Loaded Cheeseburger Tater Tot (Print Version)

A layered dish with beef, cheddar, crispy tots, bacon, and fresh toppings baked until golden and bubbly.

# Ingredients:

Burger Base

01 - 1 lb ground beef (80/20 ratio)
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
05 - 1 tsp garlic powder
06 - 1 tsp onion powder
07 - Salt and pepper to taste
08 - 2 tbsp ketchup
09 - 1 tbsp yellow mustard

Cheese Mixture

10 - 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
11 - 1 cup American cheese, shredded or Velveeta cubes
12 - 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

Toppings

13 - 32 oz frozen tater tots
14 - 6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
15 - 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
16 - 1/4 cup diced pickles
17 - 2 green onions, chopped
18 - Ranch or burger sauce for drizzling

# Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish thoroughly.
02 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef, breaking it up during cooking. Add diced onion; cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper; cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and mix in ketchup and mustard.
03 - Combine cream cheese, half the shredded cheddar, and half the American cheese in a bowl until smooth. Spread this mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
04 - Evenly spread the beef mixture over the cheese layer. Sprinkle remaining cheddar and American cheese over the beef. Add half of the crumbled bacon on top.
05 - Place frozen tater tots in a single layer over the assembled layers, ensuring no overlap for optimal crispiness. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until tots are golden and crunchy.
06 - Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with remaining bacon, diced tomatoes, pickles, and chopped green onions. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

# Notes:

01 - For best results, do not overlap tater tots to ensure maximum crispiness.