How to Make Tater Tot Hotdish

Everyone loves to eat delicious meals, but cooking is not everybody’s cup of tea. That is until it comes to making tater tot hotdish. I am a horrible cook; however, I have been able to master this recipe for over five years! With these easy-to-find ingredients and a simple nine-step process, this hotdish will always turn into an amazing meal!

The first step to this process is to get out the kitchen materials. On a flat kitchen surface, lay a medium-sized frying pan, a large mixing bowl, a spatula, a can opener, and a disposable 9x13 baking pan. Of course, a reusable baking pan would be acceptable; however, just make sure it is the same width and length.

Along with the utensils, the ingredients will also need to be set out. For this recipe, the chef should have one pound of ground beef. The kind of beef does not matter, but I used 80% lean and 20% fat. Also needed is one 10-ounce can of cream of chicken, one 10-ounce can of cheddar cheese soup, and one 14.75-ounce can of cream-styled corn. The final ingredients consist of a 32-ounce bag of tater tots and a bag of mild cheddar shredded cheese.

Now that the ingredients and utensils are out on a flat kitchen surface, it is time for the first step of the cooking process. First, turn the stovetop burner on medium and place the medium frying pan on it. At this time, the oven should also be preheated to 350 degrees. While the burner is warming up, grab the pound of ground beef and put it in the pan. It is essential to mash the beef into as small of pieces as possible with the spatula. Cook the grounded beef in the frying pan until it is a nice brown color, but do not overcook it and rinse off the spatula when done!

Next, set a large mixing bowl on the kitchen surface. With a can opener, open the three cans listed in the ingredients above. Once the cans are opened, empty each of them into the mixing bowl.

At this time, the ground beef should be cooked. Drain any grease from the pan and add the beef to the mixing bowl. With the spatula, mix all the ingredients in the bowl together.

Following, get out the 32-ounce bag of tater tots and layer the entire bag on the bottom of the disposable baking pan. When the tater tots are evenly laid throughout the pan, drizzle the concoction from the mixing bowl over the tater tots. It is important to spread the mixture as evenly as possible over the tater tots, so it can cook equally.

At this point, the hotdish is almost ready to be placed in the oven. But first, get the bag of shredded cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the hotdish. The amount of cheese used is ultimately up to the chef.

Finally, place the baking pan into the oven, and make sure it is fully preheated to 350 degrees. Once it is in the oven, then set a timer for one hour. While it is baking, begin cleaning up any dirty dishes and throw away all the garbage.

Last but not least, check on the hotdish when the timer goes off after one hour. Examine the edges of the hotdish to make sure it is a golden-brown color, if it is then it is ready to be taken out. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, so it can cool before being served.