Lunch Lady Delight (Instant Pot)

Lunch Lady Delight–an easy and delicious Instant Pot (or oven) casserole recipe that tastes like bacon cheeseburgers and tater tots.

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Lunch Lady Delight (Instant Pot Recipe)

Lunch lady delight is a one pot meal recipe that has the flavor of a bacon cheeseburger with tater tots. We ate this in about 5 minutes flat. It was so tasty!

This recipe will bring you back to the school lunchroom on the day they’d serve hamburgers and tater tots. I always loved looking at the hot lunch calendar and circling the days that I wanted to eat hot lunch. The hamburger and tots day was always one of those days. Although if I was to go back as an adult and eat that same school lunch I hardly think it would taste as great as I remember. My palate has definitely changed over the years. Regardless if you’re a kid or adult you’ll love this lunch lady delight!

What you’ll need to make Lunch Lady Delight:

• Lean ground beef. You can also use ground turkey.
• Onion. I like to use frozen diced onions when I’m in a pinch for time. Look for them in the frozen section at the grocery store by the other vegetables.
• Montreal steak seasoning. For seasoning the beef. You can use another type of seasoning if you prefer.
• Beef or chicken broth. I like to use 1 cup water with 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.
• White rice. Only a small amount is needed (3 tablespoons). It is used for thickening the casserole.
• Tomato sauce. To give it that ketchup flavor.
• Ground mustard. This is not yellow mustard that you squirt on your hot dogs. It’s a spice that you can find next to the other spices at your grocery store.
• Velveeta cheese or cream cheese. To give it a creamy texture. I used Velveeta and it melted beautifully and doesn’t curdle when pressure cooked.
• Worcestershire sauce. For unami flavor!
• Shredded cheddar cheese. Grate it off the block for best results (as opposed to buying pre-shredded cheese).
• Bacon. I used real crumbled bacon from Costco. It’s easier for me than cooking up bacon on the stove, although that would be super tasty as well!
• Ore-Ida extra crispy tater tots. I’ve noticed a big difference between store brand tots and name brand tots. It’s one of those items that’s worth spending more money on. I personally like the Ore-Ida brand and specifically the extra crispy variety.
• Diced tomatoes and pickles. To give it some color and lots of bacon cheeseburger flavor!

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How to make Lunch Lady Delight in the Instant Pot:

1. Brown the beef: Start the recipe by browning up ground beef and onions together on the sauté setting (MORE) of your Instant Pot. Drain off any excess grease and then stir in the steak seasoning.
2. Deglaze the pot: Prevent the burn error message by pouring in the broth and scraping the bottom of the pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
3. Add in other ingredients: Sprinkle in the rice. Dump tomato sauce, ground mustard, Velveeta and Worcestershire on top. Don’t stir to prevent the burn error message.
4. Pressure cook: Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes on high pressure. When time is up let pot sit for 3-5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
5. Stir well: Stir in the cheese and bacon.
6. Cook the tots: Unplug Instant Pot. Add tots on top in a single layer. Place air fryer lid* on top of pot and cook at 450° F for 10 minutes, or until tots are cooked through and crispy. If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can start the recipe by cooking the tots according to the package directions. They usually take around 25 minutes to cook in the oven.
7. Serve and enjoy: Top with tomatoes and pickles. Scoop onto plates and serve. 

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.