Thursday, July 7, 2016

Tater Tot Sloppy Joe Casserole ****

We all absolutely loved this one.  I did make a few changes, but not enough to affect the final outcome of the dish.  I used frozen chopped onions and green peppers, so I just cooked them with the ground turkey, which I subbed for the ground beef.  That's really all I did differently.  The flavor is phenomenal.  I mean, it's obviously nothing fancy-schmancy, but it's a nice, hearty meal with some good veggies in there.  Other than the tater tots, it's actually not too terribly bad for you.  (Forgot to mention that I also used reduced-fat shredded cheese.)  The youngest didn't like the crunch of the carrots, so if I do it this way again, I'll probably cook them ahead of time with the meat and peppers and onions.  The other problem for me is that my tots were still kind of frozen after 25 minutes.  Nothing that a little zap in the microwave couldn't fix, but it was still a bummer, especially since they were already browning on the edges.  It would be much better to start with them thawed, I think.  I actually want to try doing this in the crockpot.  I've done similar dishes successfully in there, so I have high hopes that this will convert nicely.  Or not.  We'll see.  :-)


TATER TOT SLOPPY JOE CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ GalOnAMission)

2 pounds 80/20 ground beef, cooked and drained
2 carrots, diced into small quarters
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 large white onion, diced
12 ounces frozen corn
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
14.5 ounce can Hunt's Diced Tomatoes
2 15 ounce cans MANWICH original
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 pounds frozen tater tots

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix together the cooked ground beef, carrots, bell pepper, poblano pepper, onion, corn, garlic, salt and pepper, diced tomatoes, and MANWICH in the same pan you cooked the beef in.
Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheddar cheese on top. Top with tater tots. Sprinkle 1 cup cheddar and mozarella cheese on top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tater tots are cooked.
Freezer Directions: Prepare the casserole into a freezer casserole dish. Cover and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake at 425 degrees until the tater tots and filling are warm, approximately 25-30 minutes.
*luckymommy/Amy's notes: I subbed ground turkey and frozen peppers and onions, which I cooked all together in the beginning.  Next time, I will cook the carrots ahead as well and thaw my tots.

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