

Remove the tater tots from the freezer to let them thaw slightly while you prepare the filling. When ready to bake, heat the filling on the stovetop over medium heat until warm, then top with tater tots and cheese and bake as directed. You could make the entire filling a day ahead, let it cool, then refrigerate. Tater tots help lock in the moisture of the meat mixture, but you'll want to leave them exposed so that they can get nice and crunchy on top. The time required in the oven is relatively short when compared to other hearty casseroles because of the precooked filling. For this cowboy casserole, you'll want to forgo the foil. Should a casserole be covered when baking? Just about any creamy condensed soup will work in this casserole. What can I use instead of cream of mushroom soup? The final step? A sprinkle of crispy bacon and chives on top! Then it bakes in the oven until the tots are crisp and golden brown.

Once the filling is done, you add it to a casserole dish, top with cheddar cheese, a layer of tater tots, and parmesan on top. It gets its creaminess from a can of cream of mushroom soup and milk. The filling is made with ground beef, chopped onion, garlic, spinach, and corn. Now, saddle up for this cowboy-approved easy casserole! After all, any recipe that starts with crisping bacon then cooking onions in the bacon fat is bound to be delicious! Thanks to easy prep and the convenience of frozen tater tots, this ground beef recipe can be on the table in less than an hour. Bonus: Because there's corn and spinach in the filling, there's no need for any additional sides.

But I’ve also provided an online recipe option in the notes.īy ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, optionally nut-free, soy-free, optionally vegan, and optionally vegetarian.With a creamy beef filling and a cheesy tater tot topping, this skillet dinner is sure to make a regular appearance in your weeknight rotation. Peas or a frozen mixed vegetable medley are good, too.įor the “cream of” soup in the filling, I’m partial to Alisa’s Classic Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Healthy Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup from Go Dairy Free: The Ultimate Guide and Cookbook. I usually add frozen or canned green beans. In the casserole photographed here I added frozen corn because that’s what I had on hand. Either vegan substitute works well.Īny vegetable you like can be used for the meat version. The flavor reminded me of a vegetable shepherd’s pie. I discovered that simply replacing the ground meat with a variety of vegetables works well, too. Initially, I thought a vegan ground meat substitute made the most sense as a meat substitute. After taste testing, I decided a dairy-free cheese layer didn’t really add anything to the casserole (except additional cost!), so I eliminated it. Tater tot casseroles often have a cheese layer between the meat and tater tots.
#Crock pot tater tot casserole no meat free#
I made some adjustments to the recipes I found to make this casserole dairy free and optionally vegan. After a few attempts, I’m happy to say I have an easy Dairy-Free Tater Tot Casserole recipe to share.ĭairy-Free Tater Tot Casserole Made Easy with Simple Swaps One classic casserole I’d never tried making dairy-free was Tater Tot Casserole (or Tater Tot Hotdish, depending on where you are from). If a recipe is easy enough for my kids to make for dinner, that’s even better. I’m always on the lookout for quick weeknight meals, especially during the busy spring season.
