Philly Cheesesteak Totchos {Tater Tot Nachos }
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Serve a platter of Philly Cheesesteak Totchos {Tater Tot Nachos} at your next football party and watch your group cheer no matter if your team wins or loses! Imagine hot and crispy tater tots layered with tender slices of ribeye steak, sautéed sweet onions and bell peppers, all smothered with a creamy Swiss cheese sauce. That, my friends, is serious party fare.
Better tell your guests to bring an appetite because these beef totchos are hearty enough to make a meal out of them. Tender steak. Crispy tater tots. Gooey cheese. Happy fans!
What are “totchos” anyway?
Plain and simple, TOT-chos are a twist on Mexican nachos except tater tots are used in place of tortilla chips — genius, right?! Pure tater tot and football fan heaven!
When I started putting this recipe together, my husband and I disagreed on the proper way to cook tater tots.
He likes them EXTRA crispy and wanted to deep fry them in our FryDaddy — which would have been delicious, of course — but I opted to save a few calories by crisping them up in the oven since I was loading them with cheese topping.
With this recipe, cook the tots the way you like best. Either way, these totchos are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser.
What’s the BEEF? {FAQs}
All meat package labels should at a minimum identify the type of meat, the cut of meat, weight, price, sell-by date, and safe handling instructions. In addition, according to the USDA, meat packages labeled as “certified” indicate the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service officially evaluated a meat product for class, grade, or other quality characteristics — like Certified Angus Beef.
Make sure the beef has a bright red color and avoid packages that have excessive liquid or appear to have any holes. Choose beef this is firm to the touch and check that the sell-by date has not passed.
Refrigerate (placing meat on the lowest shelf in your refrigerator) or freeze meat as soon as you return from the grocery store. If your trip from the store to your home is more than 30 minutes, take a cooler to keep the meat cold during the trip. You may freeze uncooked meat in the original packaging up to two weeks before using.
Always defrost meat in the refrigerator (never at room temperature) by placing the frozen package on a plate to catch any liquid. Steaks should defrost in the refrigerator in around 12 hours. Ground beef may be defrosted in the microwave if it is being used the same day.
Prep & Preheat: Cooking Beef for Philly Cheesesteak Totchos
While those tots are cooking, it’s time to prepare the beef. Choose a good ribeye from the butcher and follow these easy steps to get that delicious and tender Philly Cheesesteak topping:
- Season the steak on both sides with kosher salt and pepper, rubbing it gently into the surface of the beef.
- Place the steak in the freezer for 30 minutes, then thinly slice. This quick-freeze will make slicing easier.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat. Add canola oil to the pan and fry the meat while stirring constantly. Use a large skillet or wok so there is plenty of room for the beef to brown evenly. Canola oil has a higher smoke point, making it a good choice for stir frying.
Ingredients for Philly Cheesesteak Totchos
- Frozen tater tots — Sometimes called potato puffs, tots are pre-cooked but you’ll need to reheat them and make sure they are nice and crispy on the outside.
- Ribeye steak — Look for a steak with some marbling (little veins of fat) for the best flavor.
- Onion — Yellow onion or sweet onion (like Vidalia)
- Bell peppers — Red, yellow, or green peppers work, however, green bell peppers are not as sweet and flavorful as the red and yellow peppers in this dish.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy sauce — I always cook with low-sodium soy sauce
- Canola oil — With a high smoke point, this oil is my choice for stir-frying over high heat.
- Swiss cheese — You could use cheddar cheese, but I like the creamy sauce you get with Swiss.
- Milk — To make the creamy cheese sauce
- All-purpose flour and butter — Used to make a roux and thicken the cheese sauce
- Salt and pepper
- Sweet Hot Cherry Peppers (optional) — To add a little zing!
More Football Party Recipes!
Football watch parties can last for three or four hours, so you want to make sure you have plenty of hearty snacks and at least one main dish to feed the crowd. Here are a few of my favorite recipes to make when we host a football party:
- Slow Cooker Beefy BBQ Spuds
- Sticky Baked Chicken Wings
- Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip
- Bacon Cheddar Jalapeño Poppers
- Hot Pepper Jelly Cheese Dip with Bacon
- More appetizer recipes!
To make this recipe you may need…
I love my ceramic non-stick Bialetti Fry Pan and truly use it all the time! It cooks evenly and clean-up is a breeze. It’s a solid piece of cookware.
Philly Cheesesteak Totchos Recipe
Seriously, I had trouble deciding if this recipe should be categorized as an appetizer or as a main dish. Totchos are good for nibbling, but they are also hearty and filling enough to eat as your entire meal.
You may have some cheese sauce leftover depending on how cheesy you like your totchos. Use any leftover Swiss Cheese Sauce on top of steamed broccoli or cauliflower for a delicious side with another meal.
Philly Cheesesteak Totchos
Ingredients
- 16 16 oz. pkg. frozen tater potato tots
Swiss Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup Swiss cheese shredded
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Philly Cheesesteak
- 1 12 oz. ribeye steak
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 large red or yellow bell peppers seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 large onion sliced into thin wedges
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Sweet hot cherry peppers optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place frozen tater tots in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet (line with aluminum foil for easier clean-up). Bake 15 to 20 minutes until crispy (or per package directions).
Make the cheese sauce:
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Gradually whisk in the milk, making sure any lumps are broken up until the sauce is slightly thickened. Add shredded cheese and stir until melted. Keep warm until ready to use.
Philly Cheesesteak:
- Place beef in freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and season steak with salt and pepper, gently rubbing it into the meat. Cut beef across the grain into thin slices.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon canola oil and swirl to coat the skillet. Add sliced steak and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove cooked steak to a plate and drain any liquid from the skillet, wiping clean with a paper towel.
- Add the remaining tablespoon canola oil to the skillet. Add peppers and onion; cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes. Return beef to the pan and stir in the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Heat just until warmed through.
Assemble the totchos:
- Remove cooked tater tots from the oven and layer the beef and veggie mixture on top. Add a few sweet hot cherry peppers, if desired.
- Spoon cheese on top of the beef and return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
