Grammy's Recipe Book Mains

Taco Tater Tot Casserole

375°F oven

Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 hr 5 minstart to eating

Times are our estimates for Grammy's recipe, with unhurried prep.

Grammy's handwritten page for Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Page 43 · full size

As written

Word for word from her page, with her spelling and line breaks. [?] marks a word we couldn't read.

[untitled]

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 16 oz pkg frozen corn
1 12 oz can black beans drained
1 12 oz pkg Mexican cheese blend
1 16 oz bag tater tots
1 12 oz can enchilada sauce

375° oven

Grammy's recipe

Her recipe, typed out to cook from: her amounts and her words, with abbreviations spelled out and the steps numbered.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 package taco seasoning mix
  • 1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn
  • 1 (12-ounce) can black beans, drained
  • 1 (12-ounce) package Mexican cheese blend
  • 1 (16-ounce) bag tater tots
  • 1 (12-ounce) can enchilada sauce

Method

  1. Bake in a 375° oven.

Modernized

A present-day cookbook version, with missing steps filled in. These are suggestions, not her words.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen corn
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
  • 1 (12-ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
  • 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen tater tots
  • To serve: sour cream, salsa, sliced green onions

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13 dish.
  2. Brown the beef with the onion. Drain, add the garlic, and cook 1 minute.
  3. Stir in the taco seasoning with ¼ cup water, then the corn, beans and enchilada sauce. Simmer 3 minutes.
  4. Spread in the dish and sprinkle with half the cheese.
  5. Arrange the frozen tater tots in rows over the top.
  6. Bake 30–35 minutes, until the tots are golden. Add the rest of the cheese and bake 5 minutes more.
  7. Serve with sour cream, salsa and green onions.

Ideas to play with

Twists and variations to try. Suggestions, not hers.

  • Chicken

    Use shredded rotisserie chicken instead of beef, with green enchilada sauce.

  • Spicy

    Add a can of diced green chiles and pepper jack cheese.

  • Make ahead

    Assemble without the tots, refrigerate, then add the tots and bake about 10 minutes longer.

  • Taco night toppings

    Set out avocado, pickled jalapeños, cilantro and lime.