As the summer garden winds down, this Garden Harvest Tater Tot Casserole is the perfect fall dinner for using your end-of-season veggies! This childhood favorite is made completely from scratch with garden carrots, green beans, lots of fresh herbs and greens, and no condensed soup. Hearty and comforting, we make this recipe again and again!
- The Fall Garden Harvest - Call it casserole or hot dish, Tater Tot Casserole is a Midwest classic for a reason! I've taken the beloved recipe that often starts with a can of soup and a bag of frozen veggies, and put to use all the produce still hanging out in my September garden!
- A Balanced Meal - Hearty and delicious, this dinner has your meat, starch and lots of healthy fresh vegetables all in one dish. This family dinner is well loved in our house, my little boy wolfs it down, giving me a preview of the teenage years!
- Homemade Tater Tot Casserole is classic comfort food, similar to Chicken Veggie Pot Pie or Shepards Pie, with a vegetable and meat filling and a yummy starchy topping! An Apple Cherry Crisp is perfect for dessert this time of year!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Perfect for the fall weather, we've packed lots of end-of-season garden vegetables into this "meat and potatoes" dinner.
- Ground Beef - I start this casserole with 80/20 ground beef. The beef and the veggies cook at the same time one skillet, each kept to their side. This allows the beef to brown without mixing too much with the liquid from the veggies, and the veggies cook in the beef fat without the need for extra oil. You can drain the beef fat at the end, but I don't. It will combine with the flour to form a roux, the thickener for the filling.
- Carrot, Zucchini, Onion, Garlic - By September and October, my garden is usually full of lots of carrots and a few zucchini. I love using fresh vegetables over frozen for a nutrition dinner. These veggies are flexible! If you have broccoli or cauliflower, you can throw it in. Don't have zucchini, just leave it out. I shred the zucchini so it's pretty unnoticeable in the finished dish.
- Green Beans - Always hanging out in the late summer garden, this recipe uses 2 cups of fresh green beans. While you should pick green beans while they are young and tender, by fall I've often fallen behind, and end up with some overgrown beans. Tater Tot Casserole is perfect for them! Chopped small, they bake up perfectly tender. I also Blanch and Freeze Garden Green Beans, which are great for making this dish all winter! Frozen peas can also be substituted.
- Herbs and Garden Greens - This is a great way to use what you have! I added in a big leave of kale, rosemary, chives, and oregano. Other herbs and greens like spinach, basil, thyme, sage or scallions would also be good. I always Freeze Mixed Fresh Herbs and Garden Greens at the end of the season, which could be tossed into this casserole if making it in the winter.
- Flour - Flour is going to combine with the natural fat given off by the beef, and form a roux, the thickening agent for the filling.
- Worcestershire sauce - Always a delicious addition to ground beef, we love it in Homemade Meatballs too!
- Beef Stock - It's the liquid to give you that creamy rich filling, without a can of condensed soup! You can substitute veggie stock or even Homemade Chicken Stock.
- Milk - Use whole milk if you have it, or substitute half & half or heavy cream for a richer sauce. You could also flop the proportions and do 2 cups of whole milk and 1 cup of beef stock.
- Cheddar Cheese - Being from Wisconsin, I usually add cheese to everything, but in this Tater Tot Casserole I really think it's a must! It forms a barrier between the filling so the tater tots can sit on top without getting soggy. Plus it makes the dish even creamier and just holds it all together. You could substitute white cheddar, gouda, or Muenster, and it's always the best quality to buy a block and shred it yourself.
- Frozen Tater Tots - Depending on the size of your baking dish, you might be able to fit all 2 pounds of tots on your casserole, or you may have some left over. Arrange them in an even layer, but don't be afraid to really jam in as many as will fit!
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
This Garden Harvest Tater Tot Casserole is built in layers. First the beef and veggies form the base of the sauce, then it's topped with the tots and baked until golden!
Step 1 - Wash and chop your veggies. Cut the carrots in half or quarters lengthwise, depending on their thickness, then slice them thin.
Shred about half a zucchini. Trim off the stem ends of the green beans, and cut them into bite sized pieces.
Step 2 - In a large skillet over medium heat, begin browning the beef until it releases some of its fat.
Push the beef to one side, and saute the carrots, onion and zucchini in the beef fat on the other side.
Step 3 - Break up the beef with a wooden spoon and stir the veggies as they saute.
Keep the beef and vegetables as separate as you can. Season everything with salt and pepper.
Step 4 - When the beef is fully cooked, everything can be mixed together. Add the flour, green beans, garlic, fresh herbs and greens.
Stir a couple minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
Step 5 - Reduce the heat to medium low, and add the Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and milk.
Allow the filling to come to a simmer and thicken, whisking often to allow steam to escape.
Step 6 - When the filling has thickened, you can transfer it to a baking dish, or just bake it right in the skillet if it's oven safe.
Step 7 - Top the filling with an even layer of shredded cheese, and then a layer of frozen tater tots.
Really squeeze in as many tater tots as you can, but you may have some left over depending on the size of the dish.
Step 8 - Bake at 400°F for about 30 to 40 minutes until the tater tots are golden and the filling is hot and bubbly.
You can broil the top for a few minutes at the end to get it even crispier!
Helpful Tips
- The Basic Béchamel Sauce - Lets look at the elements of this dish! It's a basic Béchamel sauce, the French "white sauce." Fat and flour combine to make a roux, used to thicken a liquid. Béchamel usually starts with butter, here we're using the beef fat. I don't drain the fat for this reason, but if you want to drain it, you should add a Tablespoon of butter to make the roux. The beef fat does the added job of cooking the veggies. The flour gets added, combining with the fat, and seems to disappear. But once you add the stock and milk, the flour does its job of thickening as the liquid is heated. It's a simple sauce, cooking the meat and veggies along the way!
- The Beef and Veggies Cook Together - Save time by cooking your veggies and beef together. But keep them separate, why? Because vegetables release liquid, which will cause your beef to simmer instead of brown. So keep the veggies to their side, so the beef can be in contact with the hot skillet, getting caramelized and flavorful, and your veggies can borrow the beef fat and cook on their own.
- Veggies are Adjustable and Customizable - A casserole is forgiving! You could use 4 cups of frozen veggies added after the beef is browned if you like! But this recipe set out to use what's in the garden, so use what you have! You can substitute and vary the amounts with what you have or skip what you don't like, just aim for about 4 cups of chopped veggies. Carrots, onion, celery, leeks, bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, frozen peas, corn, or kale could all be used.
- What to Serve it With - Tater tot hot dish is a complete, well-rounded meal, and a green salad is a perfect side dish. Try this Spinach Arugula Salad, Blue Cheese Apple Walnut Salad or this Italian Mixed Green Salad with Crispy Prosciutto!
- Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing - You've got lots of options for make ahead and freezing with this handy recipe! You could make the filling, add it to the baking dish and refrigerate a day or two in advance. Then just top it with the frozen tater tots and bake. You could also freeze the filling, in the baking dish or in large jars. Just be sure to only fill ¾'s full and cool in the fridge first. Then just thaw, pour into the dish, top with frozen tater tots and bake. You can store the fully baked casserole in the fridge for 3 days or wrap well or individually portion and freeze for 4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQs
If you make the filling in an oven safe skillet, including a Dutch oven or a large cast iron skillet, you can add the cheese and tater tots and bake it in the same pan. You can also transfer the filling into any sized baking dishes that it will fit in. If feeding a smaller family, you could use 2 small pans and freeze one for later. Depending on the size dish you use, you may end up with a thinner layer of filling and using the whole bag of tater tots, or a thicker layer of filling and having some left over. If your baking dish is very full, you may want to add a sheet pan to the oven under your dish to catch any bubble over.
First of all, be patient. If you added the flour with the beef fat, it will thicken. The sauce needs heat to thicken, and it needs to be done slowly so you don't boil the milk. You can speed it up by whisking to incorporate and also allow steam to escapes, reducing and thickening the sauce. Increase the heat if it's taking too long but keep an eye on it and whisk. You don't want to scorch the bottom or boil the filling once you've added the milk.
Your Tater Tot Casserole is done when it looks done! Remember the filling is already fully cooked, so you really are just cooking the tater tots. You can get them as crispy as you like them, which usually takes 30 to 40 minutes. I recommend broiling the top for a few minutes at the end to get them nice and crispy, but keep and eye on it so it doesn't burn!
More Garden Harvest Dinners!
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Garden Harvest Tater Tot Casserole
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ onion (1 cup chopped)
- 3 carrots (1 cup chopped)
- ½ zucchini (1 cup shredded)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- ¼ cup flour
- 1½ cups green beans (ends trimmed and chopped in half inch pieces)
- ¼ cup fresh garden herbs and greens (could include thyme, parsley, sage, chives, rosemary, basil, oregano, spinach or kale)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 32 ounces frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Chop all vegetables and prepare ingredients. Slice the carrots in half lengthwise, or quarters if they are thicker, then slice them thin.
- In a large skillet (you can use an oven safe skillet that can also bake the casserole, or transfer the filling to a baking dish later) over medium heat, begin to brown the beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
- After a couple minutes, move the browning beef to one side of the skillet and add the onion, carrot, and zucchini to the other side. Use the fat from the beef to saute the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir occasionally, breaking up the beef. Keep the beef and veggies to separate sides of the skillet as best you can, about 12 minutes.
- When the beef is fully cooked and the veggies softened, add the flour, green beans, fresh herbs and greens, and garlic. Stir everything well and cook another minute.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and milk. Reduce the heat to medium low and bring the liquid to a simmer to thicken, about 15 minutes. Whisk often to thicken the filling.
- When the liquid has thickened, turn the burner off. You can transfer the filling to a casserole dish, or bake it right in the skillet if it is oven safe. Sprinkle the top evenly with cheese. Add the frozen tater tots in an even layer over the top, squeeze in as many as you can!
- Bake at 400℉ for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the tots are browned and crispy and the filling is hot and bubbly. You can broil the top a few minutes if you want the tots crispier. If your baking dish is very full, put a sheet pan under it in the oven to catch any drips.
- Let sit on the stovetop 5 or 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped chives or thyme.
Notes
- Garden green beans can be substituted with 1 cup frozen peas.
- Sub Frozen Veggies - All the veggies could be substituted with 4 cups of frozen veggies. Add them when the beef is fully browned.
- Beef stock could be swapped with chicken or vegetable stock.
- Heavy cream or half & half could be used instead of milk for a richer casserole.
- Fresh herbs and greens could be subbed with 1 teaspoon dried thyme or Italian seasoning blend.
- Don't Drain the Fat - The fat from the beef does not need to be drained and is used to saute the vegetables and combines with the flour to thicken the filling. If you prefer to drain the fat, add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of butter to the browned beef and vegetables. I use 80/20 ground beef.
- The Right Dish - If you make the filling in an oven safe skillet, like a Dutch oven or a large cast iron skillet, you can add the cheese and tater tots and bake it in the same pan. Or transfer the filling to a large baking dish, or you can even use 2 smaller dishes if serving a small group and freeze one for later. If your dish is very full, you may want to put a sheet pan under it in the oven to catch any bubble over!
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