Easy Ultimate Totchos with queso are the best quick Game Day snack! Crispy tater tots loaded with nacho cheese, taco meat, and your favorite nacho toppings.
From kid favorite Tater Tot Casserole to Tater Tot Waffles, a bag of frozen tater tots and a few ingredients is all you need to make the best quick, family friendly Dinner Recipes and Game Day apps!
ULTIMATE TOTCHOS
Combining popular dishes like chili and corn chips (think Frito Pie) or nacho toppings on crispy tots is a fun, easy way to add an instant hit to your next Game Day party! You can just as easily switch up this recipe with toppings you have on hand or double this recipe to feed a big Sunday Fun-Day crowd.
These Ultimate Totchos are covered in a gooey cheese sauce that’s made in less than 10 minutes. This Homemade Nacho Cheese is so easy and delicious, you won’t ever swap in a can of cheese sauce again. You can make Slow Cooker Nacho Sauce in a double batch for the topping and a chip dip. Making taco seasoning and cheese sauce from scratch means you get to control the ingredients including how hot or mild they are!
You can serve Ultimate Totchos so many different ways, from an easy weeknight dinner to a party snack and pretty much every topping you can think of. Top traditional Nacho-Totchos with Fresh Salsa, Pico De Gallo, or Guacamole. For dinner, serve a healthy side like Roasted Broccoli to balance out all the indulgent carbs and gooey cheese!
Prep Ahead of Time
Crispy, golden brown tater tots are key to totchos, so these are not an appetizer you want to assemble ahead of time. To prepare the frozen tater tots faster, you can thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. Thawed tater tots will bake in about 15-20 minutes, cutting the cooking time in half. You can prepare the taco meat and nacho cheese up to a day ahead of time to save time too.
MORE GAME DAY RECIPES
Buffalo Wings
Loaded Potato Skins
Cocktail Meatballs Recipe
Buffalo Chicken Dip
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VARIATIONS ON ULTIMATE TOTCHOS
- Beans: Warm 1 can black beans or pinto beans in a saucepan. Drain before adding as a layer to your Totchos.
- Cheese: You can make Ultimate Totchos even cheesier by adding shredded cheese to the tots in the last 3-5 minutes of cooking time. Flip tater tots before adding ½ cup pepper jack cheese, Monterey jack cheese, or sharp cheddar cheese.
- Meat: Try cooked chorizo or crispy bacon crumbles with the taco meat. Use leftover shredded chicken instead of ground beef, mixing Taco Seasoning with ½ cup water and warming chicken in sauce until reduced and thickened.
- Veggies: You can mix corn with your taco meat, or add other veggie toppings like lettuce, avocado, chives, and diced white onion.
- Chili Cheese Totchos: Use a can chili (warmed until hot), or 2 cups of leftover Beef Chili, instead of the taco meat.
- Buffalo Chicken Totchos: Toss shredded Rotisserie Chicken in Buffalo Wing Sauce and add 1 tablespoon buffalo sauce to cheese sauce. Layer cheese sauce then buffalo chicken and top with bacon crumbles, Blue Cheese Dressing, and chives.
Skillet Totchos
- Cook frozen tater tots per package instructions and preheat oven to 425 degrees after you remove them.
- Prepare the taco meat and cheese sauce as usual.
- Spread tater tots evenly over the bottom of large cast iron skillet.
- Top with cheese sauce and then extra shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add taco meat layer, and any warm toppings like black beans, bacon, etc.
- Bake for 3-5 minutes, until shredded cheese melted and cheese sauce is bubbly.
- Cool for a few minutes and top with sour cream, tomatoes, jalapeños, and other favorite toppings!
MORE EASY AND TASTY TATER TOT RECIPES
Tater Tot Casserole
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Cowboy Casserole
Chicken Tot Pie (Tater Tot Pot Pie)
HOW TO STORE ULTIMATE TOTCHOS
- Serve: You can keep Ultimate Totchos at room temperature for up to 2 hours and they are best served fresh and hot!
- Store: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven to bring back the crispiness.
- Freeze: Freeze Totchos with taco meat and cheese only in a sealed container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in an oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce
- 1 bag frozen tater tots , 32-ounce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef , 85/15
- 2 tablespoon Taco Seasoning , 1 packet
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup tomatoes , diced
- 1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the tater tots on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 1 pound lean ground beef, season with 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, and cook until cooked through and browned. Set aside.
- Prepare (or reheat) Nacho Cheese Sauce.
- Drizzle the cheese sauce over the cooked tater tots and then spoon the beef over the cheese.
- Top with sour cream, diced tomatoes, and jalapeños, or any other toppings you prefer.
Nutrition
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Instruction #4 says spoon the beef and corn over the cheese. I didn’t see corn in the recipe at all.
Thanks for catching that. You’ll just spoon the beef over it. You can add corn if you’d like though. I hope you enjoy it.
This recipe is TATER TOTS living their BEST LIFE! lol So delicious. My kids love eating anything that’s finger food. These were so so good.
Love it!! So glad it’s a hit.
these are so good! the perfect friday night dinner especially for teens and kiddos
Definitely a meal the whole family will enjoy.
These ARE the ultimate totchos–so many great flavors! Totally pinning!
Yay!! I’m glad you love them so much!