I’m a South Dakota Girl, born and raised, which means that as you can probably guess: I haven’t always been plant-based. Yep, I grew up on “meat and potatoes” and classic farm-centered type meals, in spite of only ever living in a city. I remember distinctly loving “porcupine meatballs” (meatballs stuffed with white rice and simmered in a sweet tomato sauce), eating hamburger-helper, and Kraft Mac-n-cheese with canned tuna and peas.
I also remember Tater Tot Hotdish as a common rotation in my childhood menus. Anyone else? (Weird admission: I love ketchup with my tater tot hot dish. I’ve been told this is strange… am I alone?)
When I went vegetarian and then vegan back in 2012, I thought it meant I had to completely part ways with so many of my favorite comfort foods. I pretty much abandoned the old recipes I knew, and started over at Square One, learning new methods of cooking and substitutions for my previous meals. But as I’ve experimented for so many years with various ways to mimic certain flavor profiles of traditional animal-based foods, I’ve come up with a few basic templates that are a great starting off point for so many comfort foods! (Remember how “cream of mystery soup” was an ingredient in pretty much everything?)
This tater tot hot dish is a great comfort food that will satisfy your family, without compromising on your desire to try more “meatless Mondays” or stick to your new plant-based resolutions. While not really being a health-food, it does offer a comparative nutrition profile to the meat-based traditional version, while saving on the time of prepping beef separately. You add a step in creating the “soup” base, but save a step in skipping the meat-preparation. It’s an equal trade off, with a nice benefit of being lower fat and higher veggie! :-)
Give this recipe a try, and let me know what you think!
Vegan Tater Tot Hotdish
Makes 8 servings
2 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz baby Bella mushrooms,* chopped
1 1/2 cups veggie broth
1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk**
4 T flour (or 2 T cornstarch for gluten-free)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1/4 tsp onion powder
White pepper, to taste
Smoked paprika, to taste
2 T Nutritional Yeast*** (optional)
3 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (or sub frozen 1 cup peas, 1 cup green beans, and 1 cup corn)
1 1/2 bags (around 16 oz) of meatless beefy-style crumbles
(such as Boca soy crumbles, Gardein Beefless, or Beyond Beef crumbles)
1 bag of daiya nondairy cheddar shreds, divided
1-32 oz bag of frozen tater tots (or enough to cover your casserole, about 8-9 servings)
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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9×13 glass casserole dish. Chop onions, mushrooms, and mince garlic while heating a large flat skillet on medium heat. When the skillet is warm, add 2 T. Olive oil, and then add onions and garlic. Sauté a few moments until onions become translucent and then add mushrooms. Sprinkle a dash of salt and cook until the mushrooms release most of their juices and cook down a bit, about 3 minutes.
In a measuring glass, whisk 4 T. Flour with 1/2 cup of vegetable broth to create a slurry. Add to the skillet of onions and mushrooms, and cook a few minutes, until the liquid thickens a bit. Then add remaining 1 cup of vegetable broth, and 1 cup of unsweetened nondairy milk (soy milk works well). Add salt, pepper, and all other spices. Cook over medium low heat until the gravy thickens and is bubbly and flavorful. Adjust spices to your liking.
Add all frozen vegetables, and frozen meatless crumbles to the hot gravy. Cook until any clumps of soy-crumbles are broken apart, and then mix in 1/2 bag of Daiya cheddar shreds.
Pour casserole mixture into your prepared pan, and then top with remaining Daiya cheddar and arrange tater-tots on top to cover. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until tots are browned and casserole is bubbly.
Nutrition Facts per serving: 359 calories / 14.9 g fat / 38.8 g carb / 9.5 g fiber / 22.1 g protein
*Mushrooms can be optional if you really don’t like them. Try a “cream of celery” approach with diced celery instead. Or pulse mushrooms very finely in a food processor to make them practically undetectable! I do recommend the mushrooms if you can handle them, however.
**Nondairy milk must be unsweetened, and not flavored. If you try this with Vanilla flavored milk, it will be a disaster. For a richer, creamier option, sub part unsweetened soy-creamer or try with full-fat coconut milk instead. You can also stir in 1/4 cup of vegan cream cheese or sour cream for added richness.
***Nutritional yeast is a yellow deactivated yeast that has a nutty-cheesy flavor, and adds a nice element to this sauce. It is found in the spice section of the grocery store, and a great source of vitamin B-12. It is not necessary if you cannot find it or don’t want to use it. The recipe will work fine without it.