Cheeseburger Tater Tot Bowls

5 Tater Tots + 1 muffin pan = 1 absolutely awesome, crispy tot bowl! Fill that spud cup with seasoned beef and top it with cheese and you have equal parts cheeseburger and tender-crispy Tater Tot goodness! Think about that - cheeseburgers... Tater Tots... one bite. Ridiculously awesome. Crazy easy too!

And I mean E.A.S.Y. You just nestle 5 tater tots into 8 muffin cups (40 tots total... you know, math). After a quick 12 minutes, the tots are soft enough to smush. Using the back of a spoon (or your fingers if you can handle the heat), you create tot bowls in about 15 seconds. No joke. Why didn't I think of this before?

That means, you can make the cheeseburger filling while the tots bake and get the whole thing (meaning cheesy filled cups) to the table in less than 30 minutes. And think about the cheeseburger options here! I used ketchup in the burger filling and cheddar cheese under and over the meat in the cups. You can use ANY cheese you want - and you can top the cups with your favorite burger toppings, including lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles!

Have fun smushing!

Cheeseburger Tater Tot Bowls

40 frozen Tater Tots
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place 5 Tater Tots each into 8 cups of a muffin pan, standing them straight up in the cup (if they don't all fit standing up, that's OK, just fit them snuggly). Bake for 12 minutes. Use the back of a spoon (or your fingers if you can handle heat) to press the softened tots into the bottom and up the sides of the muffin pan, creating 8 cups. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the cheese into the bottom of each cup. Set aside. Keep the oven at 425 degrees.
Meanwhile, brown the beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. If necessary, drain away any fat. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the skillet and stir to coat. Add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Spoon the mixture into the Tater Tot cups. Top the beef filling with the remaining cheese. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes, until the cups are crispy and the cheese melts.
Serves 4