Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

by Naomi Rockler-Gladen
(Nov 30, 2007 )

Although I rarely eat fried and fatty food, I love tater tots. Tater Tot Casserole is a family favorite around here. The usual tater tot casserole recipe is quite high in calories, this one isn't at all!

The traditional recipe usually requires high fat and sodium creamed soup or condensed milk, and all the creaminess can really add up in calories. If you're looking for an easy dinner with a bit less fat and that is healthier, check out this version.


Healthier Tater Tot Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound extra-lean ground chicken

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

2- 10 1/2 ounce cans low sodium cream of mushroom soup

1- 2 pound bag frozen tater tots

1/4 flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon paprika


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, cook onions in the olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, red pepper, mushrooms, and carrots, and cook until soft. Add in chicken, parsley, onion powder, and paprika, and brown until fully cooked.

Place cooked meat mixture in a 9 X 13 inch pan. In a separate bowl, combine tater tots and cream of mushroom soup. Top casserole with the soup mixture. If desired, sprinkle with excess parsley and paprika. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Serves 8-10.



Tips:

To spice up your casserole, add cayenne paper, Tabasco sauce, chopped jalapeno peppers, or additional garlic to the meat mixture. Or replace the paprika with spicy Hungarian paprika.

For additional flavor, add 1/4 to 1/2 packet of onion soup mix to the meat mixture. However, keep in mind that this will add to the sodium content.

You can substitute other creamed soup for the cream of mushroom. However, low sodium cream of mushroom soup is easier to find than other varieties.

Original Tater Tot Casserole Recipe


*Here I'd like to tell you about my favorite diet program that uses a lot of the healthy lower GI foods: Isabel de los Rios' 'The Diet Solution Program'.

The Diet Solution Program favours a long term health orientated approach to fat loss, but not offering anyone a quick fix to their weight troubles. It has loads of valuable data and research to support its approach. I personally investigated the program thoroughly and my mum has been using it for a while now. I have to say she got some great results.

The nutrition plan is one of the healthiest we have seen, a strong core focus on vegetables, fruits, vitamin dense foods, lean proteins, select dairy produce and a clear approach to not expecting one diet to work for all body types. So give it a try and let me know how you’re doing.*