Tater Tot Hotdish

For some reason, tater tot hotdish was symbolic to me when I was a kid. It was something I couldn't eat, and symbolized all that was a huge pain about growing up with Celiac Disease (or, as I knew it, Gluten Intolerance). I don't really know why I cared more about it than something else, like bakery doughnuts, or pizza, but tater tot hotdish symbolized all that was wrong with the world. At the time, I couldn't have tater tots because the companies used flour as a coating so that they would crisp up nicely. I think there are some brands that still do use flour as a coating, so MAKE SURE YOU CHECK INGREDIENTS! However, in my area, IGA brand and Lynden Farms brand are gluten free. I haven't checked if Ore Ida brand tater tots are gluten free or not, because the other two brands are cheaper, so those are the ones I usually buy. Anyway, once I noticed that there were gluten free tater tots available I was pretty excited. I still am excited every time I make this hot dish.

Tater Tot Hotdish

• 1 lb hamburger, browned and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup bell peppers chopped
• 1 can spinach, or 1/2 box frozen spinach, drained
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the hamburger, drain it, and layer it in a baking dish or pan

Leave a little of the hamburger grease in your frying pan and cook the onions and peppers until the onions are translucent. Layer these over the hamburger. (I might have more than the amount I told you above. I also was trying to have one side be not onion, because Samantha doesn't like onions.)

Next, layer on the spinach and cheese. I used slices of medium or sharp cheddar this time.

Pour the soup over the top of this and top with tater tots. Bake at 350 for an hour, and you have a fantastic one-dish meal! Next time I'll show you how to make mushroom soup if you can't have any of the pre-made ones.