We all have family favorites. One for us is the humble, but incredibly good, Tater Tot Casserole. Anyone out there agree? You can’t beat it for how sneakily it puts leftovers to good use. And talk about versatile—it’ll take on any flavor you want.

Before addressing the vast flavor profiles this casserole can provide, let’s look at an issue that pops up now and then: Is one tater tot brand better than another? I don’t have a strong brand preference on tater tots. I mean, they’re tater tots. But oh boy does my Hubbie have a strong brand preference. He swears Ore-Ida® are the best of the best of the best. And he swears he can taste the difference. Me—I go for what’s least expensive. Because I can save over $1 buying the house brand (today was Walmart’s Great Value® brand), something deep in my heart says the house brand tastes super-duper. But what do you think? Is there a standout? Please feel free to pass on your opinion on this hot topic.

OK, with that little tidbit out of the way, now let’s look at all the delicious ways this casserole can show up on your dinner table. First, let’s start with substitutions. Any and all work great.

MEAT. Doesn’t matter what your recipe calls for, use what you have. Chopped ham or bacon in place of, or in addition to, ground beef or sausage. I’ve also think made this meatless by adding more veggies (more on this below).



VEGETABLES. You could change up the vegetables or add to them based on preference or what you have on hand. When I do a meatless rendition, I add lots of sliced mushrooms and other vegetables. Corn, for instance, pairs well with the traditional green beans.



And then there are the seasoning veggies. The simple addition of onions, garlic, and peppers add great flavor to the casserole. Even pepper- and onion-haters haters will likely gobble this up. There’s so much flavor layering going on that the onions, garlic, and peppers don’t have a chance of standing out. But oh do they add something special!



CHEESE. A combination of grated sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack always works well. But cheese is so adaptable. Maybe Swiss? Gruyere? Pepper Jack? Parmesan? (Note—and I bet you already know this: we save a lot of money resist buying the pre-grated stuff and just grate out own.)

Now to the overall theme of your tater tot casserole. You want Mexican tonight? Forget the Worcestershire sauce and mix taco seasoning and some salsa into your cream of mushroom soup. Then scatter sliced black olives over it all. When ready to serve, garnish with sour cream, diced avocado and some freshly chopped cilantro. Wow!

In the mood for Italian? Same deal, omit the Worcestershire and add Italian seasonings in your meat. Then omit the cream of mushroom soup and pour a little marinara sauce over things. It’s just really hard to go wrong.

With all this said, I’ll conclude with my favorite Tater Tot Casserole recipe I found over 6 years ago, and it’s been my GO-TO ever since. I thank Trish from www.momontimeout.com for this gem!




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    Alice Osborne
    DVO Newsletter Contributor since 2006
    Email the author! alice@dvo.com