Ingredients
- 1 (10-ounce ) can cream of mushroom or chicken soup
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/2 cup of chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
- 1/4 cup of chopped green bell pepper
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- 1/2 pound of smoked sausage, chopped, optional
- 1 tablespoon of fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 pound package of frozen tater tots
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a 9 x 9 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray; set aside. Whisk together the cream soup and milk until well blended; set aside.
Add olive oil to a large skillet and saute the onion and bell pepper until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and brown; drain if needed and return to the skillet. Add the minced garlic, cook and stir another minute. Add in the chopped smoked sausage and cook about 3 minutes. Stir in the basil, thyme, Cajun seasoning; taste and add salt and pepper only as needed. Transfer meat mixture to the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese. Evenly pour the soup mixture over the top. Arrange the tater tots on top and bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until potatoes are nicely browned and crisp. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on top and return to the oven just until cheese is melted.
Serve immediately with a green vegetable or a mixed garden salad.
Variation: Add a layer of vegetables (about 1 cup) thawed if frozen, drained if canned. Good choices are green beans, peas, corn and mixed vegetables. Top with the 1/4 cup cheese, followed by the cream soup mixture and tater tots; bake. To make a breakfast casserole, substitute a 1 pound roll of cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage (like Jimmy Dean) and 4 to 5 slices of cooked crumbled bacon for the ground beef/smoked sausage. Eliminate the meat to make this a side dish.
Note: I used Savoie's 7-links spicy hot smoked sausage this time, so I eliminated the Cajun seasoning but added in 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. Okay to use lower fat products. Double for a 9 x 13 inch casserole.