SouthwesternTater tot Casserole

Any recipe that calls for 'Lots of tater tots' and 'Lots of cheese', probably shouldn't be on my trying-to-be-healthier-blog-about-hiding-vegetables, HOWEVER, if the veggies make it healthier, then that is the whole point... right?
I got the original recipe from Jenn's blog, west sac honey, but I changed it a little bit.  Tater tot casserole usually has a can or two of creamy Campbells soup, but I omitted the soup completely and replaced it with hidden veggies.

Here are the ingredients I used:

Lots of tater tots
1 lb ground beef
2 cans green chili's
1 bag southwestern goodness (picture below)
1/2 cup cabbage puree
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup kale puree (all I had left)
Salt and pepper
Lots of shredded cheese

So, here's how it went...  line the tater tots up in a greased baking dish like a tater tot army:
(Sorry, I didn't count them, but I did buy a huge bag.  And this was a lot.  In the future I am going to make it in the 8x8 pan instead!)

Bake according to the directions on the bag.  Mine was 12-15 minutes at 450. 

While the tots bake, brown the meat, drain fat, and return to heat.  Add salt and pepper, green chili's and southwestern goodness.... I used this whole bag of goodness instead of canned corn:   

Add puree's and here's what I had:

When the tots are finished baking, sprinkle some of the cheese on top:

Then spoon meat/veggie mix over the cheesy tots:

Then add about a bucket of cheese:  (Or as much or as little as you like.... I like cheese.)

And bake until cheese is melted and browned:

And serve for dinner, lunch the next day, dinner the next day, lunch the day after and the day after.... mmm, tatertoteriffic!

Other than the tater tots, this turned into a pretty healthy meal!  I think it's okay to have tater tots sometimes... especially if there are lots of other veggies (hidden or not) in the meal. 

It was so good.  Tater tots are such a comfort food, they make everything taste good.

Okay, so, next time I think I will add another can of green chili's, I kind of wanted it to be spicier.  Although, I probably wont make this much again, so maybe I will keep the two cans of green chili's, but half everything else and use a 8x8 inch pan or something.


The Verdict: 

"Breakfast, lunch or dinner, it's tatertoteriffic!  Good hot, good cold, good leftover... good casserole."


Well, I think it's safe to say this was a success.  Hidden veggies + tater tots =  everyone is happy!