When it’s cold outside, there’s a crazy blizzard, and it takes you 4 times longer than usual to drive home, all you want to do is sit on your fanny and eat some comfort food. My go-to comfort food had always been tater tot hotdish. However, going gluten free (and now being dairy free) has made it more difficult to make.
Fret not comfort food loving, gluten free, dairy free friends: Tater Tot Hotdish is still possible!
Preheat Oven to 400
Whatcha Need:
1.5 lbs beef, venison, or turkey meat, browned (and drain the grease if necessary)
1 package of Ore Ida Tater Tots (I used a little more than half of the package)
1 bag (16 oz) of mixed frozen veggies (I use one with corn, lima beans, green beans, peas, and carrots)
2 c of gluten free chicken broth
2 TBS of soy milk (or regular milk)
1.5-3 TBS of corn starch
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of pepper
pinch of salt
Put your browned (and drained) meat in the bottom of an 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Spread it out evenly to cover the bottom of the pan. If you are a hard-core meat lover, feel free to add more meat! We actually have a lot of venison that I use for hotdishes, so that’s what we used. Sprinkle your frozen veggies on top of the meat. I love having a thick veggie layer, so I use the whole bag. It’s up to you! Then, lay the tots on top of the veggies making sure not to pile them up too high or they won’t brown as nicely, but also making sure to make a complete layer to cover the vegetables.
In a medium saucepan, stir together your broth, soy milk, cornstarch, and spices. Bring them to a boil, constantly stirring. Start out with only 1.5 TBS of your corn starch, and add more (diluted with a little water) as necessary to thicken your “soup”. You want it to be the consistency of a cream of mushroom soup you would buy at the store. If you can do dairy, they make a gluten free cream of mushroom soup that you can just use instead. I have yet to find a dairy free one as well, so I made my own that would work for this dish.
Evenly pour the soup over the tots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and pop it in the oven. Bake for anywhere between 35-50 minutes, which is long enough for your tots to cook but longer if you want a crispy top. Keep checking it so it doesn’t burn.
I usually eat my Tater Tot Hotdish with Ketchup, but it’s not necessary.
Enjoy! (Especially if it’s a winter wonderland outside)
Good-bye Gluten 
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