Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole
Tater tot casserole is the ultimate comfort food. Swap the traditional ground beef for hearty lentils and mushrooms and you have a veggie- and nutrient-rich vegan meal the whole family will love!
Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole with green beans – swap the traditional ground beef for hearty lentils and you have a veggie- and nutrient-rich vegan meal!
Note: I originally created this recipe for a sponsored post I created in partnership with Easy Home Meals on Instagram. This blog post, however, is not sponsored; I love this casserole so much, I just had to share the recipe with you!
I encountered my first tater tot casserole in my mid-twenties. It took a move to the midwest for grad school for me to become indoctrinated in the world of hot dishes, something that I remember much more clearly now than the high-level stats I poured all my brainpower into, much to my amusement.
It was my friend Robin’s turn to host dinner at her apartment when she pulled a huge tray out of the oven. Golden, crispy tater tots crowned the top, and bubbling underneath was a creamy mushroom sauce with ground beef and green beans. Comfort food took a whole new meaning for me, and this casserole, made with freezer and pantry staples became a favorite. Whenever Robin would host, we would beg her to make her tater tot casserole again.
Tater tots changed for me then – it was no longer a random side dish, but meant to be in a casserole, and I now make tater tot casserole as my homage to Robin, with a veggie-forward twist.
Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole with Green Beans
Much like the classic, this vegetarian tater tot casserole is still made with pantry staples — lentils take the place of ground beef, mushrooms and a quick roux replace canned mushroom soup, and canned or frozen vegetables make it easy to make any time.
It’s also a good time to clean out the produce bin, so feel free to toss in what you have! Have some zucchini? Red bell peppers? Add them to the casserole, this hot dish is very flexible.
More Vegetarian Comfort Food Recipes
Vegan Chili: Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili
White Bean Soup with Kale
Potato Pesto Pizza with Brussels Sprouts and Yellow Squash
Butternut Squash Scalloped Potatoes (Vegan)
Skillet Eggplant Lasagna
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Garlicky Kale
More Casseroles
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Chicken Mushroom & Corn Tetrazzini
Vegetarian Enchilada Skillet Casserole
Winter Squash and Quinoa Bake
Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 cups chopped mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 3/4 cup red lentils
- 3 cups chopped green beans
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup peas
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper
- 16 oz tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Set rack in the center of the oven.
- In a heavy skillet, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt over medium-low heat until translucent. Increase the heat, add the mushrooms and sauté for about two minutes. Add soy sauce and continue to sauté until the mushroom liquid is evaporated. Set aside.
- Heat remaining oil and butter over low heat and sprinkle the flour on top. When the flour starts to bubble, whisk it to create a roux. Whisk continuously for about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock while whisking and bring to a boil. Continue to whisk. Add almond milk, whisk and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the reserved mushroom mixture, lentils, green beans, corn, peas, and red bell pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the tater tots on top and place in the oven. Lightly cover will foil and cook for about 45 minutes. Remove foil, lower oven temperature to 350°F and cook for another 15 minutes until the filling is bubbling, the lentils are fully cooked and the tater tots are golden brown.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
This recipe knocked my socks off. I had decent expectations, but this just might be the best thing I’ve ever cooked. Everything is perfect t. I don’t love green beans so subbed it for more bell peppers and black lentils. Hubs said – if all vegetarian dishes tasted like this, no one would ever eat meat!
Thanks Liren!!!!
Hi Mary! This makes me so incredibly happy! Thank you, thank you. I’m glad you and your husband loved the casserole – it’s one of my favorites, and I love that you didn’t miss the meat!