Jalapeño Popper Tater Tot Casserole

Jalapeño poppers are the perfect bite-sized snacks for just about any occasion; carved out and filled with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon (at least, we wrap ours in bacon) and baked, there’s nothing better than biting into one of these bad boys.

While we love poppers, however, it’s a time-consuming process to make them all, so we thought we’d make one big casserole and get our fix that way instead of spending all that time chopping and filling individual peppers. Loaded with jalapeños, bacon, cream cheese and tater tots, this dish is deliciously filling and just what the doctor ordered for those chilly days when you can’t face going outside. Try it out and be amazed – who said you can’t have a popper cass?!

Jalapeño Popper Casserole

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots, thawed
• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups Mexican cheese blend, grated, divided
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup bacon, crumbled
• 3/4 cup jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and minced, plus 3-4 jalapeños, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup green onion, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425º F.
2. Spread tots out in a 9×13-inch baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until very crispy.
3. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup cheese blend and minced jalapeños and stir together.




4. Add 2/3 cup bacon and mix until incorporated.
5. Remove tater tots from oven and spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the tots, then sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.




6. Spread remaining bacon over the cheese and arrange thinly sliced jalapeños and green onion over everything.




7. Place baking dish in oven and bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.




8. Remove from oven and serve hot!

Recipe adapted from Premeditated Leftovers