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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers

    Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos)

    By Chula King · July 2, 2022 · Updated November 7, 2022 Leave a Comment

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    Tater tot nachos.

    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.

    Totchos Tater Tot Nachos.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need
    • Preparing the Tater Tots and Taco Meat
    • Here’s How I Put the Totchos Together
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Other Amazing Tater Tot Recipes
    • Recipe

    Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need

    Ingredients for Totchos.
    • 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.

    1. 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.

    Frozen tater tots on rimmed baking sheet.
    1. 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.
    Browned ground beef in skillet.
    1. 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.
    Cooked taco meat in skillet.

    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.

    1. First, I spread half of the cooked tater tots in a single layer in a 9-inch cast iron skillet.
    Cooked tater tots in cast iron skillet.
    1. Then, I added half of the cooked taco meat on top of the tater tots.
    Cooked taco meat on top of cooked tater tots.
    1. Finally, I sprinkled on half of the shredded cheese.
    Half of shredded cheese on top of tater tots and taco meat.
    1. I repeated the layering with the remaining tater tots, remaining taco meat and remaining shredded cheese.
    Second layer of tater tots, taco meat and shredded cheese.
    1. 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.
    Tater Tot Nachos out of oven.
    1. I allowed the Totchos to cool for several minutes. Then I added some homemade Pico de Gallo on top and drizzled on sour cream.
    Adding sour cream to Totchos.

    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!

    Tater tot nachos in cast iron skillet.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can the Totchos be made on baking sheet rather than in a cast iron skillet.

    The Totchos should be made in an oven-proof dish. This would include a rimmed baking sheet.

    What cheese substitutes work well in this recipe?

    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.

    What other toppings go well with this recipe?

    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.

    What’s the best way to serve the Totchos?

    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.

    • Tater Tot Cottage Pie
    • Eggs Benedict on Tater Tot Waffles
    • Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
    • Loaded Crispy Crown Cups

    If you liked this recipe for Totchos or Tater Tot Nachos as much as I do, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. Also, if you’d like to receive notifications of new posts by email, enter your email address in the Subscribe box.

    Thank you so much for visiting Pudge Factor. I hope you’ll come back!

    Recipe

    Tater tot nachos.

    Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos)

    Totchos or Tater Tot Nachos 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 your game day or holiday festivities.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American, Cinco de Mayo
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 525kcal
    Author: Chula King

    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

    1. 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. 
    2. You can also use 2 Tablespoons of my awesome DIY taco seasoning as opposed to the store-bought taco seasoning.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1179mg | Potassium: 591mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 747IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 403mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.

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    Filed Under: Appetizers, Potatoes

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