Lately I’ve been in the mood for comfort food, which takes me back to the dishes I enjoyed growing up. My mom made dinner for us every night, usually centered around meat and potatoes, with casseroles making an occasional appearance.
This casserole was one of those familiar favorites. The flavor is hearty and satisfying, with savory ground beef, a creamy vegetable filling and crispy golden tater tots on top. Every bite has that balance of rich, comforting goodness paired with just the right amount of crunch.
I did make a couple of updates to the recipe I remember. Instead of just using peas, I swapped in a bag of frozen mixed vegetables for more variety and color. I also took the time to neatly line up the tater tots across the top, similar to recipe photos I’ve seen online. When I was a kid, we always mixed the tots right in, so this change made the casserole look a little extra special without much added effort.
It had been at least 20 years since I last made this dish. After getting married, my husband mentioned that he “doesn’t like casseroles,” so many of my childhood favorites disappeared from our menu. But this week I decided to give this one a try, and to my surprise, it was well received.
From our kitchen to yours — enjoy!
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
salt & pepper
16 oz. frozen vegetables (your choice: green beans, corn, peas, carrots)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 bag frozen tater tots
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown hamburger with onions and drain excess grease. Season with salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl, mix frozen vegetables with cream of mushroom soup.
Mix browned beef mixture with vegetable mixture and spread in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
Individually place the frozen tater tots in a single layer over the top of the beef and vegetable layer to cover the entire surface.
Bake for one hour or until the tater tots are browned and the meat and vegetables are bubbly.
