Chili Cheese Tots Recipe
On hot summer days, I remember when our kids were younger and played outside most days with a pack of neighbor kids. We were lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where they had free range of the streets, backyards, and common areas to dig holes, build forts, and play games. At lunch time, they took turns cooking for the group and Chili Cheese Tots was one of their favorites. If your kids aren’t old enough to run the oven, they can still put together the whole thing and get help for the baking part. You definitely want to bake this long enough to crisp the tots and lightly brown the gooey cheese.
I hope your family likes it as much as ours did. And I hope your children find some time this summer to dig, build, and play a board game or two. You only get a few summers before they’re too old and busy for play time.
Chili Cheese Tots
Ingredients
- 4 chicken sausage links I like a savory flavor. You can also use turkey hotdogs or hotdogs of any kind. I always choose healthier versions and most kids don't notice a difference.
- 16 ounces Frozen tater tots Half of a large 32 ounce bag. Or substitute cauliflower tots. Or try half cauliflower, half regular tots.
- 1 can Hormel turkey chili 15 ounces
- 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Arrange tater tots in a single layer in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. (If you use a deep dish plate, you can add more tots.) Using a small spatula or large spoon, spread the chili over the tater tots.
- With a table knife, cut the sausages or hotdogs into 1-inch pieces and place them over the chili. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
- Place pie plate in preheated oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the tots are crispy on the outside and the mixture is hot in the middle. Using oven mitts, remove from the oven. Cool for 5 minutes before eating.
This recipe was adapted from one of our most dog-eared, sauce-splattered cookbooks, The Semi-Homemade Cool Kids Cooking by Sandra Lee. If you have young kids who are interested in helping in the kitchen, you can’t go wrong with this cookbook. Simply buy a few ingredients and mix them together to make something special. It’s a great place to find basics that even young children can prepare mostly by themselves.
Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.
Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through fun, engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project coming together the night before it’s due.
A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.
