Mark it in your calendars – Josh gets an “I told you so”. Ever since I met him in 2008, he has been going on and on about something called tater tot casserole. The idea of something that is just ground beef, condensed cheese soup, and potatoes sends shivers up my spine. Tater tots are definitely something I can get behind, though. Fun fact: I once received a bulk-sized package of frozen tater tots for Christmas. They may or may not have included a note that said “Napoleon, give me some of your tots”.
I probably should stop there. But I’m going to keep going. That was the year I was taking high school Chemistry. We were paired up with a random classmate to make VSEPR models and for some reason, I suggested to Paul (who I had never even conversed with before) that we make them out of these tater tots. He went along with it, but frozen tater tots do not really hold up well to being held together by toothpicks in a pentagonal bipyramidal configuration. We had to coat them in varnish so they wouldn’t fall apart by class the next day, and it pretty much put me off on tater tots for years. Needless to say, how weird I am didn’t win me any friends. But we were told we had the most unique display and got full points for creativity 😉 Oh. And we may have written “Tina, come get some ham” in ketchup on the foil we presented on, ha.
My long history with tots aside, this is GOOD. Pretty? No. So just close your eyes and eat it. It’s a Mexican take on Josh’s old favorite. It was the best way I could think of to up the veggie factor while getting rid of the weird, canned cheese soup. We topped ours with sour cream, but it wouldn’t have needed it if I hadn’t made it a touch too spicy for Josh.
Tagged with: Casserole • Dairy Free • Egg Free • Gluten Free • Hidden Beans • Hidden Veggies • Nut Free • Soy Free • Vegan • Vegetarian
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This dish looks so delicious and festive! I must try this sometime.
Pinning!
Tater Tot Casserole is such a classic dish! And I love the Mexican spin you put on it.
You seriously have no idea just how excited I am about this recipe! I LOVE tater tot casserole and my veggie version is one of my favorite things to make (and apparently everyone elses too since it it one of my most popular posts). I cannot wait to try this!
Hannah, I’m glad Josh talked me into it! It’s seriously taken me 6 years to try tater tot casserole. I’ve been missing out.
Mmmmm … I do love me some tater tots! There is just something so comforting about them! Maybe it’s because those little gems of goodness were a staple on the lunch tray in elementary school – a time when everything was just plain easy. No responsibility, no worries – just who would get the best swing on the playground. Ahhh … to be a kid again!
I for sure want to eat this. Now. Not later. And with your enchilada sauce?? YUMMO!!!
I grew up on tator tot casserole! I loved those things growing up and haven’t had them since. Your version is more grown up with fajita-style veggies — nice touch!
Well I definitely do love tater tots. And while I never thought I would make a whole casserole out of them, you definitely make a persuasive case with this one!