Sheet Pan Chili Cheese Tater Tots

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This ooey gooey cheesy pan of crispy, chili drenched tater tots is the perfect game day comfort food … Sheet Pan Chili Cheese Tater Tots!

Some of our best Sunday afternoons are spent together in our living room with football on the tv and a big spread of “football food” to nibble on. 

Whether it is these bacon wrapped jalapeño popper halves, chicken & waffle bowls, ham & cheese roll ups or just classic chips and salsa, the appetizer spread is a big part of our family football tradition. And while I may be tucked into my favorite chair perusing Pinterest instead of actually watching the game, at least my food game is strong 😉

Ingredients

So simple! You’ll just need tater tots, canned chili, freshly grated cheese, and your favorite toppings.

Step by step

I’m sure chili cheese tater tots are not any huge food revelation. They are a pretty simple combination of tater tots + chili + cheese, but I’ve got a few tips to make them extra tasty and completely satisfying.

ONE: Use a sheet pan. While this may seem obvious, using one sheet pan keeps prep and clean up easy breezy. Bake the tater tots, heat the chili and melt the cheese all on one simple baking sheet.

TWO: EXTRA crispy tater tots. Since the tots will be smothered in chili and cheese, the outside needs to be really crunchy and crispy to prevent them from getting totally soggy too soon.

THREE: Freshly shredded/grated cheese is a must. You can use bagged shredded cheese (and I do for tons of recipes in my kitchen), but to get that really creamy, melty cheese, just take a minute or two and grate it yourself. Sharp cheddar gives that robust cheesy flavor and melts like a dream with the heat of the oven.

See that cheese pull?! Touchdown!

While I just used our favorite canned chili to smother these tater tots, you could use leftover chili from last night’s dinner, grab a bowl from your local deli/grocery store or really amp this recipe up with my Famous Chili Cheese Dip.

If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!

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