How to Make Tater Tot Hotdish (Casserole)



This hearty, creamy casserole is crowned with its namesake crispy potato nuggets. Hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison show you how to make this Minnesota favorite.

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32 Comments

  1. I made this for the first time with my daughter tonight. I found a recipe and it basically was take ground beef, brown it…put that on bottom of dish, put mixed veggies on top of that, then they said cream of mushroom on top..I used cream of chicken cause I don't like mushrooms, then tater tots. Cook for 50 min on 350 then after add shredded cheese and broil on low til crispy/melty. It was very good. Reminded me of Shepherds pie. (I'm from Massachusetts). I saw other recipes mix everything together instead of layering then add tater tots. And others add more to the beef like onions etc.
    Does anyone have any tips to what I should do to make it better than I made it? It was good but maybe it could be better.

  2. I'm not from the US so I have no idea what tater tots are, but I loved that bottom layer casserole. Does anyone have any good suggestions on what I could use to substitute the tater tots and have a similar final result?

  3. TBH, I never heard of this dish until I saw a Joshua Wiseman upload… the method used here is what I'll say, unorthodox, but I can truly say that this chef knows her stuff! I am inspired by her technique and really cannot wait to try this recipe for my children when I have my time with them over the weekend!! This is fantastic!

  4. As a Minnesotan, I'm actually not a fan of the recipe. Needs Tater Tots to line to the bottom of the pan as a buffer. Pre-bake them for 20mins. Parma also has no business in a Tater Tot hotdish. Blend of Sharp and Mild block cheese is acceptable. For Canned soup I use 1 cream of celery and 1 cream of mushroom.

  5. I was a MN transplant, my MN wife would say "hot dish" to which I would ask, "Its hot but what is it?" I quickly learned… Hotdish can be nearly ANY thing… Go to a VFW in winter on a Sat night, you will learn. I LOVE Tater Tot Hotdish!

  6. For as much as I admire and respect these two and everyone else who is employed by, and who WAS employed by (e.g. Chris Kimball) Cooks Country/ATK, I have to declare that no self-respecting Minnesotan, Wisconsinite, or N/S Dakotan would make a  scratch sauce for a  classic tater tot hotdish. To do so is "putting on airs." It goes against the rules, the philosophy, and the intent behind a "hotdish." If it doesn't come out of a can, forget about it. Campbells brand cream of mushroom soup should be used, cream of chicken soup will do in a pinch, and the vegetables should also come out of a can — green beans and corn being the preferred classic veggie duo. Fresh mushrooms are superfluous. Layering wastes time and inhibits the melding of flavors. Cooked hamburger/onions, veggies, and cream soup should all be stirred together and well incorporated. Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 tsp pepper if you're feeling frisky. Spread the whole works in a 9 by 13 pan. Top it with soldier rows of tater tots. Forget the cheese– it's unnecessary and gets in the way of the potato nugget goodness. Bake, covered in foil, for 30 to 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven; remove the foil at the 30-minute mark. Pull out and Voila! A quick and absolutely delicious meal that will satisfy everyone from lumberjacks to your husband and kids. Your husband will eat half the pan and there will be no leftovers so you might as well make two pans at once.

  7. I have some friends in MN and this comfort food has made it all the way back to the UK where I cook it from time to time, in fact I’m making one this week. I do use that famous soup but this version looks very flavourful and not overly complicated.

  8. Been watching this for a couple of months and this duo is my favourite.

    All the presenters are good but these two are great, they really bounce off each other in a fun zippy way.

    Now to search the archives for more of this pairing…

  9. 1 lb mushrooms, 1/4” slice
    1 Onion, chopped
    1 tbl fresh Thyme
    4 cloves Garlic, minced
    1 1/2 tsp Salt
    1 1/2 tsp Pepper
    1 1/2 lb 85% Ground Beef
    3 tbl flour
    1 1/2 C chicken broth
    1 1/2 C whole milk
    1 1/2 C grated Parmesan
    1 C frozen peas
    1 C frozen corn
    Bag of Tater Tots

    450’ oven, upper middle rack for 35 to 38 minutes. Should be bubbly and tater tots crisp.
    Cool 15 minutes

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