Spinach Gruyere Tater Tot Hotdish

By Amanda Paa – Updated January 31, 2022
5 from 9 votes
This modern twist on tater tot hotdish is easy to make and absolutely delicious, with peppery ground beef, spinach, and flavorful gruyere cheese. A homemade cream sauce comes together quickly instead of using canned soup! The casserole is topped with tater tots, and baked until golden brown and bubbling. Includes gluten-free directions.
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Hotdish is a Midwest thing! Specifically a Minnesota thing.

I grew up in the land of 10,000 lakes and HOTDISH. Yes, Minnesota is just as well known for it’s multitude of “anything goes one-dish meals” as it is for its clear blue waters. And yes, I’m going there, in a delicious modern way, like I did with this Taco Tater Tot Hotdish. But this time with greens, a homemade cream sauce (no condensed soup), and gruyere cheese!

The base layer is composed of peppery, browned ground beef, onion, and a boatload of spinach that wilts down. In the same pan, an easy cream sauce is made before being mixed into the ground beef mixture with nutty, flavorful gruyere cheese. All in anticipation of the blanket of tater tots that will cover the surface and bake into golden brown puffs of goodness. It is quintessential comfort food.

What is the difference between hotdish and casserole?

At its core, a creamy sauce binds three essential hotdish components together: starch, protein, and vegetable. The history of hotdish goes back to when “budget-minded farm wives needed to feed their own families, as well as congregations in the basements of Minnesota Lutheran churches. Assembled in one large casserole dish, they were easy to make, filling, and convenient. My Mom made the classic tater tot hotdish often, complete with ground beef, carrots, and peas, a condensed cream of mushroom soup sauce and topped with tater tots.

tater tot hotdish, prepared in a cast iron skillet, uncooked.
assembly, pre-baked.
tater tot hotdish baked in a cast iron skillet with green onion garnish.
baked until tots are deliciously golden brown.

How to Make Tater Tot Hotdish:

  1. Using a cast iron skillet, saute the onion. Push to the side, then add the ground beef and saute until fully cooked through.
  2. Add the spinach (it will look like a lot, but it cooks down!). Stir into continuously over medium heat so that the spinach fully wilts. This mixture will be removed from pan and set aside.
  3. Use the same pan and melt the butter, then whisk in the flour. You want to cook the rawness out of the flour, which will take just a few minutes. Then whisk in milk and bring to a light simmer for a few minutes, until it starts to thicken.
  4. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream until smooth. Add ground beef mixture back and half of cheese to pan and stir to fully coat. Smooth top. Add a layer of cheese, then a circular layer of tater tots.
  5. Bake until bubbling and tots are golden brown. Enjoy!

Freezing Tater Tot Hotdish

You can make this recipe and freeze leftovers with great results. I use these glass containers. Or if you want to make the whole thing, then split into 4 containers and freeze, it would work great for meal prep.

To reheat, I find it works best to thaw the hotdish first. Then you can microwave on high, or you can reheat in the oven to get the tots crispy again, at 350 degrees F for 20ish minutes.

tater tot hotdish with a spoon in it.
tater tot hotdish in a grey bowl with spoon.

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Spinach Gruyere Tater Tot Hotdish

This tater tot hotdish features peppery ground beef and spinach in a creamy homemade sauce and gruyere cheese, topped with tater tots. Bakes into a golden pan of comfort food!
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time :25 minutes
Cook Time :35 minutes
Yield: 5 servings
Author: Amanda Paa

SCALE:

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground beef (80/20 fat percentage)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 4 ounces fresh baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (or all-purpose flour if you don't need this to be gluten-free)
  • 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
  • 1/3 cup sour cream (full fat)
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 5 ounces gruyere cheese, divided
  • 1 package tater tots
  • sliced green onions for topping

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Heat olive oil in a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stove. When warm, add onion and cook for 6-7 minutes, until onion is translucent and softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute, until garlic is fragrant. Push to once side of pan, and add beef, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking beef apart into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until meat is no longer pink. (You can mix the onion in as you do this) When no longer pink, add spinach and stir into the ground beef and continuing to cook until spinach is wilted down. It will seem like a lot of spinach, but it will shrink.
  • Scrape mixture into a bowl and set aside. Return skillet to stovetop and bring to medium heat. Add butter, then sweet rice flour. Whisk flour into butter and cook for 2-3 minutes, until flour is a paste and no longer raw. Whisk in milk and stir continuously, cooking for 3ish minutes until sauce starts to thicken and small bubbles are forming on sides of pan, but not boiling.
  • Remove from heat. Whisk in sour cream, mustard, white wine vinegar, and worchestire sauce until you have a smooth sauce. Add beef mixture back to skillet and stir to completely coat all ingredients. Add 3 ounces of gruyere cheese and stir to combine. Smooth top of mixture. Then add remaining 2 ounces of cheese to the top, and then place tater tots next to each other in a circular fashion, covering the skillet with tater tots.
  • Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees F. Then increase heat to 400 degrees F, and cook for another 10-12 minutes to brown the tater tots. You’ll see their crispness, and some of the cheese bubbling throughout the pan.
  • Remove from oven, top with sliced green onions, and serve. (Leftovers keep well for 4 days in the refrigerator.)

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January 31, 2022

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14 comments

  1. Em

    5 stars
    Super good – wonderful flavor and it’s filling and delicious.

    • Amanda Paa

      Glad you enjoyed it!

  2. Peggy Beck

    5 stars
    We had Gluten Free friends for dinner last nights and gave this recipe a try! Big hit! Our guests identified all the ingredients
    while devouring this tasty dish…and plan on making your website their ‘go to’ for future meals ! (as will we!). Thanks for the inspirational recipes.

    • Amanda Paa

      Peggy! Hi! Gosh, so glad you and your friends enjoyed the hotdish. It’s one of our favorites too! Thank you for the kind words as well.

  3. Dana

    5 stars
    I’ve lived in Minnesota 52 years and have made or eaten hot dish only twice. I knew this one was going to make the cut! I like a lot of vegetables, so I’ll probably halve the ground beef and double the veggies next time, but that Gruyère is perfect!!

    • Amanda Paa

      So glad you liked the hotdish, Dana! Long time Minnesotan, love it.

  4. Lindsay

    5 stars
    I am not a cook, and I don’t love cooking. So when I do, the meal needs to be worth it! I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone who wants an easy and delicious meal!

  5. Dacia

    5 stars
    This was a hit for my family! Really liked cooking with gruyere cheese. Used Swiss chard and gluten-free flour. We will be making this again.

    • Amanda Paa

      Glad the whole family enjoyed it, Dacia!

  6. Lisa James

    5 stars
    This hotdish was excellent!! Definitely not yo mama’s hotdish!holding!! I would serve this to guests in a heartbeat. Looks beautiful and tastes fantastic

    • Amanda Paa

      Fabulous news! So glad you liked it!

  7. Cindy Mays

    5 stars
    I grow arugula, collard greens and rainbow chard. So I used these in place of spinach. I reviewed this recipe today. Not sure if anyone used full fat oat milk. But I did and it turned out great. I also added a slice of Swiss cheese to the sauce. MORE CHEESE! YES PLEASE!! What a wonderful quick dinner!!! THANKS SO MUCH 🙏🏻

  8. Cindy

    5 stars
    I grow collard greens and rainbow chard so I substituted those and ripped them up small. Thank you for the recipe. I was searching for something simple for tonight. And I always read your Sunday chat emails and my eye went right to this recipe because I knew I had tater tots in my freezer still for my grand son when he visits. TERRIFFIC dinner!!! Two 👍🏻!!

    • Amanda Paa

      Yay, so glad you enjoyed it! And love that you grow collards and chard – I will be doing the same this year!