Big Mac Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 Yellow Onion diced small
- 2 cloves Garlic finely minced
- 1 lb Lean ground Beef I used 96/4
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Bread and Butter Pickles diced small
- 1/3 cup Thousand Island Dressing plus a little more to drizzle on top
- 1-2 cups Cheddar Cheese (see note below) or a combination of mozzarella, monterey jack, and cheddar cheese
- 16 oz Frozen Tater Tots
- 2 cups Shredded Lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F
- Heat your olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot add in your diced onions and cook them for about 10 minutes, stirring them often so that they do not burn. You want them to be golden brown before you add in your meat.
- When the onions are starting to brown, add in your garlic and stir often.
- Once the onion is golden brown, add in your beef, salt, and pepper.
- Once the meat is just about cooked, turn off the heat and add in 1/3 of a cup of thousand island dressing, a 1/3 of a cup of your diced pickles, and half of your cheese. Mix until fully combined.
- Add the meat mixture to the bottom of a 10.5 x 7.5 baking dish. Pat down the meat and then add a light layer of cheese on top followed by your Tater Tots and the rest of your cheese.
- Bake until the Tater Tots are golden brown on top. The Tots take longer to cook than usual because of the steam coming up from the meat. Cook them about ten minutes longer than you normally would but keep your eye on them so that they do not completely burn.
- Remove from the oven and top with shredded lettuce, the rest of the pickles, and more thousand island dressing or burger sauce.
Notes
I recommend using cheddar cheese in a block and then shredding it yourself. I tried this recipe originally using pre shredded cheese and the cheese just did not melt right. It still tastes good, but if you want a good cheese pull, be sure to shred your own cheese.