Spicy Tater Tot Chili Cheese Bites
These tater tot chili cheese bites are an amazing way to use up leftover chili! With crispy tots, homemade chili, and gooey cheese, this is a super delicious appetizer for holidays, parties, and game day. Think of these cups as a handheld version of chili cheese tots! You can garnish them with jalapeños, chives, sour cream, pickled onions, or any of your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
- 60 frozen tater tots
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (15 grams)
- 1 cup freshly-shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (80 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups homemade chili or store-bought (375 grams)
- Sliced jalapeños, for garnish
- Chopped chives or green onions, for garnish
- Sour cream, pickled onions, tomatoes, etc. for serving
Equipment
- Standard cupcake pan
- Shot glass or spoon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Place 5 frozen tater tots in each cup of a standard cupcake pan. Bake the tots for 10 minutes, until they're soft enough to smash.
- Use a shot glass or the back of a spoon to gently, but firmly, press the tater tots into cups. Make sure the bottoms and sides are completely covered! You want the bottoms to be fairly thin so they crisp and hold up, but not so thin that they fall apart. Use a pastry brush to brush the sides of the tater tot cups with the melted butter. Bake for 20-22 more minutes, until the cups are nice and crispy, especially on the sides.
- While the tots are baking, gently heat the chili in a saucepan, until it's hot and bubbly. Set aside. Then, turn the oven broiler to HIGH.
- Sprinkle about 1/2 Tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese on the bottom of each tater tot cup. Then, spoon about 1 1/2-2 Tablespoons of hot chili into each cup. Evenly sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the chili bites. Place 1-2 slices of jalapeños on top of each cup, if desired.
- Broil the bites for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let them set for about 5-10 minutes. Then, use a butter knife or small spoon to gently remove the cups from the cupcake pan. They might be a little soft from the chili, so be careful that they don't fall apart! (I've found that it's easiest to slightly tilt the pan with one hand - don't forget to use an oven mitt - and use a spoon or knife to gently release the tater tot cup from the pan. Don't worry if they fall apart a little though, the cheese will still keep the bites together!)
- Place the bites on a serving platter and sprinkle fresh chives or green onions over the top, if using. Serve the cups right away with sour cream, pickled onions, tomatoes, or other toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
I use homemade chili with beans, but feel free to use chili without beans, if you want. Or, swap the chili with a vegetarian version! I've used vegetarian chili before, and it's delicious. Just pick something thick so the cups stay together. If the chili is too thin, they'll fall apart.
Make sure the bottoms and sides of the tot cups are sturdy so they hold up with the chili. They don't have to be perfect cups, but you want them to be fill-able!
Be careful when you remove the cups from the pan. Work gently so they don't fall apart!
And if the cups do fall apart a little, don't worry about it. This has happened to me before, but luckily, the cheese kept everything together and they were still just as delicious!
The nutrition information is just for the cups, not any toppings. The nutrition info may change depending on what ingredients you use.
Serving: 1bite, Calories: 139kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 3.8g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2.5g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 356mg, Potassium: 467mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 0.7g, Vitamin C: 111mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 2mg
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