Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos) Two Ways
Crispy tots. Melty cheese. A big ole heap of toppings. This is your sign to make totchos for dinner. Or a game day snack. Or a clean-out-the-fridge-barely-have-to-cook night.
We’re making totchos two ways- BBQ chicken on sweet potato tots and taco-seasoned juicy ground beef on classic tots. Same effort, double payoff. Crowd pleaser energy.
Erica’s Thoughts
Tater tots and nachos, sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. No but for real, tater tots and nachos have a baby and the gloriousness that ensues…
Totchos.
I love nachos as much as the next dietitian, but something about making them on tater tots, takes it to the next level. And I don’t know if this will be true for you, but my girls 100% prefer tater tot nachos over regular chip nachos. My 6-year-old took one bite and said ‘mama, I LOVE this dinner’.
Both nachos and tater tots get a bad rap, but hey, why not make them balanced? Ya heard it here first, totchos can be a nutrient-dense dinner. And because I just can’t help myself, we’re making them two ways. This is an excellent ‘back pocket meal idea’ to have on hand for if you have 1) leftover shredded chicken, 2) leftover taco beef or 3) both, which just so happened to be the situation I was in when I concocted this masterpiece. I will note that this is more of a fork situation than traditional nachos you can pick up, but my husband said he preferred it this way! No soggy chips around here, folks.
Make sure you have a bag or two of tots in the freezer at all times, and this dinner comes together in a snap using any leftover protein you have on hand! I know what I’m making for the Super Bowl this Sunday. 🫡
What You’ll Need to Make these Totchos Two Ways
- tots: one bag of regular tots, one bag of sweet potato tots!
- protein: shredded chicken + ground beef
- BBQ sauce: your favorite kind, I like Kinders!
- cheese: a mild white cheese (like Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese) for the sweet potato version and a cheddar or Mexican blend for the regular version
- veggies: red bell pepper, red onions, avocado, black beans and any other veggies you enjoy!
- favorite nacho toppings: lots of fresh herbs (green onions and cilantro duh), sauces obvi (cottage cheese queso or chipole aioli or sour cream) and salsa (I like corn salsa!)
How to Make Tater Tot Nachos
Preheat your oven to 425°F or the temperature indicated on the package directions. Line a sheet pan with parchment or a silicone mat.
Spread regular tots in a single layer on one half of the prepared baking sheet and sweet potato tots on the other. Bake until golden and crispy, usually about 24-26 minutes. While the tots bake, mix shredded chicken with BBQ sauce until coated.
In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground meat. Drain if needed. Add salt, pepper, taco seasoning, and a splash of water. Stir until seasoned and saucy.
When tots are crispy, build your totchos. On the regular crispy tater tots, add seasoned ground beef and black beans and on the sweet potato side add the BBQ chicken.
Next layer is red onion on the sweet potato tots and red bell pepper on the regular tots. Feel free to do both on both sides!
Top the sweet potato side with Monterey Jack cheese and the regular side with cheddar or a Mexican shredded cheese blend. Return the pan to the oven for about 8 minutes until cheese is melted.
Pile on your favorite toppings. I love to whip up my queso cottage cheese sauce or chipotle aioli, and I never skimp on fresh herbs, avocado, corn salsa and hot sauce.
Squeeze of fresh lime juice and boom. Game day just got a whole lot yummier.
Totchos Variation Ideas
- Make a vegetarian version by omitting the animal protein and adding extra beans and veggies
- Swap the chicken for Italian sausage or pulled pork
- Swap pinto beans or refried beans instead of black beans
- Use Buffalo sauce or ranch instead of BBQ sauce
- Add pickled jalapeños or hot sauce if you like things spicy
- Try all of the toppings on French fries or tortilla chips instead of tots!
FAQs
You can grate cheese and prep the proteins and toppings ahead, but bake the tots and assemble right before serving.
Absolutely. Air fry until crispy, then add toppings and cheese. You may have to scale the recipe down based on the size of your air fryer.
I’ve found them at Safeway/Albertson’s, New Seasons, Market of Choice, and Target. They’re in the frozen potato section of most major grocery stores. I haven’t seen them at Fred Meyer/Kroger, unfortunately.
What on earth are you waiting for!? It’s totcho time!
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos) Two Ways
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner, Entertaining
- Method: Air Fryer, Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tater tots meet nachos to make totchos! Made two ways – BBQ chicken sweet potato and taco seasoned ground beef and potato. Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, game day or cleaning out the fridge.
Ingredients
BBQ Chicken Sweet Potato Totchos
- 1/2 bag sweet potato tots
- 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
- 1/4 cup your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Kinders) + more for drizzling
- 4oz low-moisture mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
Taco Beef Totchos
- 1/2 bag tator tots
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef or ground chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- splash of water
- 1/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 4oz mild cheddar or Mexican cheese blend (about 1 1/4 cups)
optional but not really: diced avocado, pickled jalapeños, cottage cheese queso or chipotle sauce, green onions and cilantro, corn salsa, hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (or whatever the tots package indicates). Line a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Place ½ bag regular tots on one half of the pan and ½ bag of sweet potato tots on the other half. I usually like to bake a few extra minutes than the package indicates so the tots are extra crispy and can hold up to toppings (usually about 24-26 minutes).
- Mix the shredded chicken with BBQ sauce. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, draining if necessary. Season with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning and a splash of water.
- Once the tots are toasty and roasted, top the sweet potato half with shredded BBQ chicken, thinly sliced red onion, and Monterey Jack cheese. Top the regular tots with seasoned beef, black beans, red bell pepper and cheddar cheese. Return the totchos to the oven for 8-ish minutes, until the cheese is melty and all of the toppings are warmed through.
- Top either or both sides with diced avocado, queso or chipotle drizzle, extra BBQ sauce, green onions, cilantro, pickled jalapeños, hot sauce and corn salsa. DEVOUR.
Notes
I recommend grating your cheese from a block for optimum flavor and meltiness.
Refer to above blog post for variation ideas, step-by-step photos and answers to frequently asked questions.
Nutrition facts are an estimate and will vary slightly based on which brands/ingredients you use.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 recipe (nutrition facts calculated without sauces or toppings)
- Calories: 464
- Sugar: 10.8 g
- Sodium: 1118.7 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.5 g
- Fiber: 4.4 g
- Protein: 26.7 g
- Cholesterol: 73.2 mg
