Some of you may not know, but I was born and raised in the Midwest, which means I grew up on casserole or, as us midwesterners like to call it, hotdishes. I also come from a family of 10, so the cheaper the meal, the better. This means that the casseroles I grew up on were typically made out of canned goods, frozen veggies and not much else.
My kid-self loooved these dishes, but my palate has grown to be much more sophisticated than that. Well, not too sophisticated. I still love casseroles and I definitely still love tater tots.
So, I decided to give the Midwestern Tater Tot Hotdish a new look with all vegan and and gluten-free ingredients including my Homemade Sweet Potato Queso, Almond-based Sour Cream and Homemade Tater Tots!
There’s so many yummy elements to this dish. The creamy, zesty sweet potato queso; the creamy, tangy almond sour cream; the fresh, crisp tater tots; the crunchy onions and jalapenos; the juicy tomatoes; the creamy black beans and avocado. My mouth waters just writing about it!
Each bite is different and exciting. It’s almost as fun to eat as it is delicious!
My favorite part about this dish is that it’s made with homemade tater tots! You wouldn’t believe how much tastier homemade tots are compared to frozen tots and they’re actually way easier than they might seem.
The tots actually come together fairly quickly too! The most time consuming part is shredding the potatoes, but if you have a quality grater, you’ll be golden.
To save time, I suggest making the queso and sour cream ahead of time. Neither of them take long to make at all, but if you have them made already, then you can whip this casserole up in no time! Perfect for busy week nights.
This dish is guaranteed deliciousness! If you don’t make it, you’re missing out! Tag @bunnysbite with your results and make my day!!
Southwest Tater Tot Hotdish (V/GF)
Giving the Midwestern Tater Tot Hotdish a new southwestern look with all vegan and gluten-free ingredients including my Homemade Sweet Potato Queso, Almond-Based Sour Cream and Homemade Tater Tots!
Ingredients
Tater Tots
- 2 lbs russet potatoes (about 4 potatoes) peeled
- 1 tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
Queso
- 3 cups cubed sweet potato (skins removed)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened nondairy milk (I use almond milk)
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (depending how cheesy you’d like it to taste)
- 2 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp gluten-free all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp juice from pickled jalapeños
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- A pinch of cayenne
Sour Cream
- 1 cup raw blanched almonds soaked for at least 6 hours
- 1 green onion (including the white part) finely chopped
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
Extra Casserole Toppings
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- tomatoes chopped
- white or red onion finely chopped
- jalapeños (stems and seeds removed) sliced or diced
- avocado diced
- cilantro and/or chives minced
- lime juice
Instructions
Tater Tots
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Using a grater, finely shred the potatoes. Transfer potato shreds to a clean, thin kitchen towel or a cheesecloth. Wrap the potatoes with the cloth and squeeze to remove any excess moisture. There will be a lot of liquid so take your time and squeeze out as much as you can! A little moisture is okay, though.
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Transfer the shreds to a large bowl along with the remaining tater tot ingredients. Stir to combine.
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In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil to 250 degrees. You’ll want to use a thermometer to keep track of the temperature. Adjust the heat throughout the cooking process to keep it at 250 degrees as much as you can.
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With your hands, form the potato mixture into tots. It should make 24-26 tots. The mixture should stay together perfectly. If you have trouble, give the tot a gentle squeeze to keep it together.
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Fry tots 5-6 at a time for a total of 4 minutes. If the tots are halfway submerged in the oil, you'll have to flip them 2 minutes in to fry for another 2 minutes.
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Once fried on both sides, transfer the tots to a plated lined with paper towels. This will help soak up any excess.
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Repeat last two steps for remaining tots.
Queso
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In a large pot, add the cubed sweet potatoes and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and let simmer until potatoes are tender. Drain water and set potatoes aside to cool.
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In the meantime, add the remaining ingredients to a food processor. Then add potatoes and process together until smooth and creamy.
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Enjoy! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator. Heat up over the stove top before reserving.
Sour Cream
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Soak the almonds in filtered water at room temperature for at least 6 hours.
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In a high speed blender, add all of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides of the blended a few times if needed.
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Transfer to a bowl and set in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
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Serve and enjoy! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
Casserole
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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To an 8x8 square baking dish, add a layer of black beans, then tomatoes, onions and jalapeños, then add a layer of the queso sauce, then add a layer of the tots.
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Bake for 10 minutes.
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Top casserole with almond sour cream and any other desired garnished (chives, tomatoes, jalapeños, avocado, lime, etc.)
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Serve warm and enjoy!
If you liked this recipe, then you’ll love my Mexican Quinoa Salad, Lentil Shepard’s Pie and my Herby Potato Pizza Crust!
