Gluten Free Tater Tot Casserole
posted September 2022
One of my husband’s childhood favorites (and I like it too) is Tater Tot Casserole. It’s a nice comfort food, but I wanted to make it gluten and dairy free. The original recipe contained canned cream of mushroom soup and cheese. This past winter, I decided to make a gluten and dairy free version. Tater Tots are not labeled as gluten free foods, but don’t contain wheat or other gluten grains, so we eat them. You may not be able to eat them if you only eat foods that are specifically labeled gluten free.
If you are not familiar with Tater Tots, they are a frozen processed potato product that consists of potato formed into little cylinders (about ½ inch in diameter and 1 inch long) that are toasted on the outside before they are frozen by the manufacturer. When cooked in the oven or deep fried at home, Tater Tots have a crispy golden outside with a soft potato inside. Tater Tot is the registered brand name, and you can find other brands that are very similar.
The original recipe uses canned condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup poured over the ground beef and vegetables. I have not found a good substitute that is both dairy free and gluten free, so I made up my own sauce for this casserole.
I use Adobo powder seasoning made by Goya. It is a garlic salt product that also contains small amounts of oregano, black pepper, and turmeric, so you may be able to make your own if you can’t find the Adobo powder.
Ingredients:
1 or 1 ¼ lb. ground beef
¼ to ½ tsp Adobo powder, to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
4-oz. can chopped mild green chilies
16-oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables (I use a “petite” mixture of carrots, peas, green beans, and corn)
2 tsp seasoned vegetable base paste
2/3 cup hot water
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 Tbsp cooking oil
¾ tsp garlic salt
1/3 cup oat flour (you buy it GF)
2 Tbsp tapioca starch dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water
½ cup plain unflavored nut milk or oat milk
32-oz bag of frozen Tater Tots
Optional – shredded cheese or dairy-free cheese product
Brown 1 to 1/14 lb ground beef sprinkled with Adobo powder. When the ground beef is nearly cooked, add chopped onion and continue cooking until the onion begins to brown. Add the can of chopped mild green chiles, with juice, and cook a few more minutes to blend the flavors. Spread the ground beef mixture in the bottom of an oiled 9” X 13” baking pan. I sometimes use a 12” X 8” pan so it will fit in my countertop electric toaster oven.
Spread the chopped vegetables on top of the ground beef layer.
In a small bowl, dissolve vegetable base paste in hot water. Add Worcestershire sauce and cooking oil. Stir in garlic salt and oat flour. Stir in the dissolved tapioca starch. Add the nut or oat milk. Mix well and pour evenly over the vegetables and ground beef mixture in the baking dish.
Sprinkle a light layer of grated cheese on top of the vegetables if you choose.
Spread a single layer of Tater Tots across the top. I use a 32-oz bag and don’t defrost them before putting them on the casserole. The amount in the 32-oz bag just fits as a single layer in the 9” X 13” pan. You will need fewer Tater Tots for the 12” X 8” pan. You might want to sprinkle a little salt on top of the Tater Tots, but if you do, consider cutting back the amount of salt in the lower layers of the casserole.
Bake at 400 ⁰F for about 50 minutes, until heated through and the outer surfaces of the Tater Tots are a little crunchy.
posted September 2022
One of my husband’s childhood favorites (and I like it too) is Tater Tot Casserole. It’s a nice comfort food, but I wanted to make it gluten and dairy free. The original recipe contained canned cream of mushroom soup and cheese. This past winter, I decided to make a gluten and dairy free version. Tater Tots are not labeled as gluten free foods, but don’t contain wheat or other gluten grains, so we eat them. You may not be able to eat them if you only eat foods that are specifically labeled gluten free.
If you are not familiar with Tater Tots, they are a frozen processed potato product that consists of potato formed into little cylinders (about ½ inch in diameter and 1 inch long) that are toasted on the outside before they are frozen by the manufacturer. When cooked in the oven or deep fried at home, Tater Tots have a crispy golden outside with a soft potato inside. Tater Tot is the registered brand name, and you can find other brands that are very similar.
The original recipe uses canned condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup poured over the ground beef and vegetables. I have not found a good substitute that is both dairy free and gluten free, so I made up my own sauce for this casserole.
I use Adobo powder seasoning made by Goya. It is a garlic salt product that also contains small amounts of oregano, black pepper, and turmeric, so you may be able to make your own if you can’t find the Adobo powder.
Ingredients:
1 or 1 ¼ lb. ground beef
¼ to ½ tsp Adobo powder, to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
4-oz. can chopped mild green chilies
16-oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables (I use a “petite” mixture of carrots, peas, green beans, and corn)
2 tsp seasoned vegetable base paste
2/3 cup hot water
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 Tbsp cooking oil
¾ tsp garlic salt
1/3 cup oat flour (you buy it GF)
2 Tbsp tapioca starch dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water
½ cup plain unflavored nut milk or oat milk
32-oz bag of frozen Tater Tots
Optional – shredded cheese or dairy-free cheese product
Brown 1 to 1/14 lb ground beef sprinkled with Adobo powder. When the ground beef is nearly cooked, add chopped onion and continue cooking until the onion begins to brown. Add the can of chopped mild green chiles, with juice, and cook a few more minutes to blend the flavors. Spread the ground beef mixture in the bottom of an oiled 9” X 13” baking pan. I sometimes use a 12” X 8” pan so it will fit in my countertop electric toaster oven.
Spread the chopped vegetables on top of the ground beef layer.
In a small bowl, dissolve vegetable base paste in hot water. Add Worcestershire sauce and cooking oil. Stir in garlic salt and oat flour. Stir in the dissolved tapioca starch. Add the nut or oat milk. Mix well and pour evenly over the vegetables and ground beef mixture in the baking dish.
Sprinkle a light layer of grated cheese on top of the vegetables if you choose.
Spread a single layer of Tater Tots across the top. I use a 32-oz bag and don’t defrost them before putting them on the casserole. The amount in the 32-oz bag just fits as a single layer in the 9” X 13” pan. You will need fewer Tater Tots for the 12” X 8” pan. You might want to sprinkle a little salt on top of the Tater Tots, but if you do, consider cutting back the amount of salt in the lower layers of the casserole.
Bake at 400 ⁰F for about 50 minutes, until heated through and the outer surfaces of the Tater Tots are a little crunchy.