Trade the chips for Tots with this easy recipe for cheesy Tater Tot nachos! Spicy beef, creamy cheese and your choice of toppings.
Are we just about ready for Cinco de Mayo? I’ve been gearing up over the last week or so, what with the Prosecco Margaritas and the Beef Taco Bake recipes I posted last week.
But I’ve saved the best for last with this sheet pan full of cheesy Tater Tot nachos. Between the Tots and the cheese sauce they are probably as inauthentic as you get get, nacho-wise, but this Irish girl loves swapping out chips for Tots, and so here we are!
I can’t believe it’s been two months since we spent a week in sunny, beautiful Puerto Vallarta with my brother and sweet sister-in-law.
It seems more like two lifetimes ago since I saw this Mexican sunset, what with EVERYTHING that has been going on lately.
Which is why it’s important to celebrate everything that comes along, so Tater Tot nachos and Cinco de Mayo, here we come!
Here’s how you make cheesy Tater Tot nachos!
Start by cooking up those Tater Tots! I like to use a rimmed baking dish because I inevitably end up serving these right out of the pan, and the edges keep any stray Tots from falling out.
While your Tots are baking, cook up some ground beef with some taco spices to give it some zip.
Next stop: an easy breezy cheese sauce that you make out of butter, flour, and our old pal Velveeta. Yep – it’s got to be Velveeta for the creamiest cheese sauce. Trust me.
Last but not least, the assembly! Ladle that spicy beef on to the Tots, and pour that scrumptious cheese sauce over the beef.
Now feel free to go crazy with the garnishes – we like sour cream, tomatoes and guacamole, and I sprinkle on a little chili powder just for good measure.
So there you have it – a new way to shake up your Cinco de Mayo nachos – everybody dig in!
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Cheesy Tater Tot Nachos
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
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Pin RecipeDescription
Trade the chips for Tots with this easy recipe for cheesy Tater Tot nachos! Spicy beef, creamy cheese and your choice of toppings.
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon taco spice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pound Tater Tots
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 3/4 cup cubed Velveeta
- Your choice of toppings: sour cream, chopped tomato, chopped scallions, salsa, guacamole, chili powder, etc
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking pan with foil or parchment and place the frozen Tater Tots in a single layer. Bake the Tots in the oven according to package directions until they are nice and crispy.
- While the Tots are baking, cook the beef in a large skillet over medium high heat until browned. Add the taco spices, tomato paste and ¼ cup water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Now comes the cheese sauce! Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until well combined. Whisk in half and half and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Stir in Velveeta and keep stirring until it is melted and smooth.
- Now we assemble!Either leave the Tots in their baking pan or divide them among plates. Ladle beef on top, followed by a generous amount of cheese sauce. Garnish with your choice of toppings and dig in!
I’d eat that! Looks to be only a single serving there, though! :) I like to do something similar using waffle fries. I usually use just some shredded pepper Jack cheese for mine so will definitely try your gooey cheese sauce next time.
LOL – you are so right, I should have said SERVES ONE. And I have to try your waffle fries version! :)