VALLIE’S SUPPER-QUICK CASSEROLE

Grandson GARY BROWN (Bradyville, Tennessee) shares that his Grandma, VALLIE MCGRAW, currently lives in Beckley, West Virginia, which is the closest city to the little unincorporated town (Bolt) where she grew up before she married and ended up at Glen Rogers Mine. Gary says when they go to Grandma’s house she will usually have her homemade yeast rolls ready or she’ll make them at some point during their visit. Once when he heard West Virginia was expecting a huge snowstorm, he called her from Tennessee to make sure she was safe and to ask if she had stocked up on milk, bread, and other staples. “Grandma just chuckled and said if she needed bread, she would just make some! That put me in my modern-thinking place,” Gary adds.

Cooking spray

1 ½ pounds ground chuck

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (14.5 ounce) can mixed vegetables, drained

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (28 ounce) package tater tots

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 × 13-inch casserole dish.

2 In a Dutch oven brown the meat and add the onion. When the meat is done cooking, drain off the grease. Add the mixed vegetables, cheese, and mushroom soup. Stir to combine.

3 Spoon the mixture into the casserole dish. Top with the tater tots and bake for 45 minutes.

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS.