Source: countryliving.com

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose seasoning (salt-free). 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe's, which is almost the same thing as the Mrs. Dash.
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 2 cups milk (or half and half)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 1/4 cups cooked shredded chicken (or turkey!)
• 1 (12-ounce) bag pearl onions, defrosted
• 1 (12-ounce) bag crinkle cut carrots, defrosted
• 1 cup peas, defrosted
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 18-ounce bag frozen tater tots (see notes)

Method

1. Brown the veggies: Melt the butter in a 4-quart dutch oven (use oven-safe if you don’t want to transfer to a casserole dish) over high heat. Add the mushrooms and allow them to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and let it cook for about 3 minutes or until slightly softened. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to coat evenly. You’ll notice it starts getting dry and crumbly, let cook 1 minute. Season with the dried thyme, all-purpose seasoning, and garlic powder (if using).
2. Make the base: slowly stream in the milk while you use a whisk with the other hand to work out any lumps. Add the chicken broth and allow the soup to reach a simmer, this will take 8-12 minutes. While the soup reaches a simmer, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF. Once the soup reaches a simmer, add the shredded chicken, onions, crinkle cut carrots, and peas. Stir and allow the mixture to come back to a simmer.
3. Bake: Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Transfer the prepared chicken mixture to the dish. Top with the shredded cheese and the tater tots. You’ll need more if you’re using a baking dish and less if you’re using a dutch oven. Bake for 27-32 minutes or until the tots get nice and golden brown. I like to turn the broiler on for the last 1-2 minutes just to give them a little more of a crisper texture. Let cool slightly before serving.

Notes: If you decide to bake this off in your dutch oven, you’ll need only 1 bag of tater tots. If you decide to bake this in a casserole dish, you’ll need 1 1/2 bags of tater tots.

2018-12-17: I made this in a 9x13 cake pan. Way too big a recipe for my smaller glass casserole dish. With the carrots the dish is a bit to sweet for me.