Tater Tot Casserole

Recipe by Melody Allred

Heat: 350°F
Time: 30–45 min
Makes: Not recorded

This was the first full meal I ever cooked completely by myself! I made it for Dad and Kyle when Mom went out of town to visit Em after she had Dan. Dad made spaghetti the next night and I was so surprised he cooked and wondered why I made the tater tot casserole the night before haha :) It’s an old family classic and although it is simple and may not seem super appetizing (it was deemed “Death Ball Casserole” at one point), I still love it and make it frequently for a quick, tasty, easy meal.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
Onion, salt, pepper, and garlic, to taste
1 small package frozen peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
A little water
Frozen tater tots
Ketchup, for serving

Method

01
This was the first full meal I ever cooked completely by myself! I made it for Dad and Kyle when Mom went out of town to visit Em after she had Dan. Dad made spaghetti the next night and I was so surprised he cooked and wondered why I made the tater tot casserole the night before haha :) It’s an old family classic and although it is simple and may not seem super appetizing (it was deemed “Death Ball Casserole” at one point), I still love it and make it frequently for a quick, tasty, easy meal.
02
Use 2 lbs. Ground beef fried and crumbled (with onions, salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic).
03
Remove from heat. Combine 1 small package of frozen peas, 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 can cream of chicken soup (mixed with a little bit of water), and cooked ground beef. Layer in bottom of 13 x 9 pan. Layer frozen tater tots on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until bubbling. Eat with ketchup!
04
**Alternative note from Mom - this is AMAZING with yam tater tots and onions, peppers, Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn (fried up with the ground beef) instead of peas. And nix the soups!