Totchos or Tater Tot Nachos (sometimes called Tachos) are an amazing twist on a traditional recipe where crispy tater tots replace tortilla chips. Add the same toppings that you’ve come to love with nachos and you have an appetizer that is perfect for you game day or holiday festivities.
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Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need
- Taco Meat: My go to recipe for taco meat uses ground beef, taco seasoning, Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies and water.
- Frozen Tater Tots: The star of the show with Totchos is frozen tater tots.
- Cheese: You can’t have nachos without cheese, and lots of it. I like to use Mexican-Blend cheese, but feel free to use whatever cheese you have on hand.
- Toppings: There are lots of different toppings that you can use to dress up these Totchos. For this specific recipe, I used homemade Pico de Gallo and sour cream.
Preparing the Tater Tots and Taco Meat
Before putting the Totchos together, I needed to do a bit of prep.
- First, I arranged the frozen tater tots on a large rimmed baking sheet that I had lined with non-stick aluminum foil. I baked the tater tots until they were crispy brown at 425°F for 20 minutes (according to the package directions).
Once the tater tots were a crispy golden brown, I removed them from the oven and set them aside.
- While the tater tots were cooking, I made the taco meat. I started by browning the ground beef in a large skillet. Once the ground beef was browned, I drained it well.
- I returned the browned ground beef to the skillet and added the taco seasoning, Rotel tomatoes and water. I cooked the mixture over medium heat until most of the liquid had evaporated. This took about 15 minutes.
Here’s How I Put the Totchos Together
Now that the tater tots and taco meat were nicely cooked, it was time to build the Totchos.
- First, I spread half of the cooked tater tots in a single layer in a 9-inch cast iron skillet.
- Then, I added half of the cooked taco meat on top of the tater tots.
- Finally, I sprinkled on half of the shredded cheese.
- I repeated the layering with the remaining tater tots, remaining taco meat and remaining shredded cheese.
- I placed the Totchos into a preheated 375°F oven until the ingredients were hot, the top was golden brown, and the cheese was ooey-gooey melted. This took 8 to 10 minutes.
- I allowed the Totchos to cool for several minutes. Then I added some homemade Pico de Gallo on top and drizzled on sour cream.
Talk about good! The Totchos or Tater Tot Nachos were amazing. The tater tots were perfectly complimented by the taco meat, melted cheese and toppings.
If you are a tater tot fan like I am, you should definitely give this recipe a try. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
The Totchos should be made in an oven-proof dish. This would include a rimmed baking sheet.
Although this recipe uses a Mexican-blend shredded cheese, feel free to substitute Monterey Jack cheese, Cheddar cheese, Colby Jack cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, etc.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to different toppings for the Totchos. You can add shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced onions, crispy bacon, guacamole, salsa, cheese sauce, etc. Let you imagination run wild.
With the tater tots, these Tater Tot Nachos are similar to a casserole. This means that it’s easier to use a spoon to dish out the Totchos and eat with a fork.
Other Amazing Tater Tot Recipes
If you’re a fan of tater tots like I am, you should definitely check out these recipes.
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Recipe
Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos)
Ingredients
- 32 ounce package frozen Tater Tots, divided
- 1 pound (16-ounces) ground beef (See Tip 1)
- 1 ounce package taco seasoning (See Tip 2)
- 10 ounce can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
- ½ cup water
- 4 cups (16-ounces) shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, divided (See Tip 3)
- Choice of toppings (See Tip 4)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Place tater tots in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown (according to package directions.
- While tater tots are cooking, brown ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Drain well. Return cooked ground beef to skillet. Add taco seasoning, undrained Rotel Tomatoes and water. Stir to combine. Cook the taco meat over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
- Spread half of the cooked tater tots in a single layer in a 9-inch cast iron skillet or other oven proof dish. Top with half of the cooked taco meat and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat the layering with the remaining tater tots, taco meat and cheese.
- Bake the Totchos in a preheated 375°F oven for8 to 10 minutes, or until the contents are well heated and the cheese is ooey-gooey melted.
- Top with your favorite toppings and serve. (See Tip 4)
- Yield: 8 servings.
Chula’s Expert Tips
- I like to use lean ground beef. However, when the ground beef is finished browning, I drain it in a colander and rinse under hot water to remove as much of the grease as possible.
- You can also use 2 Tablespoons of my awesome DIY taco seasoning as opposed to the store-bought taco seasoning.
- You can easily substitute different cheeses for the Mexican blend cheese in this recipe such as Monterey Jack cheese, Colby Jack cheese, Cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, etc. Just make sure that it’s a good melty cheese.
- This recipe can be dressed up or down based on your toppings. I like to keep my Totchos simple with just the addition of Pico de Gallo and sour cream. However, you can also add guacamole, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced onions, salsa, black beans, etc. Just use your imagination.
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