All the flavors of bruschetta, but on tater tots instead of bread, make these Bruschetta Totchos for a fun appetizer recipe.
For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.
Let’s talk about bruschetta for a minute.
Technically, bruschetta is the bread, not the toppings on the bread. But, most people think of the bread and toppings as bruschetta, even though that’s not quite correct. But, with that definition in mind, we made these bruschetta totchos.
Traditional bruschetta is topped with garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, and basil. So this totchos recipe has most of those, plus cheese. Because everything is better with cheese. In that sense, they could technically be caprese tachos as well, but now we’re just nitpicking.
And, if you’ve never heard of them, totchos are a fun spin on traditional nachos. They’re tater tot nachos. Instead of using tortilla chips as the base for the toppings, you use frozen tater tots. It makes for a really fun and easy appetizer for a party.
We served these at our big game party last year and they were a huge hit.
This is just one of our favorite recipes for our annual New Year’s party. For more, check out our list of 70 Recipes For The Ultimate New Year’s Eve Party.
Bruschetta Totchos Recipe
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Bruschetta Totchos Ingredients:
- 28 oz. bag of frozen tater tots
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 oz. mozzarella cheese
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 fresh basil
How To Make Bruschetta Totchos:
Pre-heat the oven to 450 F.
Fill a cake pan with the frozen tater tots. Heat the tater tots according to the package (generally 25 minutes, depending on the brand).
Remove them from the oven and sprinkle them with Italian seasoning, salt, and garlic powder.
Side note: We’re adding such a small amount of salt because most tater tots are already seasoned. Check your bag. If yours don’t come seasoned already, you’ll want to add a little more seasoning so they aren’t a super bland base for the rest of your recipe.
Shred the mozzarella and spread it over the tater tots.
Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters and then spread them evenly across the tater tots.
Bake the tray for an additional five minutes until the cheese is melted.
Remove the tray from the oven. Chop the fresh basil and scatter that across the top of the bruschetta totchos. Serve warm.
Variations:
This isn’t our only totchos recipe. We also have a Fully Loaded Totchos recipe with bacon, salsa, nacho cheese sauce, sour cream, green onion, and jalapeño peppers.
You could also do a Taco Totchos version with taco seasoning, ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and pico de gallo.
Totchos are a great base for a variety of toppings, so just be creative.
Bruschetta Totchos: Frequently Asked Questions
Frozen tater tots are deep fried before they’re frozen. Because of that, they’ll crips up when you reheat them. So, you don’t need to add any additional oil.
We very rarely suggest using pre-shredded cheese in any of our recipes. That cheese has a ton of preservatives to prevent it from clumping together in the bag. And while that’s convenient because you don’t want a huge lump of cheese pieces in a bag, those preservatives actually prevent the cheese from really melting.
So in recipes like this one, where you want the cheese to melt, buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself makes for a much better final product.
And honestly, if you have a good cheese grater, it takes the smallest bit of time to shred the cheese, but it’s so worth it.
Store any leftover totchos in an airtight container, with a paper towel in the container, in the fridge for up to a week.
If you don’t put the paper towel in the container as well, the tater tots will sweat, get really mushy, and won’t hold up when you try to reheat them.
If you aren’t going to eat them within the week, you can actually freeze leftover totchos. You can freeze them for up to four months. As with the fridge method, you will want to add a paper towel in the container while you’re storing it.
Be sure to defrost them in the fridge completely before reheating them so they’ll heat evenly.
You can reheat leftover totchos in the oven or the air fryer.
To reheat tater tots in the oven, put them on a baking sheet and heat them for about 20 to 25 minutes at 350 F until the crispy tots are heated through.
To reheat tater tots in the air fryer, set down an air fryer liner and put the bruschetta totchos on top of it. Heat them at 370 F for about 10 to 12 minutes until the tater tots are heated through.
If you only had a small amount of totchos to reheat, you could reheat them in a pan over medium heat on the stove top. Reheat them with a top on ton the pan so they steam. That’ll help them cook through rather than the bottoms of the tater tots don’t burning before they’re heated through.
Bruschetta, with tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil is vegan as is. So are tater tots. So, if you make this recipe, just skip the mozzarella cheese to make this a vegan recipe.
More Nacho Recipes:
Totchos are a fun twist on nachos, but they’re not the only version of nachos we have on Drugstore Divas.
Be sure to check out our Pulled Chicken Nachos, which are self-explanatory, and our Buffalo Chicken Pork Rind Nachos, which are basically a buffalo chicken dip spread across pork rinds instead of tortilla chips. Those are a great option if you’re doing keto because they are considered “keto nachos.”
Bruschetta Totchos
All the flavors of bruschetta, but on tater tots instead of bread, make these Bruschetta Totchos for a fun appetizer recipe.
Ingredients
- 28 oz. bag of frozen tater tots
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 oz. mozzarella cheese
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 fresh basil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 450 F. Fill a cake pan with the frozen tater tots. Heat the tater tots according to the package.
- Remove them from the oven and sprinkle them with Italian seasoning, salt, and garlic powder.
- Shred the mozzarella and spread it over the tater tots.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters and then spread them evenly across the tater tots.
- Bake the tray for an additional five minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Remove the tray from the oven. Chop the fresh basil and scatter that across the top of the bruschetta totchos. Serve warm.
Notes
If you are using unseasoned tater tots, you’ll want to add a little more seasoning.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 192Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 9mgSodium 546mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 4g
Would you make this Bruschetta Totchos recipe? Let us know in the comments.
amy liu dong
Monday 24th of July 2023
I love your Bruschetta Totchos recipe. It is so easy and delicious. I made it and everyone loves it!
Mary
Monday 24th of July 2023
Nice twist on classic!
Claudia Cristina Ciorteanu
Monday 24th of July 2023
A tantalizing twist on totchos! These Bruschetta Totchos are bursting with fresh flavors and a delightful crunch. A fun and flavorful appetizer that's perfect for any gathering. 🍅🧀🍴