Regional treat : Hotdish
By Faye
@FayeHazel (40248)
United States
January 13, 2021 12:10pm CST
Does your area have any popular dishes? For Minnesota , that would have to be the ever enduring "hotdish". In other parts of the country or world this might be called "casserole" but any decent Minnesotan will correct you, it's "hotdish" , the thing you make it in, the baking dish, is the casserole dish. 
So, what is hotdish? Generally speaking, it's a protein, a starch, a vegetable, and a sauce all mixed together. Designed to be simple, easy, inexpensive and sometimes a good way to use up leftovers.
Popular Minnesota hotdishes:
Tator Tot: Tator Tots, hamburger, mixed vegetables, cream soup
"Goulash" style: hamburger, tomatoes, maceroni
Tuna: Tuna, Maceroni, Cream soup
"Chinese" style : Ground turkey, Chinese noodles, Chinese vegetables, cream soup, Soy Sauce
- Now... that ^ is just basically what they are^. It seems like everyone has their own recipes.
For example, I like the basic, plain, "tuna hotdish" the best. The fewer ingredients the better. Tuna. Macaroni. Cream soup. Salt, pepper. That's mine. Now, I've heard of people mixing peas into that. I've heard of people making mac n cheese , and adding tuna and peas. My mom likes to make it with egg noodles and add crunched up chips and bake it. Other people have tried making a gourmet version with mushrooms and white sauce in addition to tuna and pasta.
And there's about as many variables for all the other forms of "hotdish".
Photo: Pixabay user Kahll
So, what is hotdish? Generally speaking, it's a protein, a starch, a vegetable, and a sauce all mixed together. Designed to be simple, easy, inexpensive and sometimes a good way to use up leftovers.
Popular Minnesota hotdishes:
Tator Tot: Tator Tots, hamburger, mixed vegetables, cream soup
"Goulash" style: hamburger, tomatoes, maceroni
Tuna: Tuna, Maceroni, Cream soup
"Chinese" style : Ground turkey, Chinese noodles, Chinese vegetables, cream soup, Soy Sauce
- Now... that ^ is just basically what they are^. It seems like everyone has their own recipes.
For example, I like the basic, plain, "tuna hotdish" the best. The fewer ingredients the better. Tuna. Macaroni. Cream soup. Salt, pepper. That's mine. Now, I've heard of people mixing peas into that. I've heard of people making mac n cheese , and adding tuna and peas. My mom likes to make it with egg noodles and add crunched up chips and bake it. Other people have tried making a gourmet version with mushrooms and white sauce in addition to tuna and pasta.
And there's about as many variables for all the other forms of "hotdish".
Photo: Pixabay user Kahll15 people like this
13 responses
@RebeccasFarm (86782)
• United States
13 Jan 21
You know I always love these dishes the best.
They are so comforting and I did not know about the term in Minnesota called hot dish.
It sure sounds good right now thanks Faye.
I have been known to mix a bunch of stuff together no recipe really but not any regional dishes I can think of here
3 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (86782)
• United States
14 Jan 21
@FayeHazel Today would be a good day for it
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
Does sound nice, doesn't it? That's a skill to be able to mix stuff and have it turn out
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
@RebeccasFarm It's cold, so yeah it would be nice and satisfying. However tonight I'm making polish sasuage, peas and rice pilaf. How about you?
2 people like this
@arunima25 (85441)
• Bangalore, India
13 Jan 21
That definitely looks delicious.
And with the mention of what all goes in there, I am sure it's healthy too
3 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
Thanks! That's actually a stock photo from Pixabay, but now I sort of want to try those ingredients in a hotdish.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
Ah yes, it seems a fairly Minnesota thing to say hotdish
2 people like this
@xander6464 (40884)
• Wapello, Iowa
13 Jan 21
I predict that in the very near future, someone will figure out a way to deep-fry them and Deep-Fried Hotdish will be the hit of the Minnesota State Fair.
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
You're brilliant. That should be your thing! Then we will take a food truck to all the fairs. Lol. Serious though this being both "hotdish" and "food on a stick" country up here I'm surprised no one's done it yet.
I was actually at the MN State Fair last year. I hadn't been for 20 years. It was shocking billion people there and.... mostly food trucks. A lot different from when I was a kid.
1 person likes this
@xander6464 (40884)
• Wapello, Iowa
14 Jan 21
@FayeHazel Wow. It's been about 40 years for me...Well, the 90's I went to The Big E (It's the New England version of a state fair, I'll put a link in case you want to see more) several times but that's all. There always was food of course but a billion food trucks...that sounds much different.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
@xander6464 You're due. Lol. Well, when it's not a pandemic.
The Big E - that looks fun. Well, depending on how packed it gets. The MN State, just to many people... too overwhelming... too much breathing on me. lol. I prefer the little county fairs :-)
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247099)
• United States
14 Jan 21
@FayeHazel Probably. Still filling and delicious.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
So satisfying :-) I think it must be a strictly MN thing - hotdish to call it that
2 people like this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82049)
• Rupert, Idaho
14 Jan 21
Those sound interesting...the version of the tuna one you like best sounds good to me.
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
Thanks! Yeah I go through these random phases where I crave it
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82049)
• Rupert, Idaho
15 Jan 21
@FayeHazel No problem, and that is understandable.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
Yum! The first 3 are favorites of mine. I'm sure where you are they're probably better/more authentic. Must admit I've never had the chili rellenos, but have seen them on menus, Maybe I will have to try it next time I'm at a real restaurant. Wow, here we have an over abundance of pizza
2 people like this
@rebelann (111225)
• El Paso, Texas
15 Jan 21
Yeah, I love them too @FayeHazel We do have a lot of cheapy Pizzerias like dominos or pizza hut but I don't consider them that good.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
15 Jan 21
@rebelann Ah yes, I know what you mean. One of my favorites surprisingly is Caseys, which is a gas station that shockingly serves pizza for the price it actually is quite tasty. I wish I could send you some "house of Pizza" that's a local chain and it's incredible
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
It seems to be very specific to MN - hotdish, but I so like the name
2 people like this
@Namelesss (3368)
• United States
13 Jan 21
I call it a concoction because it is concocted out of whatever I find available in the kitchen.
Hot dish might sound better though. 
2 people like this
@parpande (1515)
• Bangalore, India
16 Jan 21
@FayeHazel For those who are too obsessed with sausages, toppings and seasoning , one try without any of such dressing could be wonderful. Adding too many ingredients would also be liable to dilute the original taste of the dish and its major portion.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
17 Jan 21
@parpande True, it is only in adulthod that I have truly discovered the power of proportions
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
16 Jan 21
Oh yes, countless ways to make certain of items and certain of toppings, isn't there
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 Jan 21
Oh what a cool thing - and that sounds like the right kind of cookbook to feature hotdish
1 person likes this
@misunderstood_zombie (8142)
• United States
15 Jan 21
It really is a hotdish. When my kids were little I made tuna casserole, excuse me, hotdish. Now I will just throw together what is available in the fridge and pantry.
