One Pan Bacon Cheddar Tots

Recipe by Marla Stanton

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes 
Servings: 4+

Ingredients: 

• One package of bacon (around 16 oz.)
• One package of tater tots (around 30 oz.)
• 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour Cream, Ranch Dressing, Hot Sauce, or Buffalo Sauce for dipping
• Green Onion or Parsley for serving
• Salt and seasonings to taste

Directions: 

1. Put the bacon on an oven safe pan. You can use a nonstick pan or put foil on a baking sheet or in a glass baking dish.
2. Use kitchen scissors to cut the bacon into smaller pieces to keep it from curling as it cooks.
3. Cook the bacon in the oven at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes or until your bacon is almost as crispy as you like. It will go back into the oven to crisp up more later.
4. When the bacon is cooked, remove it from the pan and let it drain on a paper towel.
5. Place the tater tots on the pan. They will cook in the bacon grease, but you can drain any excess grease. Bake the tots according to their package's directions.
6. Once the tots have baked, remove them from the oven. Top them with shredded cheddar cheese. Use anywhere from 1 to 2 cups of cheese depending on how cheesy you want the tots.
7. Then place the cooked bacon on top of the tots. You can tear the bacon into smaller pieces to make sure there's some in each bite.
8. Stick the bacon cheddar tots back into the oven until the cheese has melted and the bacon has crisped a bit more. You can broil them, but be sure to stand by and watch so the food doesn't burn.
9. Remove the tots from the oven and top with chopped green onion, dried chives, or parsley. Salt and season to taste.
10. Serve with sour cream, ranch, hot sauce, or even buffalo sauce!