5 Ingredient Tater Tot Casserole

Do you love meals that don’t need a lot of ingredients? Me too! That’s why over the next couple of weeks I am focusing on bringing you amazing recipes for main dishes, side dishes, and desserts, all with five ingredients or less! To start things off here is a Mitten State favorite: 5 Ingredient Tater Tot Casserole.

Tater Tot Casserole is so easy and delicious, it’s a comfort food staple here in the Mid Mitten Kitchen. As a midwesterner, born and raised, it’s really only natural that I would love a casserole packed with creamy cheese and topped with potatoes. I keep this recipe simple with store bought items liked condensed cream of mushroom soup and frozen veggies.

If you would rather add in fresh vegetables or have your own substitute for the condensed soup go ahead and use them! My goal here is to create a super simple recipe that still offers some sorta healthy food (veggies and lean ground beef) and tastes great.

(If you have an amazing recipe for DIY cream of mushroom concentrated soup I’d love to hear it! I’ve been looking for a good one for awhile now.)

Before we delve into the recipe there are a few things I want to tell you about these 5 Ingredient series.

First, I don’t count cooking fats like olive oil or coconut oil as ingredients. These are pretty much necessary for almost all cooking and you should always anticipate needing them.

Second, I’m not counting spices as extra ingredients either. As you grow in the kitchen you will come to appreciate spices and herbs more. They truly can turn any dish from boring to brilliant. For that reason I want you to work on building your spice stock and using them regularly. I will try to keep the spices used to ones you most likely already have (check out my 12 essential spices post).

Okay on to the main event: 5 Ingredient Tater Tot Casserole

Are you ready for this? Because it’s going to go quick. Here it is:

Step One: Brown the hamburger in a skillet on the stove top. I seasoned my beef with onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper.

Once the meat has brown, drain the grease. Tip: you can collect the grease in the soup can if you first empty the concentrated soup in the mixing bowl. Never, never, never, dump warm grease down your sink…bad things will happen. Mainly you could clog the pipes and cause a backup, or even need them to be repaired or replaced. And a drain clog is gross…just trust me on this one.

Back to the 5 Ingredient Tater Tot Casserole. Step Two: Dump the rest of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well. Next spread the mixture across a 9×13 baking pan. Finally pour the (still frozen) tater tots over the hamburger mixture, and press them down slightly into the sauce. Some people take the time to make a really pretty tater tot casserole and neatly arrange their tots. I personally don’t have time for that…and don’t quite see the point…so I just let them lay where they fall. If arranging the tots is therapeutic to you, or just speaks to your soul, then please commence to your delight.

All that’s left now is to put the tater tot casserole in the preheated oven (375 degrees F) for 35-45 minutes or until the tots are crispy and the sauce bubbles.

If you love this recipe please let me know, and don’t forget to subscribe for more recipes and kitchen tips! Also check out Mid Mitten Morsels on instagram or facebook.

I can’t wait to share my other 5 Ingredient or less recipes with you this month! Check back soon for more!

Until we cook again,

Chloe M.