Taco Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE this Taco Tater Tot Casserole Recipe!!! Or as we like to call it here in Minnesota, taco tater tot hotdish.

Hotdish is basically a season here in Minnesota and even though I’ve lived here for a total of ten years…this was my first time making hotdish! (I know my MN peeps are going to be disappointed in this fact.) But the truth is, while I’ve certainly had hotdish before, it wasn’t anything I grew up eating.

My family was more rice & beans than hotdish. But who can resist tater tots ON a casserole? No one. And that’s a fact. It just makes sense, and honestly? I’m starting to feel like I was a little deprived.

When I got a hotdish request from my meal plan group, I knew I wanted to make a mexican style tater tot casserole. (Potential name was Turkey Taco Tater Tot Hotdish – what a mouthful!) But first I needed to learn the basic bones of a hotdish. I turned to my friend Brenda from A Farm Girl’s Dabbles. She’s got two great tater tot hotdish recipes (one with canned soup and one without if you must be fancy). Her recipe is a classic!

Once I learned the hotdish basics and techniques, I set out to make my very own mexican tater tot hotdish.

How to Make Mexican Tater Tot Casserole Recipe:

I’m going to show you just how to make this quick and easy mexican tater tot casserole! The basics are simple: saute ground turkey with green peppers, onions, and taco seasoning. Then stir in some sour cream and …

The taco tater tot hotdish is OBVIOUSLY then topped with tater tots that are baked until golden brown and crunchy and delicious. And then the whole thing is topped with cheese and broiled until it’s all melty.

Now, you may be wondering if this combination of tater tots and cheese is “healthy.” And to that my simple response is yes, all food is “healthy.” Is all food packed with nutrition? No, but there is more to health than nutrients found in food.

I talk more about this philosophy in my steak quesadillas post, but my big goals (for myself and YOU!) is to:

• Cook more
• Stress about food less
• Enjoy meals
• Eat REAL food
• To eat mostly foods that are wholesome and unprocessed, but also to not feel bad if you eat a bag of fritos

So does that answer your question about taco tater tot hotdish recipe being healthy or not?!

Can you make Mexican Tater Tot Casserole ahead?

You can make some of these components of the tater taco casserole ahead of time, but you’ll want to do the baking portion of it right before serving.

To meal prep a bit of it, dice the onion and pepper, saute together, and brown turkey meat – basically follow the instructions through step four in the recipe card below.

Then the day you are going to eat it, put the taco turkey mixture in a large skillet, and continue with the instructions.

Toppings for Mexican Tater Tot Casserole Recipe:

Always add the toppings to taco tater tot casserole recipe! These are flexible, depending on what you have and what you have time to prep but adding some fresh flavors into the mexican tater tot hotdish will really add great flavor. Here are some toppings

• sour cream
• chopped onion
• chopped cilantro
• sliced tomatoes
• pickled jalapeno peppers
• diced avocado
• sliced black olives

Tools to Make Mexican Tater Tot Casserole Recipe:

• Cast Iron Skillet: This cast iron is so versatile and you can make this entire tater tot taco bake in this skillet!
• Silicone Cooking Utensils: You’ll love this set of cooking utensils – and it won’t scratch any pans!

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