Hotdish facts for kids
A tater tot hotdish
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| Course | Main or side dish |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Upper Midwest |
| Main ingredients | Starch (potatoes, pasta, etc.), cream soup (typically cream of mushroom), meat, vegetables |
A hotdish is a yummy meal that usually has a starch (like potatoes or pasta), some meat, and canned or frozen vegetables. These are all mixed together with canned soup. A very common hotdish uses ground beef, tater tots, and cream of mushroom soup. But in Minnesota, some people use wild rice or macaroni instead of potatoes.
This dish comes from the Upper Midwest part of the United States. It's super popular there, especially in states like Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Hotdish is cooked in one baking dish and served hot. You'll often see it at big get-togethers like family reunions, potlucks, and church dinners.
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The Story of Hotdish
Hotdish has a cool history! It started when farm wives needed to feed their families and church groups. They wanted meals that were easy on the wallet and could feed a lot of people. That's why hotdishes are cooked and served in one dish.
For a long time, ground beef was the most common meat. And cream of mushroom soup was, and still is, the favorite soup to use. In the past, pasta was often the main starch. But now, tater tots and local wild rice are also very popular choices.
Hotdishes are great because they are:
- Filling: They keep you full!
- Easy to make: Simple to put together.
- Convenient: Perfect for big groups.
They are often served at family reunions, funerals, church suppers, and potlucks. People might eat them with potato salad, coleslaw, Jello salads, or sweet bars.
What's Inside a Hotdish?
The usual ingredients in a hotdish are potatoes or pasta, ground beef, green beans, and corn. Canned soup is added to hold everything together and give it flavor. For potatoes, you can use tater tots, hash browns, potato chips, or even shoe string potatoes.
People usually season hotdish simply with salt and pepper. Some like to add ketchup on top. Another well-known hotdish is the tuna hotdish. It's made with macaroni or egg noodles, canned tuna, peas, and mushroom soup.
There's also a dish called goulash in Minnesota. It's not like the famous Hungarian goulash. Minnesota goulash usually has ground beef, macaroni, canned tomatoes, and sometimes creamed corn.
Cream of mushroom soup is so common in hotdish recipes that some people call it “Lutheran Binder.” This name comes from how often hotdish appears in Lutheran church cookbooks. Many people think this soup is a key ingredient that makes a hotdish a hotdish!
Minnesota's Hotdish Cooking Contest
After the 2010 elections, Senator Al Franken started a fun hotdish cooking contest. He invited members of the Minnesota team in Congress to compete. It was a way for them to celebrate their home state together.
In the first contest, six out of ten members of Congress joined in. Senator Amy Klobuchar won first place with her "Taconite Tater Tot Hotdish." Representative Tim Walz came in second with his "Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Hotdish."
The contest kept going! In 2012, Senator Franken's "Mom's Mahnomen Madness Hotdish" tied for first place with Representative Chip Cravaack's "Minnesota Wild Strata Hotdish."
In 2013, almost all the Minnesota members of Congress participated. Representative Walz won with his "Hermann the German Hotdish," which even had a bottle of August Schell beer in it. Senator Franken also shared a free book of all the recipes from that year!
The competition continued in 2014 and 2015, with all ten members joining. Representative Walz won again in 2014 with his "Turkey Trot Tater Tot Hotdish." In 2015, Representative Betty McCollum won with her "Turkey, Sweet Potato, and Wild Rice" dish.
Past Winners of the Hotdish Contest
- 2011: Senator Amy Klobuchar's Taconite Tater Tot Hot Dish
- 2012: Senator Al Franken's Mom's Mahnomen Madness Hotdish and Representative Chip Cravaack's Minnesota Wild Strata Hotdish (tie)
- 2013: Representative Tim Walz's Hermann the German Hotdish
- 2014: Representative Tim Walz's Turkey Trot Tater Tot Hotdish
- 2015: Representative Betty McCollum’s Turkey, Sweet Potato, and Wild Rice Hotdish
- 2016: Representative Tim Walz’s Turkey Taco Tot Hotdish
- 2017: Representative Collin Peterson’s Right to Bear Arms Hotdish
- 2018: Representative Tom Emmer's Hotdish of Champions
- 2019: Representative Betty McCollum's Hotdish A-Hmong Friends
