For Justin, with hugs and kisses to my almost birthday boy!
TATER TOT CASSEROLE
- 1 -1.5 lbs lean ground beef or ground sirloin
- 1 pkg (bag) frozen peas or mixed vegetables
- 1/4 c. dried minced onion, or half cup of chopped fresh onion
- 1 - 1 1/2 cans cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup (don't use low salt for this recipe)
- 3/4 - 1 pkg frozen tater tots
You can use either a rectangular baking dish or a round casserole, but which one you select determines preparation (see below).
Rectangular: press 1.5 lbs of uncooked ground beef into the bottom of the dish and sprinkle with black pepper and garlic granules, or a salt-free seasoning mix like Emeril's, or?? Add a layer of the frozen veggies, utilizing the entire package. Sprinkle with onion and pour the undiluted soup over, smoothing to make sure it's in every nook and cranny.
For the round (3 qt) casserole, it works better to barely cook the ground beef with the onions first; place in the bottom of the casserole, then add the veggies and soup.
Either way, top with the tatertots, lengthwise on the rectangular dish, upright if in the casserole. Some people add shredded or grated cheese at this point. I never have.
Sometimes I like to add a little Worchestershire sauce to the soup concentrate before I pour it on.
Bake at 375 for about one hour. You'll know it's done when the soup is bubbling up through the crispy tater tots. Happy! Happy!
MEXICAN LASAGNA (or ENCHILADAS SOMBRERO)
Ingredients must include:
- 1 - 1.5 lbs of ground beef or turkey
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 8 -10 corn tortillas
- Canned enchilada sauce like La Victoria (about 3 cups)
- 3 - 4 cups grated cheese or Mexican cheese blend
Brown the ground meat in a skillet with onions, garlic, diced green chilies, leftover salsa, whatever sounds good... While the meat's browning, cut or tear the tortillas into slices or wedges. Stir the mushroom soup into the ground meat mixture, and remove from heat.
Lightly grease the bottom of your casserole or baking dish and cover the bottom with a light layer of enchilada sauce, followed by a layer of tortilla. Then add a layer of the cooked beef followed by a layer of grated cheese. The next layer is tortillas again, this time followed by enchilada sauce, ground beef, , cheese, tortillas, enchilada sauce and grated cheese. Substituting sour cream for the middle layer of cheese is awfully yummy, too.
Lower oven temp to 350 and bake for 45 mins - 60 minutes depending on what type of dish you're using.
