Home > Dinner > Totchos Totchos February 12, 2021 | No Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Skip the chips and make nachos with tots instead! These Totchos use Tater Tots as the base and are topped with seasoned meat, crisp corn, savory black beans, and loads of melty cheese! Add your favorite nacho toppings and dig in! What Are Totchos? If you’ve never had Totchos you’re in for a mega treat! Totchos are essentially nachos, but made with Tater Tots instead of chips. The tots create a delicious crispy potato base. On top of the base, these nachos are piled high with practically endless topping options — whatever you like best! We love topping our Totchos with taco-seasoned ground beef, corn, black beans, and loads of cheese. Once they come out of the oven you can then add on other fresh toppings such as guacamole (or diced avocados), diced cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro, fresh lime, etc. These Beef Totchos make for a great addition to a game day menu or party, but they also make a fun weeknight meal. QUICK TIP Tater Tots are a trademarked product of the Ore Ida company. They’re crispy potato puffs, and in other countries, they’re called potato croquettes, potato gems, potato royals, potato pom-poms, oven crunchies, or hash bites. In Canada, they’re called tasti taters and spud puppies. Just goes to show you that everybody loves their tots! What Are Totchos Made Of? The secret to the best Totchos recipe is using tasty Tater Tots — they are the base after all! Hands-down our favorite tots are Alexia® Crispy Bite-Size Sweet Potato Puffs (not sponsored). If you’ve never tried these, you are in for a real treat! They’re mega flavorful, light, and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Here’s where to check if your local store carries them. If you aren’t able to access these puffs, grab regular tots instead! Topping Ideas Just think about what you like on your nachos and go from there! Some to consider: diced tomatoes or pico de gallo diced bell or jalapeño peppers fresh cilantro or parsley a wedge or two of lime diced raw red onion diced or sliced avocado (or try this guacamole recipe) sour cream Tips Don’t overcrowd the pan: If the Tater Tots are too close to each other or overlapping, they’ll steam instead of roast. I recommend using an extra-large sheet pan (15 x 21 inches) to get the tots nice and crisp. Serve quickly: Totchos don’t sit well. I recommend eating them right out of the oven as soon as they’ve been topped. (Leftovers aren’t great — halve the recipe instead!) Add freshly grated cheese: This helps to avoid grainy or greasy Totchos. Pre-shredded cheese has a cellulose coating that doesn’t melt as well in recipes like this one. Variations Make Vegetarian Totchos: Use plant-based meat crumbles instead of ground beef or leave out the meat entirely. If leaving out the meat, add in an extra can of black beans. (Season the beans and corn with the same seasoning blend outlined in the recipe.) Healthy Totchos: To make a healthier version of this recipe, roast some sweet potatoes and use those as the base instead of Tater Tots. Here’s a recipe for our favorite roasted sweet potatoes. Replace the beef with ground turkey. Chicken Totchos: Prepare 3 cups of shredded chicken using this recipe: Rotisserie Chicken Tacos. Add the prepared seasoned chicken atop the Tater Tots and continue on with the recipe. Swap the meat: We’ve tested this recipe with ground turkey instead of beef and loved that as well. More Game Day Eats Buffalo Chicken Tenders with ranch or blue cheese dressing 7 Layer Bean Dip with taco-seasoned sour cream Turkey Sloppy Joes on toasted and buttered buns Queso Dip Recipe with fire-roasted green chiles Smashed Potatoes with Parmesan cheese and chives FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Totchos 5 from 1 vote - Review this recipe Skip the chips and make nachos with tots instead! These Totchos use Tater Tots as the base and are topped with seasoned meat, crisp corn, savory black beans, and loads of melty cheese! Add your favorite nacho toppings and dig in! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Totchos 5 from 1 vote - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Skip the chips and make nachos with tots instead! These Totchos use Tater Tots as the base and are topped with seasoned meat, crisp corn, savory black beans, and loads of melty cheese! Add your favorite nacho toppings and dig in! Course Appetizer, Dinner Cuisine American Keyword totchos Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 50 minutes Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes Servings 4 servings (or 8 as an appetizer) Calories 803kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $12.89 Ingredients▢ 2 bags (20 oz.) frozen tater tots (We love Alexia's sweet potato tots) (Note 1)▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil▢ 1 lb (16 oz.) lean (93/7) ground beef (or ground turkey)▢ 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic▢ 1 tablespoon ground chili powder▢ 1 teaspoon each: paprika, cumin▢ 1/2 teaspoon each: dried oregano, garlic powder, fine sea salt, & pepper▢ 1/2 cup tomato sauce▢ 1 can (15.25 oz.) black beans, drained & rinsed▢ 1 cup frozen corn▢ 8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese shredded (~2 packed cups)▢ Optional toppings: halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced jalapeños, guacamole or avocados, sour cream, lime, cilantroUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsTATER TOTS: Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Dump out both bags of Tater Tots on a large rimmed sheet pan. Space out tots as much as possible and bake for 20 minutes. Remove, flip, and bake for 15-20 more minutes (Note 2) or until tots are crisp and lightly browned. BEEF: Meanwhile, add oil to a large skillet (cast iron if possible) over high heat. Once pan is hot, add ground beef and let sear (brown) by not touching for about 1 minute per side then begin crumbling with a wooden spoon cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Avoid stirring/breaking beef up too much-- allow it to brown (more flavor!). If there is a lot of extra grease (from higher-fat beef), drain off. BEEF CONT.: Reduce heat to medium and add in the garlic and all the seasonings. Cook, stirring constantly, for ~1 minute or until very fragrant. Add in the tomato sauce and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add in the frozen corn and drained and rinsed black beans. Mix through until corn is thawed and heated through, another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to slightly cool.BAKE NACHOS: Back to the tots: position the tots on the sheet pan so they are all close together. Spoon the beef mixture evenly over the tots, then sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Return to oven and bake again until the cheese is melted, about 8-10 minutes. ENJOY: Meanwhile, prep the toppings you'll want for the nachos (cut up cherry tomatoes, thinly slice jalapeños, chop avocados, etc.) Remove nachos from the oven and immediately top with all your favorite totchos toppings and enjoy immediately! Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Tater Tots: Hands-down our favorite tater tots are Alexia® Crispy Bite-Size Sweet Potato Puffs (not sponsored). If you’ve never tried these, you are in for a real treat! They’re mega flavorful, light, and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Here’s where to check if your local store carries them. Note 2: Tater Tot baking times: Although the package indicates less baking time, I typically bake them a little longer since there are 2 full bags, not just one. If you aren't using Alexia's tots, roughly follow package directions for baking tots, adding time if needed to get them crisp and baked through (they don't crisp up much more once the beef and other ingredients are added.) Nutrition FactsServing: 1serving | Calories: 803kcal | Carbohydrates: 123.9g | Protein: 47.9g | Fat: 43.3g | Cholesterol: 123.9mg | Sodium: 1757.6mg | Fiber: 12.7g | Sugar: 6g We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
