Tater Tot Casserole

I am extremely happy to have been asked to be part of Freaky Friday in October where a group of mega-talented bloggers come together to make and showcase recipes from each others blog. What a great way to get some new recipes for you and your family.

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 A complete meal with meat, taters and vegetables and it's ready in a flash!

At the end of the blog post you'll see everyone's recipes and you can click the link to visit and pin!

The blog and blogger I was assigned is Michaela Martin Kenkel from An Affair From The Heart. I have known this stay at home mother of four for over four years and have enjoyed following her blog. Wife, mother and dog lover Michaela strives to put great food on the table and enjoy the family hour - all around a dinner table. I chose this Tater Tot Casserole because it is in essence what I blog about here at cooking on a budget. Straight forward, simple and easy on the budget. I have my eye on a few other recipes from her blog that I'd love to make. Salisbury Steak & Mushrooms is one that I have wanted to make for quite some time. It's easy to make and so delicious! And for sure I'd love to try Cream of Mushroom soup - I adore soups!

Since I could not pass up the on sale price of fresh mushrooms I substituted fresh in the recipe. Also I used ground chuck as it was less expensive for our budget and we are getting 3 meals (plus the left-overs) out of the family pack I purchased. And because we love cheese, a little bit sprinkled on top of the tots. You are definitely going to want to add this into your weeknight dinner rotations!

Let's get started on this easy and delicious recipe:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup shallots, chopped
• 1 - 3 oz. can mushrooms drained
• 2 - 10.5 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
• 2 - 14.5 oz. cans green beans, drained
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 - 32 oz. package frozen tater tots

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Brown ground beef with shallots, drain any excess grease, set aside. 
3. Place ground beef in the bottom of the pan, top with mushrooms, then green beans, then spread cream of mushroom over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with frozen tater tots.
4. Baked for 45 minutes, uncovered, cut and serve.

How easy is that? That's why this is such a great weeknight meal for families. The prep time was about 10 minutes and with cook time at 45 minutes, in about an hour dinner is served!

And I must talk about how this tastes. It reminds me of a dish my mother made and I have made and one that my daughter loves. It's ground beef, cream of mushroom soup and served over mashed potatoes with frenched green beans. When I took a bite of all the ingredients on one forkful I was so reminded of my mother's dish.

What an explosion of flavor from all of the ingredients in the dish - from the crunchy tater tots down to the earthy mushrooms and beef underneath. All of the ingredients blend together beautifully and taste so good. This recipe is definitely a keeper in our household now and I have Michaela to thank for that.

This Tater Tot Casserole is a complete meal which cost me $15.88. I think it will serve 6-8 people. For six it's $2.64 per portion and for eight it's $1.98 per portion.

If you want to pin this recipe:

And here is a list of all who participated in Freaky Friday:

A Dish Of Daily Life || A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures || An Affair from the Heart || Aunt Bee’s Recipes || Belle of the Kitchen || Cooking on a Budget || Full Belly Sisters || Honey and Birch || LeMoine Family Kitchen || Pic-Nic || The Flavor Bender || The Foodie Affair || The Magical Slow Cooker || Who Needs A Cape || Wildflour’s Cottage Kitchen

An InLinkz Link-up