Hotdish is a Midwestern food icon that is especially popular in the states of Minnesota and North Dakota. Any casserole served hot in a single dish can be called hotdish, and it usually consists of starches such as potatoes or pasta, meat (often ground beef), vegetables, and canned soup (typically cream of mushroom soup).

The first recipe is found in the 1930s Grace Lutheran Ladies Aid Cookbook, but in 1934, Campbell company mixes things up with their canned soups which became the base for most hotdish varieties. The dish originated from the Midwestern farmers who needed to feed their large families, while another theory suggests that it originates from the Norwegian word varmrett, meaning warm dish, due to the fact that there are many Norwegians living in the region.

Since 1956, which marks the invention of commercial tater tots (grated fried potatoes), a large number of Midwestern cooks started to top their hotdishes with crispy fried tater tots, and the dish is then called tater tot casserole or tater tot hotdish.

Traditionally, this comfort food dish is served as a main course and it often appears at big family reunions and church suppers.