Browsing the archives for the tater tot casserole tag.

The Duggar’s Tater Tot Casserole

Domestic, Healthy, Kids, Small Town

I’m participating in Menu Monday at Organizing Junkie and Life as a Lofthouse

I didn’t blog last week because honestly I have been extremely distracted. It’s all been pretty fun distractions though!! Since Christmas we thought we were going to be planning a long distance short-term work-related move. We were extremely excited because it was to a place we’ve always wanted to go. Then last weekend we thought that it wasn’t going to happen after all, only to find out a few days later that it’s going to happen, just not as soon as we thought. For a planner this was at first, extremely painful. However, after a while I have come to appreciate that it can be fun to just live my life as I live it (playing in the kitchen while making sock puppets and cocktails) and let surprises unfold on their own – and in their own time. I asked my husband not to keep me in the loop about this work move. Only to tell me when it’s a sure thing and it’s time to start packing. Which honestly takes a load off. So now I’m focusing on Wee One #3’s teeny weeny Hello Kitty birthday party next weekend. It’s teeny weeny because she only really has one friend, I mean she is just turning three after all!

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my oven died, thankfully my stove stop still works perfectly so I’ve been cooking quite a bit, and working through my ‘no bake’ recipes but I haven’t been doing any baking at all. Le sigh. I love baking. At first we looked into having it fixed, but it’s not much of a savings compared to getting a new one and then we have a new warranty. Anyhoo, it’s Menu Monday so while we pick a new stove here’s yet another stove top menu!

This Week’s Menu (Feb 27 – March 5)
*I mentioned last week, I make two separate dinners most nights because I’ve made some dietary changes and I’m not pushing it on my family. They tend to join in with a healthy May-style breakfast and lunch and I make their faves for dinner. Wee One #2 has started eating ‘dinner like mommy’ though, so that’s something!

Monday – Chicken with Rice for the fam, Falafels with Rice for me

Tuesday – Tacos for the fam, Butternut Squash Soup for me

Wednesday – Chicken Slovakia for the fam, Vegan Quesadilla for me

Thursday – Beef Romanoff for the fam, ‘Creamy’ Leek Soup for me

Friday – Homemade Chicken Fingers and Wedges for the fam, Tofu Nuggets and Salad for me

Saturday – Stew and Salad for the fam, Black-Eyed Bean and Tomato Broth with homemade crackers for me

Sunday – Hamburgers and French Fries for the fam, Chick Pea Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries for me

This week, I will photograph these meals as I make them so I can blog about them and link back to those posts when I mention them in a future Menu Monday, which you know I probably will!

Today though, since I have no oven and you probably do, I will hit you with this recipe for Tater Tot Casserole so you can make it for me! It’s the ultimate in trashy food (I have a weakness for such things, remember?) I’m not even going to lie to you (though it would save face if I said something like ‘I don’t remember where I came across this recipe‘), this is totally a Duggar Family recipe. Don’t look at me like that! Don’t act like you don’t love that show too! Johanna is my fave little one and I think Jessa is fierce. <3 the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots

Casserole: from The Duggar’s Favorite Recipes
*I cut it in half and it’s still enough to feed an army, though it’s so good you might not have any leftovers!
1 lb ground turkey cooked, seasoned, drained
3lb tater tots*
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can evaporated milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
Tater Tots: from Macheesmo
4 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 egg
1/2 Cup milk
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Cup all-purpose flour
Salt
Pepper
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
First, make mashed potatoes however you usually do that. I toss mine in the pressure cooker and then mash them up with some garlic and butter.
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
Now add the egg, milk and flour or else they will just be mush in the oil. MUSH. The original tater tot recipe coats them in breadcrumbs and I didn’t. I totally will next time though! This is when you heat a pot of oil and toss these babies in. They only need to be in the oil for like 30 seconds. I had my first few in for about 2 minutes and look what happened!!
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
They were perfect on the inside, burnt to a blackened crisp on the outside. Whoops!
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
I had the next batch in for about 45 seconds and that’s all they needed!
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
Now for the actual casserole part. I just browned the ground turkey (you could use chicken or pork or beef or fake tofu-ish stuff) with a little parsley, garlic and onion though none of those three are technically called for in the recipe, and spread it over the bottom of a casserole dish. Then I put the tater tots on top!
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
Then in another bowl, I mixed the evaporated milk with the cream soups and poured it over meat and tater tots in the casserole dish.
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
the duggar's tater tot casserole with homemade tater tots
Bake at 350F for about an hour and OH MY shit this is amazingly good.

If my new oven isn’t chosen and delivered by Friday, I’m going to have to bake a Hello Kitty cake at my neighbor’s house. Oh small town living, you come in handy sometimes.

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