Turkey Tater Tot Hotdish

Turkey Tater Tot Hotdish can easily be put together any night of the week. This family-friendly meal contains turkey and vegetables in a creamy sauce, cheddar cheese, and a crispy tater tots topping. Talk about comfort food! It’s a great dish to repurpose leftover turkey (and chicken, too)!

With Thanksgiving only a couple of weeks away, I’m already thinking about how to utilize leftover turkey. This recipe is one to keep in mind for just that. For sure, I will be making Leftover Turkey Salsa Verde Egg Rolls, which I promise will make you a rockstar if you make it for any get-together. And, of course, I’ll be making this hotdish. It’s a complete meal in one dish. There is the tender turkey and vegetables in a creamy sauce. Over that is a layer of gooey cheddar cheese. Finally, golden brown and crispy tater tots top the dish. So comforting and so good!!

And hey, if you don’t have leftover turkey, that’s okay! Leftover chicken is always a good substitution. Store-bought rotisserie chicken is another excellent option. Even deli counter turkey or chicken would work.

This meal requires 25 minutes of active prep/cook time. The remaining 40 minutes is inactive oven bake time that you can spend on taking care of other business. Even though it’s not a 30-minute meal, it doesn’t tie up your night.

What is a hotdish?

To be honest, I had never heard of hotdish until I saw Molly Yeh’s cooking show a few years back. When I learned that you can top them with a variety of things, including tater tots, I was sold! This turkey hotdish is my rendition of the Minnesotan comfort food. It’s so good that I want to top all my dishes with tater tots!

Hotdish originated during the Great Depression as a way to make a little stretch a long way. This comfort food is a staple in the midwest, particularly in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. For it to be a hotdish, it must contain meat, vegetables, a sauce, and starch. Canned condensed soup is traditionally used as the base of the sauce. (But in this recipe, I make a from-scratch creamy sauce.)

The difference between hotdish and casserole:

If you want to get technical, a hotdish is a subset of casserole. Casseroles can be either a main dish or a side and do not necessarily have to have the 4 components of a hotdish. A hotdish, on the other hand, is meant to be a complete meal that contains meat, vegetables, sauce, and starch components.

Having said that, it’s generally regarded that these are two different terminologies for the same dish. What they are called depends on the region of the country—so hotdish for Wisconsinites and Minnesotans is called a casserole in other parts of the country.

Ingredients needed:

• Turkey—leftover turkey, but leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken are great substitutes. In a pinch, a deli counter version can be used.
• Vegetables—I use a standard frozen corn, carrot, green beans, and peas mixture or a similar blend. Fresh vegetables can also be used. However, it will affect cook time slightly (see Notes in the Recipe Card section below).
• Chopped onion—for creating layers of flavor.
• Chopped garlic—for creating layers of flavor.
• Herbs—dried thyme and rosemary. If using fresh, triple the amount.
• Salt and black pepper—for flavoring.
• Milk—whole milk. You can also use a combo of whole milk and half & half or light cream for extra richness.
• Turkey soup base—I use Better Than Bouillon (This is an affiliate link. Get it at the store if you can. It’s much cheaper). If you can’t find turkey flavor, chicken works well.
• Olive oil—to prevent sticking and for cooking onion.
• All-purpose flour—for thickening the sauce.
• Cheddar cheese—no need to get fancy. Prepackaged is fine.
• Frozen tater tots—keep frozen until ready to use.

Recipe highlights:

• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• Cook onion in olive oil on medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add garlic, stirring for 30 seconds. Add vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over the vegetables. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently.
• Slowly add 1/3 of the milk, stirring constantly to smooth out lumps. Continue adding milk, a third at a time, stirring constantly.
• Add turkey soup base, thyme, rosemary, and the remaining salt and pepper. Allow to come to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Add turkey. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or any 3-quart oven-safe baking dish that is similar in depth) with cooking spray. Transfer the content to the baking dish. There is no need to transfer if the pan you’re using to cook in is an equivalent size to 9×13 and is oven-safe.
• Sprinkle cheese over the top. Arrange tater tots in a single layer over the cheese. 
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until tater tots are golden brown and crispy.
• Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.

View the how-to video or save it for later with this Pinterest Pin.

Can this be prepared ahead?

Yes, you can assemble the hotdish a day ahead but without the cheese and tater tots. Allow to cool before storing. If cooking the next day, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. If freezing, cover with 2 layers of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months.

Cooking prepped ahead hotdish:

To cook from refrigeration, allow the hotdish to sit at room temp while the oven preheats. Add the cheese and tater tots. Bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the cooking time.

Although I haven’t frozen this hotdish when it’s unbaked, you can typically freeze this type of hotdish. Then bake when needed. To cook from frozen, allow to thaw 24 hours in the refrigerator. Let the hotdish sit at room temp while the oven preheats. Add the cheese and tater tots when ready to cook. Bake as directed, adding a little extra time to thoroughly heat through. The cooking time varies depending on how thoroughly the hotdish has defrosted.

Recommended supplies:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• A large skillet or oven-proof baiser to cook in. This braiser is oven-proof, so there is no need to transfer the content into a baking dish—the braiser can go straight from the stovetop to the oven.
• A 9 x 13 baking dish—This glass baking dish comes with a storage lid. It’s just right size for this tater tot casserole.
• Spatula—this olive wood spatula is ideal for nonstick cookware.

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Turkey Tater Tot Hotdish

Author: Thao | In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Stovetop Cooked, Oven Baked/Roasted Cuisine:American Courses:Main Recipe Keys: C Carbohydrate High Protein

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time:1 hour 10 minutesTotal time:1 hour 20 minutesServings:6 Servings

Description

Turkey Tater Tot Hotdish can easily be put together any night of the week. This family-friendly meal contains turkey and vegetables in a creamy sauce, cheddar cheese, and a crispy tater tots topping. Talk about comfort food! It’s a great dish to repurpose leftover turkey (and chicken, too)!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 1/2 cups frozen vegetable mix
• 4 cups cooked turkey (or chicken), cut into small bite-sized pieces
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 3/4 cups whole milk (can also be combined with light cream or half & half)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 scant teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Turkey Soup Base (affiliate link)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh leaves)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh leaves)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 32 ounces package frozen tater tots

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Position the oven rack on the upper half of the oven.
2. Add olive oil and onion to a large skillet on medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, stirring for 30 seconds. Add vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently.
5. Slowly add 1/3 of the milk, stirring constantly to smooth out lumps. Continue adding milk, a third at a time, stirring constantly.
6. Add turkey soup base, thyme, rosemary, and the remaining salt and pepper. Allow to come to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken slightly. Add turkey. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Re-season to taste, if needed. Remove from heat.
7. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or any 3-quart oven-safe baking dish that is similar in depth) with cooking spray. Transfer the content to the baking dish. There is no need to transfer if the pan you’re using to cook in is an equivalent size to 9×13 and is oven-safe.
8. Sprinkle cheese over the top. Arrange tater tots in a single layer over the cheese. Just use enough tater tots for one single layer. You might not need to use the entire package.
9. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until tater tots are golden brown and crispy. Option: cook the last few minutes on low broil until tater tots are nicely browned. Serve hot.
10. Makes 6-8 servings.

Notes:

• You can use fresh vegetables instead of frozen. They require a few extra minutes of cooking time than frozen vegetables. To cook fresh veggies, add a couple of tablespoons of water to the fresh vegetables in the pan. Cover and allow to steam for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water as needed if the vegetables begin to brown. Then, continue with the recipe as instructed.
• Substitute chicken for the turkey soup base if needed. You can also use bouillon cubes. Substitute one bouillon cube for 1 teaspoon of soup base.
• Optional: reserve a 1/3 of the cheese to sprinkle over the potato tots. Or use additional cheese for this purpose.

Keywords:Turkey, Hotdish, Tater Tots, Wisconsin, Thanksgiving, Tater Tot Cassserole, Turkey Hotdish

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