What is the one recipe you remember the most from school nights as kid? Was it not the most comforting meal ever? Have you noticed that you’ve forgotten about that dish since you’ve become a parent? Me too. But this week I am ‘righting the wrong’ and serving up my childhood favorite casserole– and it’s so simple!

You guys, my parents always worked a lot. So we didn’t have fancy meals or dishes that were hard to pronounce. My mom always relied on recipes that were easy enough for her to cook every night (whoa, mom) and easy on the budget to feed us all, well.

So this tater tot casserole definitely isn’t fancy. Or healthy.. or any other adjective that generally describes food that’s good for you.

But it’s pretty darn great for this busy mom’s soul.

It’s simplicity is perfect for whipping up on a weeknight. You can have it prepped in about ten minutes and have it baking while you work on other to-dos around the house.

It doesn’t need a roux, prepping veggies, or even cooking the raw beef. 🙂

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Whenever Jordan is out of town traveling, this gem pops up on our meal plan. He doesn’t love it as much as I do…. but you know who does? TODDLERS. They share my enjoyment in this dish and we all enjoy the leftovers for lunch.

I think the best part of making a childhood dish isn’t for the taste, but for the comforting memories that we shared with our parents. And it’s something that we get to create with our kids. That can’t be a bad thing if we do it in moderation, right?

Tater Tot Casserole

Yield: 6 -8 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 can of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Sliced American Cheese
• 1 24 oz Bag of Tater Tots

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a 13" x 9" baking dish, spread out the raw ground beef evenly.
3. Empty of Cream of Mushroom soup over the meat. Spread out an even layer.
4. Cover the dish with a single layer of American cheese.Fill in any gaps for extra cheesiness.
5. Top with a single, even layer of tater tots.
6. Bake uncovered for 55-60 minutes.

Let yourself reminisce of your own favorite childhood dish. What did you love coming home to after school or practice? Add it to your meal plan next week. Your favorite is probably super easy, like the Tater Tot Casserole is above. But it still feels like ‘home,’ even if you aren’t anymore.

Share your favorites in the comments below!