Tater-Tot Casserole
An Easy one skillet meal for 4. This simple to prepare and server meal comes together quickly and requires minimal cleanup.
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet (12in)
- Mixing Bowl
- Wood Spoon
- Convection Oven
Ingredients
Herbs and Spices
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Coarse Ground Pepper
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
Liquids
- 1 Can Condensed Cream of Mushroom
Meat and Veggies
- 1 LB Ground Beef 80/20
- 1 each Onion White or Yellow
Toppings
- 1 Tbsp Chives Fresh or Dried
- ½ Cup Medium Cheddar Cheese Shredded
Instructions
Notes To Start
- You will notice the baking soda added to the ground beef, this is actually an old trick, it lowers the ph of the ground beef which allows for the muscle fibers to retain more moisture which allows the beef to brown much better in the pan rather than steam.
- You can also add green beans into the mix for extra veggies! If you simply hate mushrooms you can substitute with cream of chicken but it wont be as good. You can also strain out the mushroom bits from the soup if you have picky eaters.
Prep
- Take your Ground Beef and put it in your mixing bowl, break it up a bit. sprinkle the Baking Soda over the Ground Beef and gently mix it together. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for about 20 mins.
- Dice your Onions. Make sure to keep the onion dices around the same size so they cook evenly. If you are adding fresh green beans/mushrooms cut them up now as well.
Cook and Serve
- Pre-heat your over to 400°.
- Heat a 12" Cast-Iron Skillet over medium heat and add your Olive Oil and tilt to coat the pan.
- Add the onion. Sauté until onion is semi transparent.
- In the same skillet add your Ground Beef, cook until browned. Thanks to the baking soda there should be no reason to drain.
- Turn off the burner. Pour the Cream of Mushroom Soup into the pan and combine it with the ground beef.
- Spread about 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar evenly across the top Put a single layer tater tots across the top of the pan and lightly press them down.
- Throw the whole pan into the oven on the middle rack for 40 mins or until tots are golden brown.
- Remove Skillet from the oven, season tots with Salt and Pepper as you like. Top with remaining shredded cheddar and sprinkle chives on top. let stand for about 5 mins. Enjoy!Don't forget to transfer any leftovers to a storage container and clean out your cast-iron pan.