Need a warm, comforting meal that will win smiles around the dinner table? This Tater Tot Casserole is it!
I love finding ways to incorporate veggies into my family’s meals. Although my kids don’t necessarily get excited about veggies, they are much less likely to complain when I add veggies to a casserole with other ingredients. There’s something about the combo of cheesy tater tots, hamburger, mixed veggies and creamy soup that just makes you grin from ear to ear.
I grew up on casseroles and I love that my kids get to enjoy them on-the-regular too. One of the ways my mom showed her love was by making us delicious food, and I feel like I show my love for my kids and husband in a similar way. I love to see their reaction, while sitting around the dinner table, to something new and exciting that I’ve cooked up. When they’re happy about dinner, I’m happy about dinner. 🙂
Food has a way of bringing us together and enabling us to make sweet memories in the kitchen. I distinctly remember sitting down to this Chicken Salad Casserole, this Cheesy Broccoli Casserole, and this Hamburger Corn Casserole with my siblings, growing up. We were always ravenous by the time dinner rolled around. We were very active kids-always outside running around, playing hide-and-seek, kickball, or tag.
I don’t think I ever fully appreciated my mom making us dinner, night after night, until I got married and had my own family to make dinner for night after night. 🙂 Now that I completely comprehend all the time and effort that goes into creating a warm meal, I cherish the acts of service my mom performed, day after day, in the kitchen on her family’s behalf.
I originally prepared this casserole with regular tater tots, but then I decided afterwards that seasoned tater tots would make it even better. Trust me, use the seasoned tater tots. I feel like this casserole has the perfect blend of meat and veggies with things kids get really excited about (tater tots and cheese). I know your family’s going to love it too!
You could swap the ground beef for chicken, if you’d like. And feel free to add whatever veggies you prefer, as well. I opted to use peas and carrots, but there’s no wrong answer. If you choose to use chicken, you can sub in cream of chicken for the cream of celery. This dish is so versatile!
Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 stalks celery diced finely
- 1 small yellow onion diced finely
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bag 12 oz frozen mixed veggies (whichever kind you prefer; I used peas and carrots)
- 2 cans 10.5 oz each cream of celery
- 1/4 c. milk
- 24-32 oz. frozen seasoned tater tots add as much as you like
- 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly spray a 9"x13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add ground beef, diced celery, diced onions and minced garlic to a large skillet over the stove top on medium-high heat. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Stir, breaking up the ground beef, and cooking until meat is no longer pink and celery and onions are tender. Drain the fat, if there is any.
- Pour meat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.
- Pour frozen veggies evenly over the meat.
- Stir together cream of celery and milk until smooth and pour over the veggies, spreading it out evenly.
- Add frozen tater tots over the soup (as many as you'd like).
- Place casserole in the oven and bake until bubbly and hot (approximately 40-45 minutes). Test to see if it's done by poking the tater tots and making sure they're completely heated through.
- Add the shredded cheddar, then return it to the oven for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
You can also swap in cream of mushroom for the cream of celery, if you'd prefer.
Dig in and enjoy!
Chelsea Johnson says