The Gluten-Free Homemaker

 
This recipe came to me years ago through a friend at church.  I’ve made only a few small changes.  My family enjoys this dish, and it is one of the few ways they will eat cooked spinach.  Don’t be afraid to play around with the ingredient amounts in this recipe.  You can make it beefier or add more spinach.  Make it cheesier, or add more mushrooms.  You get the idea.  You can also use fresh spinach instead of the frozen (probably one bag).

I did not have any mushrooms when I made this the last time, and it is good without them.  My husband would say it is much better without them!  I included them in the recipe, though, because if you like mushrooms, they are a very nice addition.

The tater tots are completely optional, and I have often made this without them.  The kids really like tater tots and it does make it a nice all-in-one dish.

Gluten-Free Spinach Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 if using cheese on top, 375 if using tater tots.
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 box frozen spinach
• 1 recipe cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 10 – 12 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 1/2 lbs. mini tater tots (optional)*

Instructions
Cook and drain the spinach.  Make sure you get most of the water out by pressing it against the side of a colander.  Cook the ground beef and drain.  Sauté the onion and mushrooms.  Make the cream of mushroom soup.  After it has thickened, add 1/4 cup water and whisk to combine. 

Combine the beef, onion, mushrooms, and spinach. I use the skillet I cooked the beef in (after draining it).  The spinach will be somewhat stuck together after squeezing the water out.  Break it up with your spoon or spatula and get it mixed in with the other ingredients.  Then add the soup and cheese. 



Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cheese if you are not using tater tots.  Spread the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  



Top with tater tots or the additional cheese.  If using cheese on top, bake at 350 for 20 – 30 minutes until hot and the cheese is melted.  If using tater tots, bake at 375 30 – 40 minutes until the tater tots are hot in the middle. 



*I used mini tater tots for this because they don’t take as long to cook.  If you use regular ones, you will have to bake the dish longer.

This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Labels: main dish recipes