Turn game day snacking up a notch with Beef Totchos! Swap out tortilla chips for crispy tater tots, then pile on the flavors with taco-seasoned ground beef, velvety cheese sauce, and tasty toppings. With spicy jalapenos, juicy tomatoes, zesty green onions, creamy sour cream, and rich avocado slices, every bite is a tantalizing touchdown of textures and tastes. Tater tot nachos will have fans going for seconds and thirds!
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Why Beef Totchos Are the Perfect Game Day Dish!
Nope. That's not a typo. These are Beef Totchos! So, what are Beef Totchos, you ask? Totchos combines two popular snacks into one delish dish: Beef nachos and tater tots. Another name for it is Tachos.
It all starts with your favorite frozen tater tots cooked to a golden brown and topped with seasoned ground beef and your favorite nacho toppings. You and your guests won't be able to get enough, so you probably should double up on this recipe to avoid running out.
Why You Should Try This Best Totchos Recipe
When it comes to snacking, what's more important to you? Ease or taste? You won't have to sacrifice either one when you cook this loaded Totchos recipe.
Making loaded beef Tachos is as easy as heating tater tots in the oven, sauteing beef in a pan, and chopping up a few toppings. Sure, you can get more complicated with this dish by using homemade tater tots and fancier ingredients, but the standard recipe is plenty tasty without any extra work.
Loaded Beef Totchos Ingredients
To assemble the best Tachos you've ever had, you'll need:
- Tater tots
- Cheese sauce, canned or homemade
- Seasoned ground beef, cooked
- Tomatoes
- Picked jalapenos
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Sour cream
- Avocado sliced
Use your favorite frozen tots or make your own gourmet version!
For the ground beef, you'll need:
- Ground beef
- Taco seasoning mix
For the homemade cheese sauce, you'll need:
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Whole milk
- American cheese
Use cubed or slices of American cheese for this recipe. Many companies add anti-clumping agents to shredded cheese, which can prevent the cheese from smoothly melting. And forget the Velveeta. These tots deserve better than that.
How to Make Loaded Beef Totchos
To prep the components for Totchos:
- Cook the tater tots according to the directions on their package. While the tots are in the oven, you have plenty of time to prepare the dish's other components.
- Start by chopping the tomatoes and cilantro, then slice the green onions. Reserve everything for later.
- Make the ground beef according to the instructions below.
- If you want to use homemade cheese sauce, prepare it using the recipe below.
- Remove the cooked tater tots from the oven and place them in a casserole dish or on a sheet pan.
To prepare the homemade cheese sauce (if using):
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the butter stops foaming, whisk in the flour.
- Continue whisking the flour until it begins to change color to a light tan, about a minute.
- Whisk in the milk. It will sizzle, so be careful. Continue whisking until you get rid of all the lumps.
- Add the American cheese and keep whisking until the cheese melts.
- Remove the cheese sauce from the heat.
To prepare the seasoned ground beef:
- Warm a large skillet over medium heat.
- When the skillet is hot, add the ground beef and break it up with a spatula.
- After browning the ground beef, drain the fat.
- Return the pan to the heat, stir the taco seasoning into the cooked ground beef, and follow the directions on the packet to finish cooking the meat.
To assemble the Tachos:
- Pour three-quarters of the cheese sauce over the top of the tots.
- Add the seasoned beef.
- Peel and slice an avocado. Spread the slices out on top of the seasoned beef.
- Sprinkle the tots with the rest of the toppings and serve immediately.
Optional Totchos Toppings
The sky is the limit when it comes to variations and options for jazzing up your Tachos. Here are a few you may want to try:
- Replace the sliced avocado with classic guacamole.
- Add some black beans or black olives.
- Pico de Gallo or Salsa
- Not a fan of beef? Use ground chicken or ground turkey instead.
- Do you have any leftover pulled pork from dinner? Swap it for the seasoned ground beef.
- Add a sweet element with Pineapple Mango Salsa.
What to Serve Loaded Tachos With
Tachos are perfect for snacking on while watching the game at home. They go perfectly with your favorite wings, sliders, and dips.
How to Store Them
For safety, throw away any leftover beef tochos that you serve. But you can give yourself a head start on your gameday snacking by preparing each dish component (except for the avocados) beforehand.
Refrigerate the prepped ingredients in separate airtight containers for up to 24 hours before using.
How to Reheat the Best Tachos Ever
For the crispiest tots, reheat them in a preheated 350°F air fryer for about five minutes. If you don't have an air fryer, heat the tots on a baking tray in a 350°F oven for about 12 minutes. Turn the tater tots halfway through cooking.
The best method for reheating the cheese sauce is in a saucepan over low heat until hot. Stir the sauce frequently to prevent it from scorching. You may need to add extra milk to thin out the sauce.
Warm the seasoned ground beef in a pan over medium heat on the stove.
Assemble the totchos as above.
More Game Day Appetizers
Find lots of tasty game day appetizer recipes right here on Game Day Eats!
Beef Totchos
Ingredients
- 1 bag bag frozen tater tots (28 ounces)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 package taco seasoning mix
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup sliced or cubed American cheese do not use Velveeta
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño slices
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 avocado sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the tater tots in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray with nonstick spray and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
- While the tater tots are in the oven, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, using a spatula to break up the meat as it cooks. When the beef has cooked, drain the fat and add the taco seasoning according to the package directions.
- To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for about 1 minute. Add the milk and cheese and whisk until the cheese has fully melted. Remove from the heat.
- Place the tater tots on a serving platter. Add about ¾ of the cheese sauce followed by the ground beef. Garnish with tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, green onions, cilantro, sour cream, and sliced avocado.
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