Tater Tot "Hot Dish"... for you Minnesotans out there!

I want to preface this post by saying that I am not originally from Minnesota, so the "hot dish" concept is new to me in the last 8 years.  I did, however, marry a Minnesotan who grew up eating "hot dish".  When I first heard about tater tot hot dish (my husband's favorite), I was a little perplexed.  When I tasted it, I sort of got it, it wasn't bad.  However, I always told my husband if he wanted Tater Tot hot dish, he could make it.  (That has yet to happen). :)

When I saw that Alexia Foods had sweet potato tater tots in the frozen foods aisle (they are allergy friendly), I wondered if I could make an allergy-free tater tot hot dish and surprise my husband with his favorite dish, but a version that is a bit healthier and allergy-free.  I knew my husband would be happy with me and I figured that my little guy would like it, too.  (It is very kid friendly, according to all of my Minnesota friends who grew up eating it).  I think this recipe turned out good!  Of course, not exactly like the original but close enough that my husband had a big smile on his face after eating it.

So, for all of you Minnesotans out there, and for those who are now intrigued, here is my allergy-free, here is my healthier spin on tater tot hot dish....

Ingredients

1 pound grass fed beef
1 onion, chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 pinch ground black pepper (note: a Minnesota hot dish cannot be spicy, that is an unwritten rule) :)

1 (32 ounce) package frozen sweet potato tater tots

3 cups of homemade condensed soup (recipe below - I made this dairy free!)

1 cup of shredded cheese (optional, I did not use this).

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.               

In a large skillet cook ground beef with onion, salt and pepper.   Add beef mixture and tater tots to the condensed soup (ideally heated on the stove in a large soup pot.  Spread into a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with cheese, if using.          

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Condensed Soup Recipe (dairy free)

Adapted from Tammy's Recipes:  Homemade Kitchen Inspiration

Yield:

3 cups (about 2 cans)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups chicken broth* (ideally, homemade bone broth!)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder**
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3/4 cup flour (All purpose GF flour blend)

Instructions:

1. In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the garlic and seasonings for a 3-4 minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens. 

(Note:  My GF version thickened very quickly and needed more broth than the original recipe (original called for 1 1/2 cups).  You may need a little bit more than this.  I made this in advance and stuck it in the fridge in the soup pan that I made it in, then took it out and warmed and re-whisked it before mixing in the beef mixture and tater tots).