Anytime tater tots can be used in a casserole, it is a good recipe! Here, the tater tots act as a pizza crust for a delicious casserole. That’s right, pizza, as a casserole, with tater tots- why didn’t I think of this before?! I’m not actually sure if it’s the tater tots or the mass quantities of cheese that made me love this recipe but because both of those ingredients are in there, this recipe is a clear home run. Add whatever pizza toppings you’d like or follow the recipe step by step and you will have a great side dish or dinner on the way.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Italian sausage (mild or hot)
1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 1/2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced pepperoni
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
50 – 60 tater tots
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
10 – 15 slices pepperoni
chopped parsley for garnish,

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook sausage in a 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook until browned. Drain to remove any excess pan drippings but reserve 1 tablespoon of pan drippings.
Return reserved pan drippings to skillet. Add in onions, green pepper, mushrooms, garlic and pepperoni. Cook 3 – 4 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.
Stir in tomato sauce, basil and oregano. Stir to coat vegetables. Remove from heat.
Place tater tots in a single layer on top of casserole.
Bake casserole in preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or just until the tater tots start to brown and crisp.
Remove casserole from oven, spread mozzarella over the top. Lay pepperoni slices on top. Return to oven and bake for 2 – 3 more minutes or until cheese melts. If you want it a little more crisp, broil for 1 – 2 minutes.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley. Serve.

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Quick tip: Use ground beef instead of sausage for a cheeseburger pizza casserole

Recipe and image courtesy of Oh, Sweet Basil.