• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipes
    • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch & Dinner
    • Desserts & Baking
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Work with Me
  • Cookbook

healthier tater tot hot dish

September 4, 2019 1 Comment

Share1
Pin440
Tweet
Share
441 Shares
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This is one of the easiest dinners I know how to make – and it’s perfect for fall! It’s cozy, flavorful, and makes great leftovers. This version of Tater Tot Hot Dish is made healthier by adding extra veggies and taking out the canned soup – but it’s still just as creamy as the original!

Tater tot hot dish in a skillet. this recipe

Tater Tot Hot Dish! If you don’t know what this is, you must not be from the Midwest. It’s a classic around these parts. I think Minnesotans are responsible for the term “hot dish” (correct me if I’m wrong on that) so other midwesterners might just call this Tater Tot Casserole. Either way, it’s delicious and so easy to make!

Close-up of tater tot dish in a cast iron skillet.

For the filling, we’re sauteing veggies like onions and bell peppers, then adding spices and cooked ground turkey. Then, we’re stirring in some flour, milk, and shredded cheese to make that creamy casserole base that a Tater Tot Hot Dish simply MUST have. Last, stir in black beans and corn, and top with your frozen tater tots!

Tater tot hot dish filling in a cast iron skillet.

Tater tots placed on one half of the skillet over the filling.

And, this beauty is ready for the oven! See? I told you this was easy and quick to make! You can customize it a bit, too by adding or removing whatever veggies you do or don’t like. You can also change up the flavor of cheese or use ground beef if that’s more of your jam than ground turkey. 

Tater tots placed into skillet over filling.

Just before serving, top the whole dish off with some extra veggies to dress it up a bit. Then, DIG IN. 

Completed tater tot hot dish in a cast iron skillet.

Happy fall! (I can say that right? It’s September 3rd!)

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment! 

Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag #bluebowlrecipes with your photo! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the bluebowlrecipes Facebook page. I’d love to see what you make!

5 from 1 vote
Print

Healthier Tater Tot Hot Dish

This is one of the easiest dinners I know how to make - and it's perfect for fall! It's cozy, flavorful, and makes great leftovers. This version of Tater Tot Hot Dish is made healthier by adding extra veggies and taking out the canned soup - but it's still just as creamy and delicious as the original!

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Main Dish, Midwestern
Keyword Easy Tater Tot Casserole
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 725 kcal
Author Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey or ground beef
  • 2-3 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 large bell peppers
  • 1/2 a yellow onion
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • pinch of pepper
  • 12 to 16 ounces cheese, grated I used a mix of monterrey jack and cheddar
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 bag frozen tater tots

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop your onion and bell pepper. Cook your ground turkey in a large cast iron pan, take the meat out and set aside (I put mine in a paper-towel lined bowl or strainer to absorb excess grease), and wipe out the pan - or use a new pan.

  2. Make the Hot Dish Filling: Heat the oil in your pan over medium heat. Saute the onion, peppers, and garlic until tender (but not too tender, it'll continue cooking as we progress and it will bake in the oven at the end, so aim for crisp-tender). Add the meat back into the pan with the veggies, and add the spices, stirring to combine everything. Add the flour, and stir to coat everything well. Next, slowly pour in the milk while whisking the mixture in the pan to keep everything nice and smooth. Next, slowly add the grated cheese, whisking while you add each handful. Again, this will keep things smooth, so the cheese doesn't clump up. You can add anywhere from 12-16 oz of cheese, depending on how cheesy you want it. Stir in the black beans and corn.

    Taste and add extra seasoning if desired.

  3. Bake: Top with frozen tater tots. If your skillet is super full when you put it in the oven, add a sheet pan underneath to catch any drips. Bake for 25-30 minutes - tots will have browned slightly and the filling will be bubbling underneath.

  4. Serve + Store: Top with extra diced peppers, cilantro, etc. after baking, if desired. Enjoy immediately! Store leftovers, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

 

The One-Bowl Baker

Order my new book:

The One-Bowl Baker

today!

One-Bowl recipes for incredible cookies, brownies, cakes, and breads made easy enough for anyone to bake!

Order Now:

Walmart // Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Target // Booksamillion // Bookshop // Indie Bound // Book Depository

Get the Bonus e-Book!

Filed Under: Casseroles, Lunch & Dinner Tagged With: Cast Iron, comfort food

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. KitchenVarieties says

    September 9, 2019 at 6:46 am

    5 stars
    Made these this morning, and followed instructions exactly. They were out of this world. Outstanding! I can’t wait to make these for friends.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi. I’m Stephanie

I’m a Mom & Grandma-taught cook + baker, and I’m excited to share my love of all things food with you!

Learn more

Order my new book

One-Bowl recipes for incredible cookies, brownies, cakes, and breads made easy enough for anyone to bake!

Order now

Reader Faves

A spoon dipping into a jar of caramel sauce.

simplest homemade salted caramel sauce

maple bacon cupcakes with brown butter frosting and candied bacon

homemade blueberry pop tarts

blueberry spinach salad with honey balsamic dressing

perfect breakfast quiche

best-ever 5 ingredient brownies

Seasonal Picks

A jumbo blueberry muffin on a cooling rack.

bakery-style jumbo blueberry muffins

s’mores tart with toasted marshmallow meringue

key lime pie bars with macadamia nut crust

one-bowl lemon poppyseed muffins

rhubarb upside down cake

strawberry scones

Subscribe for recipes

FeedFeed

Footer

  • Privacy Policy
Blog Meets Brand

© 2022 Blue Bowl Recipes. All Rights Reserved.

X

Subscribe For 5 Exclusive Recipes!

Join our mailing list to receive exclusive content, new recipes, and more. Sign up now to receive an ebook of 5 exclusive recipes!

 

Loading Comments...