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Tater Tot Nachos

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a close up shot of Tater Tot Nachos in a baking dish with a wooden spoon getting a piece
These loaded tater tot nachos are piled high with melty cheese, seasoned ground beef, and all of your favorite toppings.
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Table of Contents
  1. Tater Tot Nachos Ingredients
  2. How to Make This Tater Tot Nachos Recipe
  3. How To Serve
  4. Storage
  5. More Recipes You’ll Love
  6. JUMP TO RECIPE
  7. Even More Easy Recipes

These tater tot nachos are a twist on a classic that features crispy tater tots instead of traditional tortilla chips and is topped with all your favorite nacho toppings – including plenty of gooey cheese. Top a layer of crispy baked tater tots with your favorite toppings, and bake until hot and bubbly. 

overhead shot of Tater Tot Nachos

Tater Tot Nachos Ingredients

Tater Tot Nachos raw ingredients that are labeled
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You’ll need:

  • 1 (32-ounce) package of frozen tater tots
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • ⅔ cup finely diced sweet yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 (1-ounce) packet of taco seasoning 
  • ½ cup water
  • 3 cups freshly shredded mild cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce
  • ½ cup pico de gallo
  • ¼ cup sliced black olives, drained
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 

PRO TIP:

We recommend shredding your own cheese from the block rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Bags of pre-shredded cheese are coated with a preservative that prevents it from melting well.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

CHEESE: You can substitute a container of nacho cheese for the shredded cheddar, or you can substitute shredded pepper jack for the shredded cheddar cheese.

FRIES: You can substitute frozen fries for the tater tots. 

TOPPINGS: There are plenty of toppings you can add to these yummy nachos. Try green onions, red onion, jalapeño peppers, and more!

How to Make This Tater Tot Nachos Recipe

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the frozen tater tots in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake tater tots for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp. While the tots are baking, prepare the ground beef.

tater tots baked in a baking sheet

STEP TWO: Add the ground beef, onion, and minced garlic to a 3 to 4-quart saucepan over high heat. Cook the ground beef for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are opaque and the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess oil.

PRO TIP:

Ground beef can be cooked ahead of time to make assembling this nacho recipe even quicker. Batch cook ground beef and store it in the fridge or freezer, so it is ready to go when you want to make this meal.

ground beef, onion, and minced garlic cooked in a pot

STEP THREE: Lower the heat to medium heat. Add the taco seasoning and ½ cup of water. Stir well to combine, and stir occasionally for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

taco seasoning and water stirred in a pot

STEP FOUR: Once the tots have baked for 20 to 25 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Sprinkle ½ of the shredded cheddar over the baked tots.

PRO TIP:

Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your nachos at the lower end of the recommended baking time.

cheddar cheese sprinkled over the tater tots

STEP FIVE: Evenly sprinkle the seasoned ground beef mixture over the shredded cheddar cheese.

seasoned ground beef sprinkled over the cheddar cheese

STEP SIX: Evenly sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the seasoned taco meat. Return to the oven for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

cheese sprinkled on top of the ground beef

STEP SEVEN: Sprinkle the shredded lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo, black olives, and chopped cilantro over the tater tot nachos. Serve immediately.

PRO TIP:

You can also drizzle taco sauce or hot sauce over the finished nachos.

topped the nacho with lettuce, sour cream, olives, pico de gallo, and cilantro

How To Serve

Put a delicious new spin on taco night with these fun “totchos”. Serve with fresh sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and any other favorite toppings that your family loves. If you want a larger meal, add our Spanish rice or a corn salad on the side.

Our sheet pan nachos and dirty fries also give you a perfectly acceptable excuse to load up your dinner with as many toppings as you like.

Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

IN THE FREEZER: We don’t recommend freezing tater tot nachos as they will become soggy, especially the toppings, and would not be very appetizing once thawed.

a close up shot of Tater Tot Nachos on a plate

These delicious little morsels, also known as “totchos”, are everything you love about traditional nachos – the cheesy goodness, the flavorful toppings – piled onto an unconventional base. They are so good, you won’t be able to resist!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use homemade taco seasoning?

If you prefer to mix your own taco seasoning, you certainly can. Add 3 tablespoons to your meat to equal one store-bought packet.

Can I store leftovers of these nachos?

Nachos are best enjoyed fresh, but you can store leftovers if you absolutely need to for up to two days. 

Can I use different ground meat to top these nachos?

There is plenty of flexibility for proteins to top your nachos. Ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, sausage, or shredded chicken all work well in this recipe.

Can I customize the toppings for these nachos?

The sky’s the limit for this recipe. Any toppings you like on nachos or tacos would be delicious for this recipe.

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a close up shot of Tater Tot Nachos in a baking dish with a wooden spoon getting a piece

Tater Tot Nachos

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These loaded tater tot nachos are piled high with melty cheese, seasoned ground beef, and all of your favorite toppings.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 32 ounces frozen tater tots
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • cup sweet yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 ounce packet taco seasoning
  • ½ cup water
  • 3 cups mild cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce
  • ½ cup pico de gallo
  • ¼ cup sliced black olives, drained
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the frozen tater tots on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp. While the tots are baking, prepare the ground beef.
  • Add the ground beef, onion and minced garlic to a 3 to 4-quart saucepan over high heat. Cook the ground beef for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are opaque and the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess oil.
  • Lower the heat to medium. Add the taco seasoning and the ½ cup of water. Stir well to combine, and stir occasionally for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  • Once the tots have baked for 20 to 25 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Sprinkle ½ of the shredded cheddar over the baked tots.
  • Evenly sprinkle the seasoned ground beef over the shredded cheddar cheese.
  • Evenly sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the seasoned ground beef. Return to the oven for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
  • Sprinkle the shredded lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo, black olives and chopped cilantro over the tater tot nachos. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • We recommend shredding your own cheese from the block rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Bags of pre-shredded cheese are coated with a preservative that prevents it from melting well.
  • Ground beef can be cooked ahead of time to make assembling this nacho recipe even quicker. Batch cook ground beef and store it in the fridge or freezer, so it is ready to go when you want to make this meal.
  • Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your nachos at the lower end of the recommended baking time.

Nutrition

Calories: 690kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 1713mg | Potassium: 768mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1311IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 458mg | Iron: 3mg
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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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