Tater Tot Casserole

So it's been a long time since I've sat down to blog, but tonight, I'm going to make it up to you with several posts. I might just make it up to you with this version of tater tot casserole, which, if I do say so myself, is the bomb....dot com. I've tried two or three different ways of making this casserole, and this seems to be the crowd pleaser (well, if you count my hubs as a crowd, because I do). A lot of them turn out really dry, which is disappointing. And even though I love the Duggars, theirs doesn't have any cheese. Although theirs is likely healthier, no cheese is just not acceptable in this household. We live for cheese!

Anyway, on the list of things that we buy almost every time we grocery shop is ground turkey. As I have mentioned before, I'm not a ground beef fan, so we're always looking for ways to make ground turkey throughout the week that isn't redundant and tiresome. Because I don't often buy tater tots, I have to make a point to buy them with the intention of making this dish. It makes it a rare enough effort that always turns out as a special treat that breaks the ground turkey routine of baked spaghetti and hamburgers. So without further adieu, I give you my version of Tater Tot casserole.

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:
1 bag of tater tots
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of milk
2 cups of shredded cheddar or colby blend cheese
1/2 cup of Velveeta cheese (I used the 2% kind, but it really is whatever you want)
1 or 1/2 pound of ground turkey (depending on how meaty you'd like it to be)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 T of Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of pepper

In an oven, bake the entire bag of tater tots according to the package directions. While the tots are cooking, brown your turkey meat in a pan. Season with garlic powder, W-shire sauce, salt and pepper. In a large sprayed 9x13 (3 qt) casserole dish, pour the browned ground turkey into the bottom of the dish. Top with cooked tater tots. In a bowl or measuring cup, mix the milk, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream. Stir well and sit aside. Cut off Velveeta cheese into quartered chunks and tuck in with tater tots all over the dish. Pour liquid mixture over the top and then top with with the shredded cheese. Bake on whatever your oven is already on from baking the tater tots (425 or so) for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted. You're done!

I like this recipe best because the milk really gives the casserole an added moisture and creaminess that it lacks without it. Also, in most recipes they suggest you can just bake the tater tots in with the casserole. But this is where my Mama came in. She told me that it's a lot more guesswork with unbaked tater tots, a longer cooking time and then you still run the risk of uncooked tater tots in overcooked casserole (yuck!). So I just go ahead and bake them to be safe. :)

In this house, we like a little tater tot casserole with our ketchup if you know what I mean, but it is just as good without it.

Enjoy!