HEALTHY RECIPES, TIPS FOR HEALTHY LIVING, FOOD REVIEWS, ETC

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Tater Tot Casserole






I rarely make casseroles and when I do, my standbys are Three Cheese-Onion Casserole or my version of the Duggar Family Tater Tot Casserole.

I first heard of the Duggars a year ago when Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were expecting their 17th child. The baby was born on August 2007. This family from Tontitown, Arkansas had another baby on December 18, 2008, for a total of 18 children!!! I checked their official website and found it had tips for financial success and house guidelines plus lots of practical recipes ranging from Layered Ice Cream Cake to Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap!

The Layered Ice Cream Cake recipe looked really tempting but I did not have everything I needed in my pantry so I settled for the Tater Tot Casserole. The original recipe is
here. I modified it by adding a bag of frozen mixed veggies and a topping of sliced cheese to make it more nutritious and pretty at the same time.

MY VERSION OF DUGGAR FAMILY TATER TOT CASSEROLE
1 lb ground chuck, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 small bag frozen mixed vegetables (carrots and peas only)
2 lb bag tater tots
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of onion
1 1/2 cup fresh milk
6 slices American pasteurized cheese

Brown the meat in a skillet and add frozen vegetables. Combine milk with cream of mushroom and cream of onion soup. Mix this into the meat and vegetables. Gently stir in frozen tater tots and transfer the mixture into an oven-safe dish. I used two small cake pans. Top casserole with sliced American cheese and bake at 350 C for about 1 hour or till the cheese begins to brown at the edges. The casserole is best eaten a day later after allowing the flavors to blend while in the fridge. To serve, microwave casserole till warmed through. This is great with a salad.

0 comments: