Gluten and Dairy Free Tater Tot Casserole

Tonight I just wanted a good old casserole.  I remember the quick and easy days when I could mix a bunch of ingredients together, add some cream of mushroom soup, presto.....casserole.  Not so easy when you are both gluten free and dairy free.  For those of you who are only gluten free you can use Pacific Natural Foods Organic Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup with great results. For those of us with dairy issues, it is a bit more difficult, but it can definitely be done!!!

Here is a solution if you are longing for a yummy Tater Tot Casserole.  This one is dairy free.  You could make this a dairy version using the Pacific Natural Foods soup by substituting two boxes of the condensed soup for the gluten free all purpose flour, soy milk, water, and bouillon cubes used in the recipe.  Or you could just substitute milk for the soy milk and follow the rest of the directions.  This is definitely the cheaper route.

Tater Tot Casserole (Gluten and Dairy Free) 

1 1/2 pounds ground beef or venison
1 onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup Gluten Free All Purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup soy milk
1 cup water
3 cubes beef bouillon (Not all beef bouillon is gluten free or dairy free.  Check the labels.)
Seasoning to taste (I used Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb, salt, and pepper)
1 package frozen peas (or you could use a package of peas and carrots)
1 large package of Tater Tots (I use Ore Ida.  They print gluten free right on the bag!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground beef, celery, onions, and garlic in a skillet.  Drain well.  Add the flour and mix until the flour is well incorporated.  Add soy milk, water, beef bouillon and seasonings to taste.  Stir until well mixed and bouillon cubes are dissolved and sauce has thickened.  This is easier if you measure your water (use hot) and place the cubes in the water at the beginning of your cook time.  They will already be partially dissolved and easy to smash once you add them to the pan.  Add the package of peas.

Place mixture in a casserole dish.  Cover the top with Tater Tots.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes until heated through and Tater Tots are browned.

My family loved this tonight!  I hope you will enjoy it as well.

UPDATE:
     The Herb Ox Beef Bouillon Cubes are not dairy free due to the whey ingredient.  Herb Ox does make a sodium free bouillon that is dairy free.  Since originally posting this recipe, I do not use the bouillon and instead substitute a cup of beef broth for the cup of water and the bouillon.