This loaded Totchos Recipe is the best quick and easy meal to make when you’re craving comfort food but want to try something a little different. These tater tot nachos are made with crispy tater tots layered with shredded pork, cheese, BBQ sauce, and ranch dressing and baked until cheesy and delicious.
Top with your favorite nacho toppings such as guacamole, sour cream, sliced green onions, bacon bits, cilantro, and more. Besides an easy family meal, you can also serve totchos as a game day appetizer or fun party snack.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ultimate Comfort Food: Every bite delivers crispy, cheesy, and loaded flavor.
- Super Customizable: Swap in your favorite nacho toppings, proteins, or even make them vegetarian.
- Easy and Fast: Uses simple, familiar ingredients and is on the table in about 30 minutes.
- Perfect for Sharing: Great for parties, game days, or snack dinners with friends and family.
Loaded Totchos Recipe
Tater tots have always been a family favorite, but one I often forgot about until I discovered the beauty of totchos. Basically tater tot nachos, totchos are crispy, cheesy, and can be customized as needed.
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My favorite meat to use is shredded pork because it goes so well with melted cheese and BBQ sauce. However, shredded chicken, ground beef, and bacon bits all taste amazing. You could even use a combination of meats! Or, skip the meat altogether, toss on some black beans, and you’ve got yourself vegetarian Totchos.
Key Ingredients
- Tater Tots – you’ll need one bag of frozen tater tots which you will start by cooking solo.
- Shredded Pork – shredded pork tastes amazing with the added BBQ sauce and ranch dressing which is why it is my usual tochos topping of choice. This recipe for slow cooker Pork Carnitas is a great one to use. You can also substitute ground beef or shredded chicken.
- Shredded Cheese – shredded cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend will taste good and melt well over the dish.
- Sauce – you will need a combination of both BBQ sauce and ranch dressing to drizzle over the tops before baking. You can also add a little drizzle of each as a topping after they are finished.
- Toppings – avoid anything too wet or saucy, such as a really wet salsa. Some of my favorite toppings include guacamole, cilantro, diced tomatoes, green onions, and bacon bits.
How to Make Totchos
- Cook the tater tots. Bake the tater tots according to package directions.
- Assemble the totchos. Remove tater tots from the oven and top with alternating layers of the cheese, pork, and sauces.
- Bake. Return to the oven and bake again for about 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Add the toppings. Finish with guacamole, ranch dressing, sour cream, cilantro, green onions, and more.
Tips for the Best Tater Tot Nachos
- Bake Tots until Extra Crispy: Start with hot oven and le the tater tots get folden before adding toppings.
- Layer Cheese First: Add shredded cheese directly onto th etots to it mels and keep toppings in place.
- Don’t Overload: For extra crunch, bake topping in layers or serve fresh ones on the side.
- Finish with Freshness: Add cold toppings like shredded lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, salsa, sour cream or guacamole after baking.
- Serve Immediately: Tochos are best while hot and crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of shredded pork, you could add black beans for some extra protein. Any meat alternatives would work here, too.
Totchos are absolutely best when eaten soon after they have baked. However, don’t toss your leftovers. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can reheat in a preheated 350 degree oven until warmed through.
Creative Recipe Variations
- BBQ Chicken Tochos: Top with shredded BBQ chicken, red onions, cheddar, and drizzle with ranch.
- Buffalo Tochos: shredded Buffalo chicken, blue cheese crumbles, and celery.
- Breakfast Tochos: Add scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, and a drizzle of spicy ketchup.
- Fiesta Veggie: Use black beans, sweet corn, bell peppers, and avocado for a vegetarian version.
- Pizza Tots: Pepperoni, mozzarella, pizza sauce, and sliced olives as toppings.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: cover with foil or plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- To reheat: heat in a preheated 350 degree oven until warmed through.
More Tex Mex Recipes You’ll Love
Totchos Recipe
Ingredients
- 28 ounces tater tots
- 1 pound shredded pork
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup bbq sauce
- 1/4 cup ranch dressing
Toppings
- 1/2 cup guacamole
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes, diced
- 3 large green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees F.
- Spread the tater tots on a single layer on a large baking sheet and cook according to package directions.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and add half of the cheese and half of the shredded pork. Repeat with the rest of the cheese and the rest of the shredded pork, then drizzle the BBQ sauce and ranch dressing over the top.
- Return to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and top with guacamole, drizzled ranch dressing, diced tomatoes, cilantro and green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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More Tex-Mex Recipe Ideas
- Green Chili Chicken Taquitos
- Chipotle Chicken Burrito
- Refried Black Beans
- Crispy Ground Beef Tacos
- More Tex Mex Recipes
- More Easy Weeknight Meals
These fully loaded Totchos are a fun, fast, and super easy meal to make during busy weeknights. Frozen tater tots are layered with cheese, shredded pork, and sauces before baking and then topping with your favorite nachos toppings.
