Green Chile Tater Tot Nachos (Totchos) ~ Macheesmo

I think I was first introduced to the idea of ​​Tater Tot Nachos by my food blogger buddy Dan. The idea of ​​substituting tater tots for tortilla chips was questionable for me at first because I was concerned about the crispiness factor, but as long as you prepare them properly, tater tot nachos are amazing and I could even argue that that kick-up greens Chile version is even better than the standard!

As with so many recipes, these tater tot nachos are simultaneously rigid in the steps you need to take to nail them, but also very flexible in possible substitutions.

Once you have your piping hot, crispy Tot Nachos ready, you can simply serve them as an appetizer or as dinner.

Dig in!

How to make tater tots for these totchos

In my opinion, the most important step in this recipe is preparing the tater tots. You’ll want to make sure they get nice and crispy before loading them with cheese and toppings.

I recommend doing this by lightly oiling a large casserole dish and spreading the Tater Tots in an even layer. Sprinkle the tater tots liberally with taco seasoning and bake in a very hot 450°F oven for about 30 minutes. They should start to turn very golden brown and tasty. If you notice they’re cooking unevenly, you can stir them, but the more you play with them, the greater the risk of them falling apart.

Once you have crispy tater dumplings, you can make Green Chili Tater Tot Nachos in just minutes!

It’s worth noting that even with this pre-bake method for the tots, there will still be some tots that get over-topped and end up falling apart. That’s actually okay. The pieces that fall apart become such a crispy potato casserole situation. While it does require a fork for these sections, it is very easy to eat.

How to cook the chorizo ​​and other protein ideas

I like topping my green chili tater with nachos with spicy chorizo. Loose chorizo ​​is very easy to cook. Simply brown it in a skillet over medium-low heat to avoid burning, breaking it up as it cooks.

Once browned and cooked through, remove from heat and let rest while your tater tots finish cooking.

While I like spicy chorizo ​​for my topping, there are many topping options you can try. Ground beef is fine as long as you season it well. Chopped chicken would also work. Or you can just omit the meat and go with sautéed peppers and onions and black beans.

Baked tater with nacho toppings

I recommend splitting the toppings for these nachos into two categories: baked and fresh. The baked toppings should go back in the oven with the tater dumplings for a few minutes.

These toppings include chorizo, shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, green chili sauce, and red onions.

Add these toppings to the tater tot nachos, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes to get melty and delicious.

Fresh tater with nacho toppings

Once your melted tater tot nachos come out of the oven, you’re ready to add your fresh toppings like tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, and chopped cilantro.

These toppings would just fall apart if you add them before baking, so it’s best to add them right before serving. In fact, you could just leave the sour cream and avocado on the side for people to help themselves.

Other post-bake topping ideas you could add would be pico de gallo (I’d substitute the green chili sauce if you’re using that), scallions, pickled jalapenos, and even black olives would be good!

How to reheat those tater tot nachos

These tater tot nachos are actually okay the next day. This is especially true for the sections without the sour cream and avocado.

If you want to reheat any part of this recipe, it’s best to do so in a skillet. If you have a good non-stick pan, add a drizzle of oil, then try to lift the “totchos” out mostly in one piece, leaving the tater dumplings on the bottom.

Put them in a hot pan and cover with a lid over low heat. The pan will crisp up the bottom of the tater tots and steam the top to melt the cheese again. It works great!

Green Chili Tater Tot Nachos

Here are a few other great recipes to try!