Description
Crispy tater tot cones stuffed with juicy cheeseburger filling and drenched in a molten cheddar cheese volcano. Playful, crowd-pleasing, and worth every bite.
Ingredients
- Frozen tater tots: 6 cups
- Ground beef: 1 pound
- Yellow onion, finely diced: 1 medium
- Garlic, minced: 2 cloves
- Shredded cheddar cheese: 3 cups (divided)
- Heavy cream: 1 cup
- Unsalted butter: 2 tablespoons
- Ketchup: 2 tablespoons
- Yellow mustard: 1 tablespoon
- Dill pickles, chopped: 1/2 cup
- Fine salt: 1 teaspoon
- Freshly ground black pepper: 1/2 teaspoon
Instructions
- Preheat Your Equipment: Heat oven to 400°F, line a baking sheet with parchment, and set cone molds or foil forms on the sheet.
- Combine Ingredients: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef with onion and garlic until browned and crumbly, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in ketchup, mustard, pickles, salt, and pepper, then remove from heat and fold in 1 cup shredded cheddar.
- Prepare Your Cooking Vessel: Arrange tater tots around the outside of each cone mold, pressing gently to form an even layer from base to tip.
- Assemble the Dish: Bake cones until deeply golden and crisp, about 22 to 25 minutes. Let rest 2 minutes to set, then carefully lift off molds.
- Cook to Perfection: Spoon warm cheeseburger mixture into each crispy tot cone, packing lightly to the top.
- Finishing Touches: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add heavy cream and the remaining 2 cups cheddar, whisking until smooth and pourable.
- Serve and Enjoy: Stand cones upright, pour the hot cheese sauce over the tops to create the volcano effect, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Note: Keep cheese sauce on very low heat so it stays silky and pourable.
- For sturdier cones, par-bake a layer of tots for 8 minutes before shaping onto molds.
- Mix cheeses like cheddar and Monterey Jack for extra melt and flavor complexity.
- Reheat cones in the oven to restore crispness, then add fresh hot sauce on top.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baked, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cone
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 980 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
Keywords: tater tot cones, cheeseburger cones, cheese volcano, party food, kid friendly, comfort food, game day recipe