New Tater-tot Casserole 13-Aug-2019

I was in the mood for an old family favourite, tater-tot casserole. This was my family’s standard Tuesday night fare, when my Mom came home from teaching at the Weavers’ Guild and needed something quick to feed to hungry children.

I’ve updated the standard recipe, because I can’t eaten gluten or dairy. I took a cue from other recipes I’ve been trying out and used riced cauliflower as the basis for the sauce normally occupied by Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup. Then I took off from there. :)

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 pound of mushrooms, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 10 ounce bag of frozen riced cauliflower
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, etc.

Directions

1. Cook the frozen cauliflower in the bag in the microwave, follow directions (about 5 to 6 minutes on high)
2. Heat some oil in a large pan / skillet, I set the burner to 3/4, or 7 out of 10 on the dial
3. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and onion. Stir it around and let it cook until it gets soft, about 2 minutes
4. Add the mushrooms and cook until all is nice and soft
5. Start cooking the ground beef with the remaining onions + mushrooms in the pan. I add the seasoning I like at this point so they heat up and cook into the meat mixture
6. Start up you oven at 350°F sometime in here so it’s ready
7. Plonk the cauliflower into the blender, add half the onion & mushroom mixture, and half the can of tomatoes with all the liquid. Add some more liquid as well (I added some coconut milk) to make the stuff blend
8. Blend up the stuff, it’s okay if it’s a little grainy, but it’s better if it’s all sauce-like
9. When the ground beef is done, drain the extra fat if any, and add the sauce - I put in all of it - add the remainder of the tomatoes, and then mix it up
10. Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 pan
11. Cover the meat mixture with a single layer of tots
12. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 40 minutes

Notes

• Prep time: 15 - 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 4

Pictures!