Loaded Tater Tot Nachos (Totchos)

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Need an easy to make dinner that the kids will love?   Maybe a Game Day snack?  These easy cheesy Totchos are smothered in a delicious cheese sauce, bacon, and all your favorite toppings!

A pan of tater tots topped with salsa, cheese, jalapenos, and scallions.

The first time I had totchos was at my moms house.   We were up there for a birthday party and she told me that she was going to make a few new dishes for the party.

When I arrived I saw her take a huge back of tater tots out of the freezer.  Intrigued I asked her what she was making and she told me totchos.  While I had heard of them before I’d never tried them so I was excited to see her make them.

She ended up making a five pound bag of tater tots.  Add to that the 3 pounds of toppings and it was a huge pile of tots.   There were about 15 people at the party and they demolished the tater tot nachos.  They were that good!

So I decided I needed to try them for myself.  The great thing about them is that you can really tailor them to your families tastes and add whatever toppings you want.

Ingredients:

  • tater tots
  • bacon
  • jalapenos
  • scallions
  • extra sharp cheddar cheese
  • milk
  • butter
  • flour
  • cream cheese
  • garlic
  • salt and pepper
  1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.   Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Arrange the tater tots in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes flipping the tater tots every 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, chop the bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook in a skillet for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned.   Remove from the pan and transfer to a  paper towel lined plate to drain.
  4. Next make the cheese sauce.  Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Once melted add in the flour and whisk for 2 minutes or until bubbly.
  5. Add in the milk and whisk until smooth.  Continue whisking until the mixture has thickened.
  6. At this point stir in the cream cheese and mix until it has melted.
  7. Add the cheese in three batches whisking after each addition until the cheese is fully melted. Remove from heat.

A baking sheet with tater tots on it.

There isn’t a whole lot to these.  It’s basically making a pan of tater tots and then loading them up with toppings.  The one thing that makes this version special is the cheese sauce.

Sure you can just throw shredded cheese on top and go with it but where is the fun in that?   This cheese sauce takes about 10 minutes to make and is totally worth the effort.   It’s sharp and creamy and perfectly seasoned. 

The cheese sauce gets poured over top of the tater tots for the last 5 minutes or baking along with the bacon.  It gets all bubbly and delicious.

Do I have to make the cheese sauce?

No you don’t.   When my mom made these for us she just sprinkled cheddar cheese over top of the tater tots and put them back into the oven for 5 minutes and they were yummy.  The cheese sauce just takes the totchos to another level.

Can I add beef or chicken to these?  

You can!   Simply cook the chicken or beef and season it with taco seasoning.  After the tots are cooked put it on top of the tater tots along with all of the other toppings to make a hearty meal.

Can I cook the tater tots in the Air Fryer?

You can certainly cook them in the Air Fryer.  However, you can only cook so many in there and then you’ll want to put them on a different plate before pouring on the toppings.  Since timings will differ depending on how many tater tots you put in the Air Fryer make sure you check on them frequently.  I find that cooking the tater tots at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes usually has good results.

Can I use a different potato product instead of tater tots?

This recipe is based on using tater tots because they can get crispy and fairly firm to hold the toppings.   While technically you can use any type of potato product some are better than others.  Crispy crowns would be a good one to use or even veggie tots could be used here. 

 A pot of cheese sauce with a spoon over top of it dripping with the sauce.

We chose to add salsa, jalapenos, guacamole, and sour cream to our totchos.   I loved all of the flavors together and my husband agreed that the cheese sauce really elevated these tater tots to another level.

Topping ideas include salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, Mexican crema, Pepper Jack cheese, cilantro, scallions, taco sauce, or chorizo.  Of course you can add any additional toppings that you would choose to put on your nachos but these are some ideas to get you started.

While we enjoyed our totchos for dinner along with a salad they would be great for Game Day or a party.  You can even make a totcho bar with the tots in a warming dish and all of the toppings laid out beside them..

More Potato Recipes:

Pin Image: A plate of tater tots topped with cheese sauce, jalapenos, salsa, and scallions, text, A pan of tater tots topped with salsa, cheese, jalapenos, and scallions.

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A plate with a pile of tater tots topped with cheese, jalapenos, sour cream, and salsa.

Loaded Tater Tot Nachos (Totchos)

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

These easy cheesy Totchos are smothered in a delicious cheese sauce, bacon, and all your favorite toppings!

Ingredients

For the tater tots:

  • 2 lb. tater tots
  • 6 strips bacon
  • 1-2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced
  • 4 scallions, chopped

For the cheese sauce:

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 Tablespoon flour
  • 3/4 c. milk
  • 1 oz. cream cheese
  • 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the toppings:

  • sour cream
  • salsa
  • olives
  • guacamole
  • pico de gallo

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.   Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Arrange the tater tots in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes flipping the tater tots every 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, chop the bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook in a skillet over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned.   Remove from the pan and transfer to a  paper towel lined plate to drain.
  4. Next make the cheese sauce.  Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Once melted add in the flour and whisk for 2 minutes or until bubbly.
  5. Add in the milk and whisk until smooth.  Continue whisking until the mixture has thickened.
  6. At this point stir in the cream cheese and mix until it has melted.
  7. Add the cheese in three batches whisking after each addition until the cheese is fully melted. Remove from heat.
  8. Stir in the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin. Mix well.
  9. Remove the tater tots from the oven after 25 minutes. Pour the cheese sauce over top of the tater tots. Sprinkle with the bacon and jalapeno slices. If using put spoonfuls of salsa all over the tots.
  10. Place the tots back in the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
  11. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the scallions.
  12. Serve with sour cream, olives, pico de gallo, or other toppings.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Peas and Crayons

A plate with a pile of tater tots topped with cheese, jalapenos, sour cream, and salsa.

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