Vegan Loaded Tater Tot Nachos w/ Lentil Taco Meat, Sweet Potato Tots, Veggies, and Chipotle Aioli
Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 20 minutes (+40 minutes if making Vegan Caveman tots)
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Tater Tot Nachos
Do you love nachos? Yep - amazing.
Do you love tater tots? Yep - amazing.
Tater Tots + Nachos? ….mind blown.
That’s what we’re doing today folks! Blowing minds with Vegan Loaded Tater Tot Nachos that are literally a fallen angel into our castiron pan for yummy yummy goodness. Like homies, these things will change your life. If you’re looking for that vegan dish to shove down some skeptics throat … here you go!
We started this out with the Vegan Caveman Healthy Sweet Potato Tater Tots, and then we just had some good ‘ol fun! We layered on some vegan cheese, lentil taco meat, chipotle aioli, cilantro, jalapeños, more cheese, and grape tomatoes! uh…. YUMMM. Wooeee.
Homies this stuff is just ridiculous - you’re going to love making this simple dish. If you’re using store-bought tots this dish takes relatively no time. But, I recommend our healthier baked version of the tots.
The key to this dish though is the blend of that tangy chipotle aioli creaminess to cut down the spice from the lentil taco meat and then blending in freshness from cilantro, tomato, and red chilis to balance this dish like a jugglin’ clown with 5 pins.
Alright enough of my diatribe…you want to make this so you can stop drooling!
Let's get into it!
Ingredients:
Lentil Taco Meat
1/2 cup green french lentils
1 cup vegetable broth
1 large shallot (1/3 cup diced)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbl olive oil
Spices: 1 tbl chipotle chili powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tbl nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
Chipotle Aioli
2 tbl adobo sauce from chipotles in adobo sauce can + 1 chipotle, diced
1/2 lime, juiced
1/3 cup vegan mayo
Veggies
3 green onions, diced
1 red jalapeno pepper or fresno chili, diced (sub any pepper)
1/2 cup, diced grape tomatoes (cut into mini circle across width)
large handful of fresh cilantro
Other
Vegan Caveman Sweet Potato Tots (or sub in your own version / frozen version)
vegan shredded cheddar cheese (you can dictate how much you want, I used about 2/5 cup)
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Baking Sheet . Oven . Cheese Grater . Large Pot . Mixing Bowl . Castiron Pan . Whisk . Small Pot
Before You Cook:
Prepare one batch of Vegan Caveman Sweet Potato Tots (or substituted version)
Bring 1 cup of vegetable broth + 1/2 cup green lentils to boil, reduce heat, simmer for 10-15 minutes until soft
1. Add olive oil to large frying pan, and heat for 60 seconds. Add shallots + garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add spices and cook for another 4-5 minutes over medium heat. If lentils are not done, remove from heat.
2. Strain lentils and add to frying pan. Mix well and cook over medium heat for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
3. Chop up your fresh ingredients!
4. Add the tots to a castiron pan and layet on 1/2 your cheese and the lentils. Put into oven and broil at 525F for 3-4 minutes until the cheese melts.
5. To finish, add the fresh veggies, another layer of cheese and the chipotle aioli. Dig in. Enjoy!
