S.O.S. - Tater Tot Casserole Makeover

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mommyshortlegs
mommyshortlegs Posts: 402 Member
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Substituting 1 lb. ground turkey vs. 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef, I save a mere 30 cal./serving: 100 cal/serving. Decreasing the meat isn't an option, my carnivore husband objects.

What are healthier substitutes for tater tots? The generic brand I buy are 150 cal./8 tots. My current route has been to leave my small portion of the casserole tot-less.

I add to my casserole 6 oz. frozen corn, or 37 cal./serving.

Due to my husband's dairy allergy, I make my own cream of mushroom soup using unsweetened almond milk, all-purpose flour for thickening, canned mushrooms, seasonings, and *gulp* 1 c. (2 sticks) butter. One batch of my soup ultimately divides into 24 servings, or approx. 94 cal./serving. All that butter haunts me.

Total calories for 1 serving of my Tater Tot Casserole WITH the tots: 381; without: 231 -- for 1 dinky corner of an 8x8" dish.

Makeover suggestions? Or should I just order the salad? ;)

Replies

  • amez1974
    amez1974 Posts: 213 Member
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    I would think you could start by decreasing the butter. I would bet you could get by with at least half that amount without affecting the taste. Maybe play around with that some. I also put more veggies in my recipe-mixed corn, green beans, carrots, - sometimes onions and peas as well. The casserole is also something you could make in individual servings if you have some smaller glass pans. Sometimes I will make my own individual serving - maybe up your veggies, use less meat if you desire, and go easy on your soup mixture.
  • tekne1
    tekne1 Posts: 30 Member
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    "Substituting 1 lb. ground turkey vs. 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef, I save a mere 30 cal./serving: 100 cal/serving. Decreasing the meat isn't an option, my carnivore husband objects."

    Could you stretch the meat with black beans? Its tasty and hearty, so a meat reduction may not be as noticable. Also make sure you're substituting lean ground turkey. Some ground turkey is still fairly high in fat.

    "What are healthier substitutes for tater tots? The generic brand I buy are 150 cal./8 tots. My current route has been to leave my small portion of the casserole tot-less."

    Alexia makes sweet potato tater tots. I believe they are a bit lower in calories, and may be better nutritionally.
  • chocoholicdiva
    chocoholicdiva Posts: 345 Member
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    What you could do is try chopping up some potatoes into little squares like hash browns and baking them in the casserole. Or mash potatoes on top like a sheppard's pie. Other than that, you're out of luck with me. There's what I can offer you, good luck!!! :flowerforyou:
  • girlnamedlee
    girlnamedlee Posts: 96 Member
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    I found this the other day on pinterest: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/soup-or-sauce-sos-mix.html

    It's basically a replacement for cream soups in recipes, you wouldn't even need the butter. I also did a google search to see if there are substitutes for the nonfat dry milk & came up with this link http://www.livestrong.com/article/207712-what-are-nonfat-dry-milk-vegan-substitutes/.

    I've also started shredding my own potatoes for hashbrowns, so that might help too since it's the additives that have most of the calories.

    Hope that helps. Good luck!
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
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    Probably not the response you were seeking. Are you eating this because your husband likes it. It is so high in calories I would not go near it. What about a baked potato with fat free sour cream.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    Why doesn't the butter bother him if he has a dairy allergy?
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
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    is it possible to use butter substitutes, like the light blue bonnet margarine? it saves many calories. And if I don't require a lot of butter, but need "some," I usually use the I Can't Believe It's not Butter spray.

    And Chocoholic's idea of using hash browns instead would still give you the potato topping, but not as thick and carb-loaded! Great idea!

    Whenever I do "casseroles" like this, I always do the mini ramekins so everyone has their own, and always serve a side salad and a whole grain roll. That way, it's not a lot of a food, per se, but the visual of three items just gives a trick to the mind in thinking that there's a lot more food than what there is!
  • mommyshortlegs
    mommyshortlegs Posts: 402 Member
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    amez1974 : I think you've lit on something: dabbling with the amount of butter in my soup recipe is probably a good first step in decreasing the overall calories of my casserole; the butter is definitely the glaring ingredient here. ;) Until you mentioned it, believe it or not I'd never thought of making mini casseroles; I've made mini pizzas and otherwise divided and customized meals, but for some silly reason I had it in my head a casserole was a 1-pan meal from which everyone partakes. It need not be! Thank you for revolutionizing how I think about the humble casserole. ;)

    tekne1 : I've tried the black bean trick with tacos; apparently no amount of messing with his meat gets passed a carnivore, because my Husband instantly detected it. ;) Still, using the black beans in my own mini casserole is definitely an option, as are the sweet potato tater tots you introduced to me. Thank you! :) Note: I do continue to use black beans in my own tacos, I prefer the texture.

    chocoholicdiv : I appreciate your input! Once the tater tots are gone I'll give your suggestion a trial run. :)

    girlnamedlee : Thanks to you as well! :) Out of necessity I've tried numerous cream of something soup substitutes; my current concoction is, unfortunately, the only one Husband has ever found comparable to the real thing. However, I'll be trying the recipe for myself, I appreciate a calorie reduction even if my husband doesn't. ;) Also, I LOVE the idea of topping the casserole with home-shredded hash browns; we're fans.

    Sherbog : I am attempting to "healthify" my recipes to be able to enjoy them with my family, as opposed to preparing and eating 2 completely separate meals at mealtime. Not to mention even my family could benefit healthier meals, eh? Granted, not every recipe can be revised (e.g., my homemade brioche); this may be another recipe I have to give up.

    Contrarian : Butter contains such a low quantity of lactose, it generally does not bother him. For now, at least: his allergy seems to be worsening. Vegan options do exist, for a price. I actually have yet to compare nutritional values between soy-based and cream-based butters, haven't had the need to yet.

    kellylallen : Mini ramekins! NICE! :) Doing it.

    Thank you, everyone!
  • Justacoffeenut
    Justacoffeenut Posts: 3,808 Member
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    http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2009/05/22/recipe-rescue-tater-tot-casserole/

    http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/great-recipes.asp?food=tater+tot+casserole On this one scroll down they list other tater tot casserole under the other recipes listed first.

    http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Makeover-Tater-Topped-Casserole
  • chocoholicdiva
    chocoholicdiva Posts: 345 Member
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    And Chocoholic's idea of using hash browns instead would still give you the potato topping, but not as thick and carb-loaded! Great idea!
    What I meant was to make your own, my bad!!! I didn't make myself clear enough. :blushing:
  • SMarie10
    SMarie10 Posts: 953 Member
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    http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2009/05/22/recipe-rescue-tater-tot-casserole/

    http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/great-recipes.asp?food=tater+tot+casserole On this one scroll down they list other tater tot casserole under the other recipes listed first.

    http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Makeover-Tater-Topped-Casserole
    Thanks for these links - I forget how many recipe sites are out there - these sites have some great options for tater-tot casserole
  • raylenebrooks
    raylenebrooks Posts: 137 Member
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    I have used mashed califlower on shepherds pie, there is a recipe for cauliflower tots pintrest I think.
  • Shelgirl001
    Shelgirl001 Posts: 476 Member
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    I use 97% fat-free cream of chicken in my tater tot casserole, I also mix that with just a half can of water instead of milk. The meat could be ground chicken if you can get it. That is lighter than turkey, too. The tots could easily be replaced by cut up potatoes and using carrots or green beans would help out also.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    Substituting 1 lb. ground turkey vs. 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef, I save a mere 30 cal./serving: 100 cal/serving. Decreasing the meat isn't an option, my carnivore husband objects.

    What are healthier substitutes for tater tots? The generic brand I buy are 150 cal./8 tots. My current route has been to leave my small portion of the casserole tot-less.
    Alexia makes sweet potato tots that I love! It's not cutting calories really, but it is improving the quality of the calories :) 3 oz is 140 cals sweet-potato-puffs-large.png
    I add to my casserole 6 oz. frozen corn, or 37 cal./serving.

    Due to my husband's dairy allergy, I make my own cream of mushroom soup using unsweetened almond milk, all-purpose flour for thickening, canned mushrooms, seasonings, and *gulp* 1 c. (2 sticks) butter. One batch of my soup ultimately divides into 24 servings, or approx. 94 cal./serving. All that butter haunts me.
    Seriously, eww, don't do all that butter? If you can't just delete it, can you sub it for something like ButterySpread_OmegaLight_Hero_v1.png?1331670918
    Total calories for 1 serving of my Tater Tot Casserole WITH the tots: 381; without: 231 -- for 1 dinky corner of an 8x8" dish.

    Makeover suggestions? Or should I just order the salad? ;)

    Barring the butter, there's nothing objectionable about the dish... Just eat it and enjoy it!
  • donnameeuwsen
    donnameeuwsen Posts: 1 Member
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    You could substitute cauliflower for the tater-tots. Cut to similar size... it's very tasty and cuts the calories substantially. Also using half reg shredded cheese and half low cal cheese... it's a great way to lighten it up.

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