My take on a nostalgic meal that I grew up eating. Made with mostly whole foods (other than tater tots but I get the best brand out there) and lots of love. My kids LOVE this.
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I know – I’m telling everyone I am recreating recipes for my kids with clean ingredients and I AM! But I like to think of myself as a “scrunchy” mom. For those that don’t know – that just means I’m a mix of both “crunchy” and “silky” moms. I prioritize homemade and natural whole food ingredients, making my own swaps and creating most things from scratch. But I also like to keep things balanced. It’s not sustainable to my life with three kids to be whipping up tater tots from scratch all the time. I also love that this was such a nostalgic meal for me growing up and getting to create that experience for my kids is so fulfilling. So hence the tater tots! Normally we find a seed oil free brand or a minimal ingredient organic brand.
Does anyone else think that when they create something made from scratch or using great ingredients that it’s now actually healthy? Whether that’s right or wrong – I’m definitely part of that crowd.
I won’t beat around the bush. Most recipes online for tater tot casserole were not my go to. They vary so much and most use canned soups. I couldn’t find one that fit all my families needs -mostly whole food focused, minimal dairy, but still delicious with that nostalgic flavor. So I took things into my own hands and came up with my own little version and we’ve made it over and over again!
Let’s talk ingredients.
A typical tater tot casserole has a mix of some form of these ingredients:
Tater tots, frozen veggies, ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, and cheese.
I made just a few tweaks (mainly in replacing the canned soup) to create a super flavorful and actually healthy(?) tater tot casserole!
Let’s talk about the canned cream of mushroom soup.
I have no hate towards those that use canned soups. I grew up eating them and honestly love the flavor that comes with using one in a recipe. Since we’ve started to eat as clean as we can, I’ve started working my way around these ingredients and honestly you can still get great results without them!
There’s just a few easy tweaks I made to make up for that loss of umami flavor that comes with the canned mushroom soup. It’s a mix of spices, bone broth, some flour to act as a light roux, and optional milk! You can make it without milk if you need less dairy but I like to add some in to bring the creaminess the canned soup would bring.
I also have no issue with frozen veggies but we rarely have them so I just use fresh. You can totally use frozen in this recipe! If you use fresh veggies like me, make sure to follow my directions and cook them on the stove for a bit to help them start to soften. Because of how fibrous the veggies are, they need a head start before hitting the oven.
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef with the listed seasonings until cooked. Set aside.
- Add oil or butter back to the pan and saute onions and garlic.
- Chop the veggies and add them to the pot and saute for a few minutes to evaporate the water.
- Add back the beef and sprinkle over some flour and cook for a minute or two to get the floury taste out. This is what makes a light roux to thicken the liquid.
- Add in broth, milk (optional), worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Stir well and season again to your taste. If using fresh veggies cook for 15 minutes to start softening the veggies. Add in liquid as needed if it gets too thick.
- Pour mixture in a baking dish (9×13) and spread out evenly.
- Grate cheese over top. I used 8 ounces in this recipe but use however much our little you’d like.
- Cover the cheese in your tater tots. Form straight rows if you’re feeling fun or just dump and spread them on if you’re in a hurry.
- Bake at 400 for 45 minutes. Let sit a few minutes after baking and enjoy! We always had ours with some applesauce growing up. The combo is so good!
Let’s get to the recipe!
“Healthy” Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tsp olive oil more if needed
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 cup peas frozen
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1½ cup bone broth
- ½ cup milk optional – see note
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 8 oz cheddar cheese
Season with your heart
- salt & pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- paprika
- italian seasoning mix
- white pepper
- mustard powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Brown the beef on the stove with listed spices. Once beef is browned – set aside.
- Chop onions, garlic, carrots and green beans. If using frozen that's fine!
- Add oil into the same pan and saute the onions until translucent. About 10 minutes. Add in garlic and saute a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add in all your veggies – carrots, green beans, and peas. Saute a few minutes. (if using frozen veggies make sure to saute until the water evaporates)
- Add back beef. Add in the flour and let it cook for a minute to get the floury taste out. Add in beef broth, milk, and worcestershire and soy sauce. Let it simmer until it's nice and thick. Let this mixture cook for 15 minutes on the stove. This helps give the fresh veggies a head start to soften up. If it thickens up too much, add in ¼-½ a cup of bone broth.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt & pepper and seasonings as needed.
- Pour mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Cover in fresh shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Use as much or as little as you like but I used an 8oz block.
- Cover cheese in your favorite tater tot brand.
- Bake at 400 for 45 minutes until the tater tots are nice and golden and the filling is bubbly.
- Let rest for 10 minutes on the counter and enjoy! Pro tip – enjoy with some applesauce. IYKYK.
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