For years Tater Tots were simply something that I occasionally served to our family at dinner. My kids loved them when they were young and they still love them now that they are adults. I have to admit that a warm Tater Tot tastes pretty darn good! My husband has traveled all over the world experiencing all sorts of exotic cuisine. When he is home guess what he enjoys just as much as the kids…..? Yup, good old Tater Tots!
When the movie Napoleon Dynamite came out, my 3 oldest children were teenagers at the time. They thought it was the greatest movie ever, and began quoting the funniest lines from the movie over and over and over again for months! Which quote do I remember hearing the most? “Napoleon, give me some of your tots”! Suddenly Tater Tots had a whole new identity!
Poor Napoleon Dynamite, little did he know that his beloved Tater Tots would taste 10 times better stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and baked until crispy! They taste even better when dipped in your choice of sauce. My favorite? Baby Rays Sweet BBQ Sauce……..heaven! No more plain Tater Tots for this girl. These are definitely our new football game snack! Thank you, thank you Wendy Bradley for this awesome appetizer.
This recipe takes Tater Tots to a whole new level – who knew they could ever taste this good? What would I do if I ran into Napoleon Dynamite with Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bombs in his pocket? I’d say “Napoleon, GIVE me some TOTS”! Why would I do a crazy thing like that?
Because this Pin TOTALLY Rocks!
Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots Bombs
Ingredients
- 1/2 bag Tater Tots thawed to room temperature
- 1 8- ounce package Sharp Cheddar Cheese cut in 1/4-inch squares
- Hot Sauce
- 1 16- ounce package Bacon strips cut in half
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat over to 400F
- Cube the sharp cheddar cheese in to very small pieces.
- Cut bacon strips in half.
- Cut out a small center portion of a Tater Tot, place cheese cube in the center of the Tater Tot.
- Wrap the Tater Tot and cheese cube in one of the bacon strips that have been cut in half.
- Roll in brown sugar and place in pan seam side down.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, turn each bacon wrapped Tator Tot over to brown the bottom. Bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the bacon is crispy. Cool and serve with your favorite sauce.
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This looks awesome! I definitely want to try this with my kids!!
Tara,
My kids really loved these. I’m sure yours will too! Tracy – The Middle Sister
These look amazing! Found you via Alderberry Hill, and I pinned this!
Jenn,
Thanks for stopping by and pinning Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bomnbs! Tracy – The Middle Sister
I tried making these,and when I made hole for the cheese,the tater tot wanted to crumble. Any ideas?
Hi Nancy!
I had that happen to me as well, try cutting the tater tot in half, put the cheese in the middle, wrap it with the bacon. Place the bacon wrapped tater tot seam down on the pan for baking, secure it with a toothpick after baking.
Thanks for commenting! Tracy (the middle sister)
Hi Nancy I’m going to try making these too. I think I’m going to try hollowing out center with toothpick while still partially frozen and then let thaw. I welcome any other ideas. Planning on making these for superbowl.
Hot sauce is listed in the ingredients … but it never says when it’s used … ??
Lora,
Thanks for catching that, you can add a drop or two of hot sauce in the tater tot before wrapping it with bacon. I did not use hot sauce because no one in our family likes it. Thanks for stopping by! Tracy – (the middle sister)
These look delicious!! I would like to make them ahead of time for a party. Would it be possible to assemble and put on a cookie sheet in the fridge until it’s time to bake? Would the tots be okay in the fridge instead of the freezer like they’re supposed to be? Thanks!
Lindsey,
I think they should be fine in the refridgerator, just to be safe I would use toothpicks to hold the bacon in place and remove the toothpicks just before baking. They are wickedly addicting, everyone will love you for making these! Have a great time at your party! Tracy – (the middle sister)
Where’d the pics go? I’m getting errors on all of them. =/
Hi Kellie,
I’m not sure what happened, but they are working fine now. Thanks for letting us know! Tracy
When I made these the grease from the bacon made the tots all mushy. Did I do something wrong??
Hey Justin,
Next time you try making these let them cook longer, also try and purchase bacon with at much meat as possible. Some of the cheaper cuts of bacon have lots of fat and very little meat. Thanks for following us, Tracy
What are the sauces in the picture?
They look yummy
Hey Sarah!
I used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, sour cream, sriracha sauce or tabasco sauce. A blue cheese dip would also work! Thanks for following us and hope you have a wonderful holiday season! Tracy
I just wanted to thank you for this wonderful treat! I am going to a Festivus party where we have to have a talent & appetizer to share. A friend & I are doing the Napoleon Dynamite dance & I was looking for something to serve that related to the theme!! These are perfect!!!
I also wanted to share what I did, I took Tracy’s advice & just cut the tots in 1/2, then I only used 1/3 a piece of bacon a whole bag of tater tots & didn’t want to buy 2 lbs of bacon:) I used pepper jack cheese, then followed all the instructions as written. After rolling them in brown sugar, I used toothpicks that I had soaked in water for 20 minutes to hold them together when they cooked & to make them easier to pick up when at the party! The other change I did was to cook them on my broiler pans. I cook bacon on them all the time as it allows the grease to drip into the bottom of the pan & the bacon stays nice & crisp. It worked perfect for these as well!!! I also made a home-made spicy ranch dressing to go with this. I just added creole season (off the Allrecipe web site) & some Tabasco sauce! Tots are crunch, as is the bacon!!
Thank you Tracy for such a tasty treat!!!
Hey Cari,
Oh my gosh, wish I had been there to see you do the Napolean Dynatmite dance! I’m glad they worked out so well for you, using a broiler pan is a great idea. Thank you so much for sharing how you made these, we love hearing from our followers. Cheers, Tracy
Put a slice of jalapeno on the tator tot then garnish/finish as you have said…I can eat a ton of these. Haven’t thought of different dipping sauces thought. I also wrap water chestnuts in bacon mix brown sugar and soy sauce, make a very think paste and pour over nuts bake until bacon is done.
Hey Marylou!
Your suggestions sound amazing! I’m a huge luvr of bacon, I’ll have to give your recipes a try. Thanks so much for commenting, Tracy
Ladies, these sound AWESOME! Tator tots are awesome alone, but add bacon?!? Hello. I need. So fun to do this tailgating series with you, this recipe is perfect for it! Just pinned. 🙂
Hello- I am so excited to make these, but wondering if turkey bacon will work as well? I typically try to steer clear of red meat when I can. . . Any thoughts?
Hi Erin,
I think turkey bacon should work just fine. Make sure to secure the turkey bacon with toothpicks that have been soaked in water first. Let us know how it turns out. Thanks for following us!