Taco Tater Tot Casserole

So, I actually really kind of liked this dish, even though I am not a huge tater tot fan. Sometimes, you just need something different in your typical ingredient rotation, so I gave this a try. You can eat it as is, or Chris liked wrapping it up in a tortilla like a burrito, and William put it on chips. Scott really liked the Southwest Ranch sauce. 

Find the original recipe here: https://cookinginthemidwest.com/blog/taco-tater-tot-casserole/#recipe

I wasn't sure if this recipe would fit in my cast iron skillet, so I just used a casserole dish. 

Taco Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1 chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1 tsp each of cumin dried cilantro,
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 can corn drained
• 1 can Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles not drained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded Colby Jack Cheese
• Tater Tots or Crispy Crowns
• Buffalo Wild Wing’s Southwest Ranch

Directions:

1. Brown one lb of ground beef with a chopped onion in a skillet over medium high heat. Once browned drain grease and season with salt, pepper, cumin, dried cilantro, chili powder, and cayenne. You could use a taco seasoning packet instead of these seasoning if you would rather do that.
2. Add one can of drained corn, one can of Rotel (not drained), 1 cup sour cream, and about 1 cup of shredded Colby Jack cheese. 
• Optionally, you can add a can of drained and rinsed beans to this as well, or any other taco ingredients you like.
3. Stir everything together well. Top with one more cup of shredded cheese.
4. Top with tater tots or the crispy crowns. I didn’t use the whole bag. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until the tater tots are cooked to your liking.
5. Top with Buffalo Wild Wing’s Southwest Ranch. Enjoy!

Marsha's Notes:

This worked well as a Souper Cubes recipe.

Made and ready to freeze.

Out of the oven.

I added some sour cream and crushed taco chips to mine. It would also have been good with any other taco toppings you enjoy, like shredded lettuce, olives, salsa, etc.