Loaded Tater Tots
This loaded tater tot casserole is guaranteed to be a hit! Crispy golden tots, melted cheese, with colourful toppings - a healthy twist on comfort food!
Quick Look: Loaded Tater Tot Casserole
- ⏰ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Ready In: 45 minutes
- 🥦 Serves: 4-6 people
- 🍽️ Calories: 550 per serving
- 📖 Dietary info: vegetarian, gluten-free, easy
- ⭐️ Why you'll love it: if you love nachos, you'll love this recipe. It's fun, easy to make, and flavourful! It'll be a huge hit for whoever you make it for!
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This loaded tater tot casserole has a nacho vibe, but uses tater tots instead of tortilla chips. This is one of my favourite things to make for a group during the summer. You can make the whole thing on a baking sheet to save yourself cleaning a lot of dishes.
If you’re looking for other summer recipe ideas, check out my Beet & Lentil Burgers or my Feta & Dill Stuffed Pitas.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Loaded Tater Tot Casserole
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Additions & Substitutions
- How to Make Loaded Tater Tot Casserole
- What to Serve with Loaded Tater Tots
- Loaded Tater Tot Casserole FAQs
- More Summer Recipes You'll Love
- Did you make this recipe?
- Loaded Tater Tots
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Healthy & balanced: yes, there are tater tots in this dish, so you may not consider it a 'healthy' meal, but it's quick and easy, and other components add balance through nutrition by addition. There is protein from the black beans and cheese. Vegetables from the lettuce and tomatoes. Healthy fats from the guacamole/avocado.
- Gluten free: a fun and flavourful dish to make for a gluten free friend
Ingredients You'll Need
Full ingredient measurements & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Tater tots: I typically use an 800g bag, but you can use a larger bag if you want to make a larger amount of this recipe. Cook them in the oven or the air-fryer.
- Black beans: to keep the beans creamy, I don't drain or rinse the can. I dump the entire thing into a pan and simmer until reduced and slightly thickened. Taco seasoning adds lots of flavour. I walk you through the entire process in the recipe card below.
- Lettuce: romaine or iceburg is my preferred, but you could use kale or mixed greens.
- Pickled onions: these add colour and so much flavour. If you need a recipe, check our my easy pickled onions.
Additions & Substitutions
- Make it vegan: use dairy-free cheese and vegan mayo
- Different lettuce: I like romaine lettuce for the crunch, but you can use kale, mixed greens, cabbage or some other lettuce. I would suggest something with crunch to balance out the rest of the ingredients
- Make it your own: if there are things that you might typically add to nachos that I didn't add here, go ahead and add. Things like olives, jalapeños, red onion or pickles would be good.
How to Make Loaded Tater Tot Casserole
- Step 1: Add the canned black beans (do not drain or rinse them) to a pan.
- Step 2: Bring to a gentle simmer. Add the taco seasoning, and simmer until most of the liquid has reduced. Meanwhile, cook the tater tots according to the directions on the package, prep the other toppings, and make the sauce.
- Step 3: To a platter, or on the same baking sheet as the cooked tater tots, add the chopped lettuce, then the tots (or tots and then lettuce).
- Step 4: Next add the shredded cheese and black beans.
- Step 5: Then add the diced tomatoes, avocado (or guacamole), and pickled onions.
- Step 6: Finish with a generous drizzle of the sauce and cilantro for garnish.
What to Serve with Loaded Tater Tots
These tots make a delicious appetizer or main, and go well with so many other things. Here are some tasty pairing ideas:
- Salad: serve a take on Caesar salad using my creamy dill pickle dressing.
- Main: if you serve these tots as an appy, my easy beet burgers would make a perfect main dish
- Drinks: make a batch of my watermelon mint juice, enjoy a spicy pineapple mocktail, or a blueberry lavender mocktail.
- Dessert: a seasonal fruit crumble with ice cream, a slice of my gluten-free almond cake, a no-bake Biscoff cheesecake, or a fresh Eton mess would all finish out the meal very well.
Loaded Tater Tot Casserole FAQs
My go-to toppings are romaine lettuce, black beans, cheddar cheese, avocado or guacamole, salsa, pickles, pickled onions, and tomatoes. But feel free to experiment with other toppings you may enjoy!
Cheddar cheese is the most popular, but Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or a cheese blend also work great for a gooey, flavourful topping.
My version is similar to nachos, but with tater tots instead. Similar toppings and flavours!
You can get all your ingredients prepped and you can make your sauce, but it's best to bake your tater tots and assemble the loaded tater tots right before serving and eating.
This recipe uses black beans, but TVP (textured vegetable protein) would also work really well to keep it vegetarian.
More Summer Recipes You'll Love
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If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, tag me @harvesttablenutrition on Instagram - that way I can see your delicious creation and share it with my followers!
Loaded Tater Tots
Ingredients
Sauce
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 ½ teaspoon ketchup
- 2 teaspoon dill pickle juice
- 2 teaspoon hot sauce of your choice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Tots
- 1 (800g) bag tater tots
- 1 (540ml) can black beans
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped finely
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 beefsteak tomato, diced
- guacamole or avocado
- pickled onions
- cilantro
Instructions
- Cook your tater tots according to the directions on the package. Make the whole bag, it will serve 6 people as an appetizer, or fewer people for a meal.
- While your tots are cooking make your sauce, and prep your other ingredients.
- SAUCE: add all the ingredients into a small bowl. Combine well. Taste and adjust to your taste preference.
- BEANS*: add the entire can of beans (no need to drain and rinse) to a large pan over medium heat. Add taco seasoning, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, and then reduce the heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, letting the beans thicken. Stir occasionally so they don't stick. Once they've thickened up and most of the liquid is reduced, you can turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner.
- Once your tots are cooked, let them cool for a few minutes.
- Here's how I like to assemble the tots, but you can switch up the order if you want: lettuce first, then tots, then cheese, beans, tomatoes, a few plops of guacamole (or avocado), pickled onions, and then drizzle the sauce on top of everything. Garnish with cilantro (or microgreens).
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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If we haven’t met yet, hi hello! I’m Bailey, a Registered Dietitian and recipe developer. I offer 1:1 nutrition coaching and cooking classes to help make healthy eating easier. On my blog you can find easy, seasonal, vegetarian recipes! If you try this recipe (or any of my other recipes), leave me a comment with your thoughts!
If you’re looking for more salad and salad dressing recipes I have just the thing. My Summer Salads Recipe Book includes 21 super simple salad recipes that are perfect for summer. They all take 30 minutes or less to make, and are perfect for meal prepping during the week or bringing to a backyard BBQ.
The perfect appetizer for a group! Everyone will love these - let me know if you give them a try!
Such a versatile appetizer for gatherings. Fun, tasty, and easy!
Thanks Tori! It really is a great appetizer for a group!