Vegan Tater Tot Casserole

February 2 is national tater tot day! It’s also Groundhog Day so this will get you through the rest of the winter hopefully. Now tots are perfectly fine to eat just on their own but we’ve been making a cheesy casserole out of them for years and once you’ve had them this way, you might just never go back to plain Jane tots!

This is a simple recipe but there are few ingredients that make all the difference between hot or not tots. First, you should use a fatty vegan burger. If you don’t, your end result could wind up dry. I also like using half vegan sausage and half burgers as it adds more flavor. You can certainly use all burger meat and it will still be delicious. I decided to use mini tater tots for my casserole and only for the simple reason that they’re smaller and will make the casserole easier to serve. They’re darn cute but feel free to use standard sized tots!

You’re basically going to sauté some veggies, then sauté the mock meat and finally add vegan cheese. This is where the juiciness of the meat comes into play as it makes a sauce with the cheese. I know some people don’t like the fatty faux meats so if using a drier brand you can add a little more vegan butter to make up for it. Last is adding the tots, baking then about 10 minutes before it’s done, you’ll add another layer of cheesy goodness to the top. You could use cooked lentils as a meat substitute and I bet that would be equally as delicious.

Make sure to defrost the vegan meat you’ll be using the night before in the fridge so it’s easier to cook. I use a fork to mash it into crumbles as I’m cooking it. You want even pieces. This entire casserole would freeze well before and after it’s baked so if you want to make it in advance, you certainly could.

I use my favorite Spike seasoning which can be hard to find at some stores so you can do what I do and buy it on Amazon. I have a link below at the end of the recipe for my Amazon store.

One option for a different flavor to this recipe would be to make this Tex-Mex style. I would add 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning (omit the seasoned salt) and a can of rinsed black beans to the base mixture. Let me know if you try it!

Vegan Tater Tot Casserole

Recipe by Kreg

5.0 from 2 votes

Cuisine: American

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

An easy and super tasty vegan tater tot casserole you can make whenever the mood strikes!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegan butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped

• 1/2 cup frozen corn

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 4 meaty vegan burgers or one brick ground

• 7 oz vegan breakfast sausages

• 2 cups vegan cheddar cheese shreds

• 1 large package frozen tater tots

• 1 teaspoon Spike seasoning or seasoned salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• hot sauce to taste

• chopped scallions to garnish

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°. In a large frypan, melt the butter and oil on medium heat. Add the onions and chopped peppers with the salt and pepper and sauté until translucent about 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
• In the now empty pan, add the vegan meats and sauté until cooked and lightly browned mashing with the tines of a fork to make into crumbles. Add the veggies back to the pan, add one cup of the cheese and stir until combined.
• Tumble the meat mixture into. 13×9 baking dish and top evenly with tater tots. Bake for 20 minutes then add the last cup of cheese to the top and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until bubbly.
• Garnish with scallions and serve immediately. Leftovers can be frozen.

Notes

• I used Beyond Meat burgers and sausages but use your favorite brand.
  
• Use a vegan cheese that will melt well.

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