Casserole

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2 pounds ground meat or substitute beans, veg crumbles, or tofu

1 bag (32oz) tater tots-Ore Ida are gluten free-or more, if desired

1 yellow or white onion, diced

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can sweet corn, drained

1 can black or pinto beans, drained (optional)

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Taco seasoning (Meaningful Eats recipe doubled, with added cornstarch and water)

2 tablespoons chili powder

3 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon dried oregano

2 pinches of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch

⅔ cup water

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Toppings

Shredded cheese

Salsa

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To cook

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

   Tater tot bottom layer

2. Cook off half your tater tots in the air fryer per package recommendations.

3. Spray or otherwise oil your baking dish.

4. Once the air fryer tots are done, add to the baking dish and allow to cool while you work on the rest of the hot dish ingredients.

   Protein

5. Cook your diced onion in a pan until golden brown and soft. Set aside in a small dish for adding back later.

6. Cook your ground meat in a pan until browned. Reduce heat.

7. While your protein is cooking, mix all taco seasoning ingredients except cornstarch and water together until well combined.

8. Add the onion back to your cooked meat and mix to distribute evenly.

9. Add the seasoning to cooked ground meat, add the cornstarch and water and mix to combine well. The cornstarch and water do not need to be a slurry for this use case.

10. Allow the seasoning/cornstarch/water to cook until it looks saucy and glossy. Stir periodically to ensure all the protein has an even coating of the seasoning.

11. Layer this on top of the tater tots in your baking dish in an even layer.

    Hot dish layers

12. Add your drained canned corn to the casserole dish and spread evenly across the protein layer.

13. Add your drained can of beans (optional) and spread evenly with the corn.

14. Add your drained diced tomatoes to the casserole dish and spread evenly over the corn and beans. These are the least easy to distribute evenly which is why they are last in this order.

    Top layer

15. Layer the top of the casserole with the remaining (frozen) tater tots.

    Bake

16. Bake uncovered in the oven approximately 45 minutes. Check periodically for top layer tater tot doneness. Once they are mostly golden brown and crispy, you can remove the hot dish from the oven.

17. Allow the casserole to cool about 10 minutes before serving.

    Serve

18. Top with salsa, cheese, and other taco style toppings as desired.

19. Cheese could also be baked directly in the dish but it makes it harder to gauge tater tot doneness (depending on where it is layered) and also is a little nicer added fresh to the reheated portions.