Vegetarian Tater Tot Hotdish is a comforting Midwest casserole. This meatless version has a super savory, creamy filling with lots of veggies, a cheesy layer, and it's all topped off with golden, crispy tater tots. You'll love how easy it is to make, too!
Preheat oven to 375°F. To keep this a one-pan recipe, cook the filling in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, or oven-safe skillet.
In the skillet, over medium heat, melt butter and heat the olive oil. Once hot, add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook for 3-4 minutes, and add a pinch of salt to begin layering in the flavor.
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, ¾ cup yellow onion, ½ cup celery, ½ cup carrot
Add garlic and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste. Stir and cook for another 3 minutes, until all the veggies are tender. Stir in frozen peas and corn.
3 cloves garlic, Pinch of red pepper flakes, Salt and pepper, 1 cup frozen corn, 1 cup frozen peas
Remove from heat. Stir in the parsley and cream of mushroom soup until fully combined.
2 Tablespoon fresh parsley, 1 cup Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
If cooking in the same skillet, spread the filling evenly across the pan. Otherwise, transfer to a 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle both kinds of cheeses on top. Then, line the tater tots across the entire top of the hotdish.
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese*, 30-34 frozen tater tots
Bake for 28-33 minutes until bubbly and tater tots are golden brown. Let sit 2-3 minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
*Look for cheese specifically labeled vegetarian, if needed.
Pan Size: as shown in some of the photos, I used a fun Minnesota Cast Iron Skillet as a baking dish, and placed the rest of the filling in small ramekins. You can use an 8x8 glass baking dish, a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, or another 3-quart baking dish.
Double Recipe: bake in a 9x13 dish.
2/28/23: updated the amount of onion from 1/2 to 3/4 cup and the carrots and celery from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup.