Loaded Tater Tots Recipe

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword loaded-tater-tots-recipe, tater-tots-recipes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 379kcal

1 32 oz package frozen tater tots
8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
1 8 oz sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1.0 oz packet dry Ranch dressing mix
1 cup queso blanco warmed
2 cups shredded queso quesadilla, monterey jack or colby-jack cheese (Use your favorite)
4 medium green onion thinly sliced (or chives)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange tater tots on pan in a single layer and bake for 25 minutes or per package instructions until crispy and golden brown.
Cook Bacon: Arrange bacon slices on a sheet pan. Bake along with the tater tots for 15-20 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oven and drain excess grease on a paper towel, then chop.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together sour cream, mayo and ranch dressing mix. Keep chilled until assembling. (This can be done one day in advance for a timesaver.)
Warm queso in the microwave or on the stovetop in a saucepan until pourable.
Assemble: Arrange tater tots on a serving platter or serve on pan. Drizzle with warm queso. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, 1/2 ranch seasoned sour cream, crumbled bacon and green onions or fresh chives.
Serve immediately with remaining ranch sour cream on the side.

- Cheese: You can use shredded cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, a Mexican blend of cheese or even mozzarella cheese. You can also use a cheddar cheese sauce in place of queso blanco.

- Protein Variations: You can top these cheesy tater tots with ground beef taco meat (made with taco seasoning), shredded chicken, pulled pork or steak bites.

- Toppings: You could also add salsa, guacamole, black beans, jalapeño peppers, pico de gallo, avocado slices or pinto beans and set up a tater tots bar for everyone to create their own loaded tater tots using their favorite toppings.

- Ranch Sour Cream: If you prefer, you can use only sour cream for the ranch dip dressing and omit the mayonnaise. You can also replace the mayo with plain Greek yogurt. If you're in a time crunch, a purchased Ranch dip will work.