We Tried the Duggars’ Tater Tot Casserole So That You Don’t Have To

If you’re a fan of the Duggars (or a slightly horrified bystander), you’re probably more than aware of their famous tater tot casserole. Michelle Duggar says it’s Jim Bob‘s favorite, and considering the recipe is incredibly quick and easy to make, it’s become a staple at the TV family’s house. Although a tater tot casserole doesn’t immediately sound like something appetizing or something anyone other than 12-year-olds would enjoy, we were still curious about what it tasted like. And considering you’re probably thinking the same thing too, we decided to sacrifice our tongues for a little taste test. Watch the video below to learn how to prepare the casserole, and see what we thought about it once we tasted it.

Although today the Duggars are pretty well-to-do thanks to their popular TLC show, back in their pre-fame days they struggled to make ends meet, which is probably why the tater tot casserole became their meal du jour. Want to learn how to make it? Here’s the recipe, courtesy of their blog.

Duggar Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

_”What’s a vegetable?” asked a Duggar kid probably._

What you’ll need: Two pounds of cooked ground turkey, three to two bags of frozen tater tots, two cans of Cream of Mushroom soup, two cans of evaporated milk, and two cans of Cream of Chicken soup. In the video, we only used half of these ingredients — you know, since we’re not a family of 19.

Also, I know what you’re thinking, “That recipe has a ton of dairy in it. Uh yeah, well this recipe did come from the Duggars, and considering they’ve been criticized in the past for feeding their kids unhealthy crap, is it really all that surprising that there’s not a single vegetable in this recipe? And yeah, it pained us to have to load so many “cream of whatever” soups into one dish, but what can you do? I guess check your foodie hat at the door. This is no foie gras. Although if you want to make the recipe a hair healthier, buy lean turkey instead of the full-fat kind. It’s like drinking Diet Pepsi instead of Pepsi — the least of the two evils.

How to make: Brown the turkey on the stovetop and place it into a large casserole dish. Then, top off the turkey with your frozen tater tots. Next, mix up all your leftover ingredients and pour them on top. Whatever you do, try not to physically recoil while mixing the soup/milk mixture. It’s literally going to look like something from your childhood cafeteria lunch nightmares. Just stick with it and pour that bad boy on top.

_Ewww._

Bake for an hour at 350 degrees. Voila! In next to no time you’ll have a weird looking casserole that’s definitely not going to look good in Instagram photos, regardless of the filter.

_Definitely not pretty, but hey, it’s the taste that matters, right?_

Our co-worker Mary-Grace was up first, and her reaction says more than words can really:

_Aborts taste test._

Next up was me, and honestly, I couldn’t find the right words to describe what I was chewing. It wasn’t inedible, but it wasn’t exactly something I would want to eat more than once in my life.

_The best compliment I can muster._

Next up was Ginny, who didn’t like it. I mean, one look at her face and you can see the instant regret. She eventually called it a “subpar” meal and said she really hated the consistency.

_Instant regret._

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And last was Chelsea, who was in the same boat as me in that she “sort of” liked it, but not really?

_The casserole slowly won her over._

Although we were split when it came to judging, the overall consensus was that it was an easy, perfectly adequate meal to serve a starving family of 19. In fact, Chelsea commented after the cameras stopped rolling that the dish reminded her of a “wartime” meal, the kind of food a family whips up when they’re just struggling to get by. So there you have it — if you have 19 starving kids to feed and you have zero access to fresh, healthy food, you know which recipe to turn to.