Chili Cheese Tots are an iconic Oklahoma drive-in dish. The potato tots are smothered in a simple, spicy chili sauce, then topped with a creamy cheese sauce and grated Cheddar. You can order the tots without or without onions — it’s delicious either way.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Active: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- One 32-ounce bag frozen potato tots, such as Tater Tots
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground sirloin (85/15 or 90/10)
- 1/2 medium white onion, chopped (2 tablespoons reserved for garnish)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup grated Cheddar
- 1/2 cup processed cheese sauce, such as Cheese Whiz, warmed
Instructions
- Bake the potato tots on a sheet pan in the oven according to the package directions, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the chili. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef, then all but 2 tablespoons of the onion, plus the garlic, chili powder, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, breaking the beef into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook while stirring to allow the tomato sauce to thicken, 5 minutes.
- Place some potato tots onto each plate, top with chili then some Cheddar. Add another layer of potato tots, more chili, more Cheddar and drizzle over some cheese sauce. Top with the reserved 2 tablespoons onion and dig in.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 725 |
| Total Fat | 41 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17 g |
| Carbohydrates | 52 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 41 g |
| Cholesterol | 137 mg |
| Sodium | 1219 mg |
Reviews
Yes
This was quite tasty, and easy to prepare. The tater tots on the bottom layer added a nice texture. I grated about 8 oz. of Tillamook cheddar, so we didn’t use the cheese sauce on top. Used approximately half the bag of tots, which was plenty for the 2 of us. Partner says this is a “re-do”!
These are so good! Being born and raised in Oklahoma, i’m sure the drive in she was refering to is Sonic drive in. Also, a little sour cream on them can’t hurt