Minnesota Tater Tot Hotdish with Turkey

I have to be honest--growing up this was the dinner I feared the most. I believe ours had a can of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, ground beef and tater tots -- I didn't think there could be a worse combination. What was everyone thinking?? I avoided this potluck staple like the plague!  But today I became a true Minnesotan.  And I can’t believe what I've been missing! 

This recipe is based on my dear friend Emily Galegher’s tater tot hotdish. Her recipe blew my socks off! She skips the canned everything and uses ground turkey. My adaptation uses 2% milk for the sauce, but Emily uses real cream for her white sauce…delish and dangerous. I also suggest par-cooking the tater tots so they keep their crispiness when added to the hotdish. So now the hotdish to end all hotdishes—

Minnesota Tater Tot Hotdish with Turkey

 Ingredients:

1lb  ground turkey breast

1 small red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

3 Tbsp butter

1 cup diced baby bella mushrooms

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

½ tsp ground oregano

½ tsp paprika

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups 2% milk

10oz bag mixed baby vegetables

16oz bag of tater tots

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt  1 Tbsp butter in a cast iron skillet. Saute the onion for 5 minutes. Add the ground turkey and spices and brown the turkey completely. Stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter and the mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes.  Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and cook until thickened to a gravy—about 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile bake the tater tots for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Thaw and cook the vegetables in the microwave and drain completely.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Add the vegetables to the cast-iron and stir. Top with the hot tater tots. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the sauce bubbles and the tater tots are browned to your preference.

I hope you enjoy this reinvented Minnesota legend!

-Nikki 

Italian Joes

Ah Sloppy Joes-- the potluck standby. Kent is not a big fan of traditional sloppy joes, but every once in a while I just get a craving for something meaty with a lot of memories. This recipe is an adaptation of one that my sister-in-law Katie makes in her crockpot. I’ve lightened it up a bit, using ground turkey and low-fat cheese.  You can use any sauce you like-- 1 ½ cups is about half of a large jar of pasta sauce. If you have leftovers, go ahead and use them up!

Italian Joes

Ingredients:

1.25 lb pkg lean ground turkey

1 ½ cups tomato-basil pasta sauce

½ medium onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup ketchup

1 cup low-fat Italian or mozzarella shredded cheese

1 tsp dried basil

Preparation:

In a fry pan with high sides, sauté minced onion in a tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat until soft. Add ground turkey and cook thoroughly. Put in the minced garlic and stir for 1 minute.  Reduce the heat to low and add the sauce, ketchup, cheese and basil. Stir until well mixed. The cheese will melt and incorporate into the sauce. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low, stirring occasionally or remove to a crock-pot of sharing.

You can serve this dish in a lot of ways: on pizza, over green salad, on toast, with chips, or traditionally in a bun. Since it is pretty heavy, I like a green salad with this one.

Go-Share- Potluck!

-Nikki