Tater Tot Casserole [Vegetarian]
Kick off casserole season with this hearty, delicious dish
2 lbs frozen tater tots, thawed
1 10½ oz can cream of mushroom soup
White or yellow onion, finely chopped
16 oz sour cream
8 oz sharp cheddar, grated
½ tsp seasoning salt
Garlic powder to taste
½ cup butter, softened
1½ cups breadcrumbs
½ cup butter, melted
Paprika to taste
Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Combine tater tots, soup, onion, sour cream, cheddar, salt, garlic powder, and softened butter in a very large bowl with a sturdy spatula. Once thoroughly combined, transfer mixture to the casserole dish and smooth it out. In a medium bowl, mix together breadcrumbs and melted butter until the butter is fully absorbed, then spread evenly over the tater tot mixture. Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping with paprika to your heart’s content, then bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and crunchy, and liquid is bubbling at the edges.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from one by Bea Gassman on All Recipes, available here.
If you don’t have enough breadcrumbs, you can also substitute crushed chips measure for measure.
To make the mixing a little easier, I sometimes thinly slice the softened butter before combining with the tots, etc.
Occasionally I’m an idiot and forget to thaw the tater tots. If you find yourself in the same situation, it’s ok. The casserole tends to be more runny when you first pull it out of the oven if the tots were still frozen, but if you let it cool on the counter a bit, it firms up like nothing happened.