This Healthy Jalapeño Hotdish is spicy, delicious, and the perfect weekday meal prep. It is ready in less than an hour, packed with protein, and filled with flavor! It is made with easy to get ingredients, can be kept in the fridge for one week, or in the freezer for months! It’s gluten free and free of refined sugar!
Jump to:
Healthy Jalapeño Hotdish Ingredients
How to make Healthy Jalapeño Hotdish:
- Preheat the oven and brown the beef! Preheat to 350 degrees. We like to use a cast iron or Dutch oven pan to brown the beef and to limit the pans we use. Heat over medium high heat.
- Add jalapeños! Once the beef is halfway to being done, add the jalapeños and saute with the beef.
- Make the sauce. While the beef is browning, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then slowly whisk in the gluten free flour. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes until it starts to form a sticky dough. Add the salt, pepper, and taco seasoning and mix well. Take off heat and mix in enchilada sauce. The mixture will look oily, have a condensed soup consistency, and may look wrong, but it is right!
- Add sauce to beef. Turn the stove top to low/medium heat and add the sauce to the ground beef and jalapeños.
- Add frozen vegetables. Mix in peppers and corn until well coated. Flatten down the top of this mixture to make room for tater tots.
- Add tater tots. Arrange the tater tots into a flat surface and so they completely cover the beef.
- Bake for 30 minutes. At 350 degrees until the mixture is bubbling under the tater tots and the tater tots are starting to change color.
- Switch oven to broil. Broil for 5 -10 minutes until the tater tots are golden brown. Take out, top with additional jalapeños and hot sauce if desired and enjoy!
Quick Facts
How long does this dish take? 45 minutes
How much does this make? 8-10 servings
Does this meet my dietary needs? This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, and refined sugar free. We use this vegan butter and these tater tots to ensure dietary needs are met.
How many bowls should I plan for this meal? Two pots
How long does this keep? 1 week in the fridge, 2 months in freezer
Is it freezer friendly? Yes
How do I reheat this? Heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes until heated through
Can I pack this for lunch? Yup! Just keep semi cold since this has meat in it.
Substitute Options
Ground Beef: Additional vegetables can be used in place of ground beef if vegan or vegetarian. Ground pork could also be used, but has not been tested.
Jalapeños: Any spicy pepper, chipotle, or other can be used in place of jalapenos. Red chili flakes or cayenne could also be used. If you do not want it spicy, the jalapeños can be omitted.
1:1 GF Flour Blend: We highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill GF flour mixture because it include Xanthan gum if gluten free. Any other blend mixture that includes Xanthan gum will work. Regular white flour will also work.
Vegan Butter: Regular butter can be used. We like to use smart balance or Miyoko's Butter.
Plant based milk: Regular milk, lactose free milk, almond milk, or flax milk can be used. Coconut milk should NOT be used.
Taco Seasoning: Sorry, no substitute for this. But, you can make your own using this recipe! Taco Seasoning by Tastes Lovely.
Enchilada Sauce: Ortega taco sauce can be used.
Frozen Peppers and Corn: Frozen vegetables of choice can be used or fresh bell peppers and corn. If using non-frozen vegetable, the cook time will be shortened by 10 minutes. We prefer the fajita style vegetables and corn for the southwest flavor.
Tater Tots: Hash browns could be used. For gluten free, be sure to check the packaging of the tater tots or hash browns. We love Ore-Ida tater tots!
Fun Fact!
Enchiladas have been dated back to 1519 in Aztec culture and 250 BC in Mayan culture. The modern enchilada is credited to the Aztecs and was described as “monarch tortillas, as white as snow, cooked with eggs and other nourishing ingredients''. When the Spanish invaded Mexico, they destroyed much of the Aztec culture, but food remained, including enchiladas. Enchiladas became a common food for soldiers because, without sauce, they could eat it on the go. Aztec enchiladas eventually evolved to become Mexican enchiladas and then found their way to America when the United States annexed Texas, California, and the Southwest. Below is an excerpt from one of the first written enchilada recipes from 1876.
“Put four pounds of corn in a vessel with four ounces lime, or in a preparation of lye; boil with water till the hull comes off, then wash the corn … bake the meal in small cakes called ‘tortillas’, then fry in lard; take some red pepper ground, called ‘chili colorad’, mix it with sweet oil and vinegar, and boil together. This makes a sauce into which dip the tortillas, then break into small pieces cheese and onions, and sprinkle on top the tortillas, and you have what is called ‘enchiladas’.” (Source)
Try these other delicious recipes!
Recipe
Healthy Jalapeño Hotdish
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 jalapeño diced
- 1 12 oz pack Frozen pepper stir fry mixture
- 1 12 oz pack Frozen corn
- 1 16 oz pack Frozen tater tots
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 stick of vegan butter
- ½ cup 1:1 gluten free flour blend
- ½ cup plant based milk not coconut milk
- 1 pack taco seasoning
- 5 oz enchilada sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown beef over medium high heat in a cast iron skillet or deep pan. If the pot or pan is not oven safe, you will transfer it to a baking pan prior to baking.
- Once the beef is halfway to being done, add the diced jalapeños and saute with the beef.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce:
- While the beef is browning, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil and then slowly whisk in the gluten free flour. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes until it starts to form a sticky dough.
- Add the salt, pepper, milk, and taco seasoning and mix well.
- Take off heat and mix in enchilada sauce. The mixture will look oily and may look wrong, but it is right!
- Congrats, you've made the sauce!
- Turn the stove top to low/medium heat and add the sauce to the ground beef and jalapeños.
- Mix in the frozen peppers and corn until well coated in sauce and beef. Flatten down the top of this mixture to make room for tater tots.
- Arrange the frozen tater tots into a flat surface and so they completely cover the beef.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the mixture is bubbling under the tater tots and the tater tots are starting to change color.
- Switch oven to broil and broil for 5 -10 minutes until the tater tots are golden brown. Take out, top with additional jalapeños and hot sauce if desired and enjoy!
This is delicious! Everyone in our family thought it was much better than the traditional Tater Tot Hotdish. We modified it a bit since we didn't have any enchilada sauce (used tomato sauce, cumin, and garlic powder instead), and used a fresh yellow pepper and canned corn. Really, really, good!
I love tater tots so this was an instant win! The sauce for the beef was so good and taking a bite with a bit of beef some veggies and the crispy tot, there's nothing better. This has now become a weekly staple in our house!
Thanks for making it - we are so glad you enjoyed it!!