Tater tots are a staple of cafeteria food, so I thought tater tot hotdish would be a great pairing for one of my favorite high school shows, “Freaks and Geeks.”

Our rendition pictured below is vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free. If you use vegan meatless grounds, you can make the recipe vegan. This makes 4 “servings.”

Ingredients
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups meatless grounds
1 10-ounce package broccoli florets
16 ounces tater tots
1 32-ounce carton vegan creamy soup

Instructions
Heat the vegetable oil of your choice (we used olive oil) over medium high heat in a covered Dutch oven for 1 minute.

Turn the heat down to medium and carefully (the oil may be hot) pour in your frozen grounds, broccoli and tots.

Cover the pot and cook the grounds, broccoli and tots for about 10 minutes, or until they begin to thaw. Stir occasionally and as the ingredients start to thaw, break apart any tots or broccoli florets that are stuck together.

Add the carton of soup and stir in the other ingredients so the soup coats every last piece in the pot.

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot for 40 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then serve up this vegetarian take on a Midwestern delicacy!

The Easy Route
Given that I used a pre-made soup and all of the other ingredients were frozen and pre-cut, this is a very easy take on hotdish. You could attempt to make it in the microwave, but I’d probably do it one serving at a time.

If you can find a place near you that delivers a vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free hotdish, please share it in the comments.

The Pairing
When I say “Freaks and Geeks” is one of my favorite high school shows, that takes on two meanings: it is set in high school and it aired when I was in high school.

The show follows a bunch of high school students in the 1970s, focusing in on a group of geeks and a group of “freaks,” the ’70s slang for rebels, potheads and burnouts. Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) is the star of the show, which follows her as she goes from being a geek to wanting to become friends with the freaks, memorably played by Jason Segel, Busy Philipps, Seth Rogen and James Franco.

Lindsay’s brother, Sam (John Francis Daley), is the king of the geeks alongside pals Neal (Samm Levine) and Bill (Martin Starr). Also in the geek ranks is Millie (Sarah Hagan), Lindsay’s former best friend.

Even though I was in high school 30 years after these characters, I found them all to be just the right balance of relatable and hilarious, which, to me, is just what a sitcom should be.

It also helps that the show takes place in a Midwestern suburb, a parallel to how I grew up.

Unfortunately, “Freaks and Geeks” only lasted one season. But the good news is it makes for an easy binge watch with just 18 short episodes.

If you decide to make this hotdish and/or watch “Freaks and Geeks,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, tweets or TikTok videos: @veg_out_recipes

This pairing is the first half of our first anniversary double feature. Check out the second half: “Amélie” and crème brûlée!