I’ve actually been making this for years now, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that my coworker Erika inspired me to make it again and share it with you guys!
You see, I’ve always had this thing where “old” recipes weren’t worth sharing and that only new things that I make (and that taste good) should be posted on here. But after today, successful recipes that have endured the test of time and multiple taste buds will start to make appearances on this blog, and I’m super excited about it!
This recipe is AWESOME – let me repeat, AWESOME – due to several reasons:
- it involves tator tots. Who doesn’t like tator tots?! If you, or someone you know, is/are not a fan of these little things, let me have a little talk with them.
- it’s completely customizable, and any dish that’s customizable is a win in my book. You can add different things in this dish any way you want. Exact measurements aren’t necessary either.
- it’s super easy to make. Prep time literally only took me 15-20 minutes.
- the leftovers taste just as good (if not better). Brian is not a big fan of leftovers, and this is one of the few dishes that we actually have to fight over leftovers the next day.
To start things out, you brown some turkey meat – it’s healthier that way. Using reduced sodium taco seasoning (or making your own) also bumps it up the healthy meter a little bit more. Add corn, cheese sauce/soup, then tator tots. Throw it in the oven for 45 minutes, and dinner’s ready. It’s that easy.
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 package 40% reduced sodium taco seasoning
- 3/4 cup water
- 2-2.5 cups frozen corn
- One 10.75 oz canned cheese soup/sauce
- 1 bag frozen tator tots (you won't need the whole bag)
- Any other toppings you may like - salsa, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream...
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground turkey until done. Add in the water and taco seasoning and stir until combined.
- Transfer the meat into a 8x11" casserole pan. Add in the corn and level it out with a spatula to make sure it covers the meat. If you'd like extra corn, feel free to add a little bit more.
- Next, pour/scoop the cheese soup on top, covering the corn. Layer the top with the tator tots.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until tator tots are brown and crispy. Transfer to cooling rack and serve with desired toppings.
- Serves 3-4
Yeah, who am I kidding, I totally am. Lining up those little tator tots perfectly in rows totally satisfies my inner OCDness. And it’s the only way you can get as many tator tots in the dish!
And just for the record, I hate making food with canned “soup”. If a recipe requires anything along the lines of “cream of…” I usually either don’t bother with it, or try to substitute it with something healthier. You probably won’t ever see me using any pre-packaged semi-gelantinous “soups” from a can other than this one.
I like my tacos with a little bit of salsa, so after I fill my bowl up with delicious goodness, I like to put a dollop or two of salsa on top of mine. I’ve also shared this recipe with a fellow coworker, and she added some black beans into the layers before throwing it in the oven. If you like sour cream, lettuce, cilantro, or anything else, definitely give it a whirl – I’m sure it’ll taste good!
After I add my salsa, I like to mix mine up – it doesn’t look the prettiest, but it sure is tasty! Every bite consists of a little bit of spicy salsa, crispy tator tots, taco meat, and corn. Next time I’m totally adding shredded lettuce (and maybe a Mexican blend shredded cheese) to it too.
Enjoy!
© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.
