Twisted Mexican Hot Tots
A Mexican-inspired appetizer made with seasoned, crunchy tater tots, layered with chili con queso and chipotle sour cream in a cast iron skillet. Pure heaven!
Twisted Mexican Hot Tots Recipe
We love Mexican food at our house. I always know that when I make dinner and it’s Mexican or Tex-Mex inspired, my guys are going to be happy campers.
Recently, I made a batch of Beef and Cheese Mexican Sanchiladas and a big pan of Fiesta Ground Beef and Noodles for a Saturday evening meal. It sure was nice to have leftovers on Sunday to enjoy, too.
If I would have had time, I’d have made a pan of Tex Mex Cauliflower Rice with Ground Beef since I’m trying to eat more low-carb meals…..but alas, I didn’t.
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If you enjoy using your Instant Pot for making Mexican meals, give this Barbacoa Shredded Beef with Corn Salsa a try, or even Big Bold Beef Carnitas….both are easy favorites and great recipes for using beef roasts.
Things to Love About This Recipe –
- Who doesn’t love tater tots……and queso???
- The recipe requires just a few ingredients.
- It’s very kid-friendly – a dish the entire family will enjoy.
How to Make Twisted Mexican Hot Tots in Just 4 Easy Steps
- Bake the tater tots until golden brown and crispy.
- Drizzle them with oil and toss with the seasoning.
- Layer the seasoned hot tots with queso and cilantro in a skillet or casserole dish.
- Top with the creamy chipotle sauce and serve!
Easy Recipe Tips for Making Twisted Mexican Hot Tots
Why can’t I toss the tater tots with the oil and seasoning blend first, then bake them?
Great question! I did try that when creating this recipe, but quickly learned that the brown sugar in the seasoning blend burns before the tater tots are nice and crispy. Bad idea! #LessonLearned
I’m not super familiar with chipotle sauce. Where do I find it and what IS chipotle sauce, exactly?
Chipotle sauce can be found in the Hispanic section of nearly any grocery store. A chipotle is a smoked jalapeno so chipotle sauce is very smoky…..and HOT. Use just a little bit, seasoning to taste as you go.
Why does the recipe instruct to use a pre-heated cast iron skillet or a pre-heated casserole dish?
Using a pre-heated vessel to pile your hot tots into really helps keep the entire dish nice and hot as you serve it. Is this a MUST? No. Just an easy little way I’ve found that helps me in serving my family. I also like being able to put the entire dish into the oven to re-heat for later.
What’s so great about cooking with cast iron, any way?
I love cast iron for many reasons. For one, it provides very even heat for cooking, creates superior browning, and can go from stove top to oven to the grill – it’s super versatile! And, because cast iron holds heat well, it’s great for serving dinner at the table family-style.
For this recipe, I use a large 12-inch cast iron skillet.
Other Recipes Your Family Will Dig –
- CHEESY HASH BROWN MEATLOAF PIE
- SKILLET-BAKED ZUCCHINI LASAGNA ROLL-UPS
- ONE-SKILLET MEAT LOVERS PIZZA GNOCCHI
- EASY SMOKED QUESO DIP WITH CRUNCHY PICKLED JALAPENOS
- MEXICAN BEEF AND CHEESE SANCHILADAS
- SALSA BLOODY MARY COCKTAILS
- LOW-CARB TEX MEXICAN TACO PIE
- HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
Twisted Mexican Hot Tots
Ingredients
Hot Tots
- 2 lb. bag tater tots frozen
- 1 oz. pkg. Twisted Pepper Tex Mex Dip or Cheeseball Seasoning Mix, or use your favorite taco seasoning
- 2 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- Canola or vegetable oil for drizzling
- 1 batch of your favorite Mexican cheese queso dip warm
Creamy Chipotle Sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
- 1 tsp. chipotle sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, combine the Twisted Pepper seasoning blend with the brown sugar and red pepper flakes; reserve.
- Spread the tater tots over a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until golden brown, gently tossing the tater tots half way through the baking time.
- Meanwhile, make the creamy chipotle sauce by combining the sour cream with the ranch dressing and the chipotle sauce in a small bowl; reserve.
- When the tater tots are golden brown and crispy, remove from the oven, then drizzle them with a bit of oil, giving them a gentle toss to coat them on all sides; sprinkle the reserved seasoning/brown sugar blend over the tater tots; gently toss once more to combine with the seasonings.
- Pile half of the warm seasoned hot tots into a large pre-heated oven-proof skillet (I love using my 12-inch cast iron skillet for this) or large pre-heated casserole dish.
- Pour some of the warm cheese queso dip over the hot tots, as desired, creating a zig zag pattern; sprinkle with ciilantro, then repeat with the remaining tots and queso.
- Drizzle the chipotle sauce over the top, then garnish the whole creation with additional cilantro over the top. Serve at once!!
- **My family enjoys having extra warm cheese queso and creamy chipotle sauce on the side to dip their hot tots in.