Hot Dog Tater Tot Casserole

This flavorful baked casserole is a wholesome one-dish meal that you can prep in minutes, pop in the oven, and forget about it while it cooks. No slicing, heavy mixing, or fancy cooking techniques. Assemble a couple of cans of baked beans, meaty hot dogs, mustard, cheese, and frozen tater tots in layers in a baking dish and that is it. Believe it or not, that's all there is to this wonderful and filling dish. Serve this casserole with cornbread and a fresh salad to sit down to a symphony of flavors that will bring you back to your childhood.

Canned beans are a great and useful pantry staple. Budget-friendly and very nutritious, baked beans were an American invention, but have taken over British hearts—and bellies. Sweetened with added molasses, sugar, or maple syrup, the recipe has had many variations and additions over the years, but nowadays carries less sugar than before to appeal to consumers who regularly use baked beans as part of their breakfast. Available with or without pork and with varying levels of sweetness, baked beans offer lots of choices, although the sweet touch pairs nicely with the savory hotdogs. The frozen sweet potato tater tots crisp up in the oven and add a crunchy layer to the casserole, but feel free to use regular tater tots if your palate gravitates more toward savory foods. As for the cheese, we always recommend buying the cheese in a block and shredding it at home. On the one hand, it's cheaper when bought whole, and on the other, the anti-caking agents that are added to pre-shredded cheese will prevent it from melting properly.

The yellow mustard in this recipe can be replaced with horseradish mustard you're keen on its more pungent flavor, as a small amount of it lends a background zippiness to the casserole. For a vegetarian meal, use no-meat canned beans, and for a vegan-friendly recipe use any type of seasoned vegan canned beans, replacing the cheddar for vegan shredded cheese. Keep any leftovers refrigerated for up to three days and reheat in the oven to crisp up the tater tots.