Taco Tater Tot Bake

First of all, this is NOT a cooking blog. I like to cook and until Richard had his stroke in November 2011 I really didn't do that much cooking. He fixed most of the meals for the kids, while I worked. But since I am now staying home full-time I like to be able to find recipes online and give them a try. That is what today's post is about. A recipe that I found on Facebook and I whipped it up for our dinner this evening. And it was a hit.

Taco Tater Tot Bake

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef

1 small onion (diced)

1 garlic clove (minced)

1 small can black olives (sliced)

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn

1 (4 ounce) can green chilies (diced and drained)

1 (12 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 (16 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots

1 (10.5 ounce fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce

Cooking instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add ground beef, garlic, and onion and cook while breaking the meat apart with a spoon or spatula until the ground beef is completely browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, frozen corn, and black beans to the ground beef. Cook until heated through.

Step 2: In a large bowl combine ground beef mixture, ¾ of the Mexican cheese blend, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.

Step 3: Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tots.

Step 4: Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining Mexican cheese blend and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

(Makes 6 Servings)

I did not have any green chilies on hand, so I used a small can of Rotel tomatoes with chilies and I substituted salsa for the enchilada sauce. This was a huge hit with my family; even Papa who has not been eating much lately. We served it with sour cream and extra salsa. Plenty leftover for lunch tomorrow. Hope you give it a try. Let me know what you think.


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