Lightened up Tater Tot Casserole

I found the bones for this recipe on Lisa's Dinnertime Dish (http://lisasdinnertimedish.com/?p=4208) and modified it to add more vegetables and flavor. We made it last night, and it will definitely be added to the list of freezer meals I'll be making for the fall. It's not the classic version of cream soup based tater tot casserole, but it's quite good. The base would also be awesome for shepherd's pie. In that instance, just replace the tots with mashed potatoes. Sometimes I'll mix it up a bit and use a sweet potato or two in my mash, which boosts the nutrients a bit. Enjoy!

Lighter Tater Tot Casserole

1 pound 93% lean ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

Salt and pepper

¼ cup tablespoons flour

1 cup beef stock

1 cup milk

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp. dried mustard

1 16-24 oz. bag of mixed vegetables (e.g. carrots, peas and corn)

1 32 oz. bag tater tots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown ground beef and break up with a spoon.

When meat is starting to brown, add the garlic, sauté until fragrant (about a minute), add onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until beef is no longer pink and onions are translucent.

Add flour to pan and stir to coat mixture. Cook the flour mixture for an additional minute. Slowly add beef stock and milk, stirring during the addition. Add thyme, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer until sauce thickens.

If there is room, add frozen vegetables to meat/gravy mixture. If not, put frozen vegetables in one 9x12 or two 8x8 pans and top with meat/gravy mixture. Stir in pan(s).

**If freezing, then let this mixture cool and top with tater tots, cover with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze. To cook at a later date, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then follow baking directions below. You could also freeze just the meat/veggie mixture in a couple of gallon freezer bags, then pour the mixture into your pan and add the tots immediately prior to baking. **

If you haven’t already (in the freezer meal directions) top with tots, Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tots are golden brown.

Serve and enjoy!