Tater Tot Casserole

Totally didn't think to take a picture before we dug in. Sorry! I'll try to remember to update it the next time I make this!

             Hey folks! I don't know about you, but cooking is not my favorite thing in the world. Which is ironic in our house because whenever I do cook it's good, but my husband actually enjoys cooking, but it usually doesn't turn out how he wants. Figures, right? Anyways, I've been getting better about actually cooking since we've moved, but have to admit that casseroles are still a favorite. Probably since I like baking and it's kind of similar in the sense that you pretty much just have to mix a bunch of stuff together and throw it in the oven. That's my kind of cooking!

             I'm usually super anal about following recipes exactly. But, I was feeling lazy the particular day I came up with this casserole and just threw stuff together that sounded good instead of looking a recipe up. As luck would have it, it actually turned out really good! So, here's a new casserole to try when you're feeling lazy or just don't have the time for a more “involved” dinner.

What You'll Need:

-frozen tater tots

-1 pound of beef

-shredded cheddar cheese

-ketchup

-1/2 onion, chopped

-garlic powder

-salt

-pepper

*Note: I pretty much “eye-balled” everything when I made this, so bear with me not having exact measurements for, well, hardly anything.

1. Cook your meat with your desired amount of garlic powder. I accidentally put more than I meant to in mine, but it actually turned out just right!
2. Saute your onion in a little bit of butter, veggie oil, or whatever you prefer. To save yourself from dirtying up an extra skillet, you could probably cook your onions in with the meat or wait until you're done with the meat and use that skillet. (Have I ever mentioned how much I hate washing dishes?)
3. While you're waiting for your meat and onion to cook, go ahead and layer enough tater tots in your casserole dish to cover the bottom. More is ok too.
4. Once your meat and onion are done cooking, pour them over the top of your tater tots along with enough cheese to cover everything as well. I love cheese too, so the more the merrier. ;)
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and bake at 375F for 15-22 minutes, depending on your oven. Just long enough to make sure your tater tots get done and cheese is melty.
6. Squirt desired amount of ketchup on top and serve.