A few weeks ago I posted my recipe for Tater Tot Casserole. I do realize this is not the most healthy of dishes, but it is a fun dish to have every now and then also it does beat fast food!
My friend had a recipe from Taste of Home that was for Cheesy Chili Tots. I thought this would be a great way to utilize my Slow Cooker Chili and make this casserole.
My favorite part about this recipe is that you are able to freeze 1/2 of the dish for later and eat 1/2 now! This works out perfectly for freezer cooking. I posted on facebook about freezer cooking, stay tuned for more dishes to use for freezer cooking in the near future.
Ingredients:
- Slow Cooker Chili:
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 2 16oz Cans of Bush’s Chili Beans
- 1 14.5oz Can of Beef Broth
- 1 10oz Can of Rotel or Diced Tomatoes
- 2 Tsp Minced Onion
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 Tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 Cup of Ketchup
- 1/2 Cup Colby Jack Cheese
- Casserole:
- 2-4 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Lb Bag of Tater Tots
Directions:
To make Slow Cooker Chili:
Cook the ground beef in a skillet. In this case, I used precooked ground beef that I had in the freezer.
Then, add all ingredients in the slow cooker. This should cook on low for 4 hours. When it’s finished top with a little bit of cheese.
To make Casserole:
Once the chili was done I poured it equally into 2 8×8 baking safe dishes. Then, add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top of each portion of chili. Lastly, cover the top with tater tots. I used a 2 lb bag of tater tots using 1 pound for each dish.
Take one of the dishes and put it in the freezer, this will last for up to 3 months.
The other dish will bake in the oven on 350* for 30-35 minutes. The last 5 minutes remove the dish adding a 1/2 cup more of shredded cheddar cheese, then return to the oven until melted.
Frozen Casserole:
When you are ready to serve the frozen dish, you will simply remove it from the freezer 30 minutes before baking. This does not need to be thawed, then bake covered at 350*. This will bake 1 1/2 hours, repeat the same process the last 5 minutes with 1/2 cup of cheese.
This dish was easy and tasty. It also opened the doors to a whole new world, freezer cooking!
Enjoy!
Need more recipe ideas? Check out the Recipe Index by Mommy Hates Cooking.
Wow! I am in love right now. You are my idol. mmm…cheesy goodness. Sorry I will stop slobbering all over my screen now!